Who is Clarence Seedorf? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Clarence Clyde Seedorf

Age: 46 Years, 46 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Luviana Seedorf

father: Johann Seedorf, Clarence

mother: Dulce Seedorf

siblings: Chedric Seedorf

children: Darjaene Seedorf, Denzel Seedorf, Jaysyley Seedorf, Jusy Seedorf

Born Country: Suriname

Football Players Dutch Men

Height: 5'9" (175 cm), 5'9" Males

Ancestry: Surinamese Dutch

More Facts

awards: Honorary Order of the Yellow Star

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Childhood & Early Life

Clarence Seedorf was born on April 1, 1976, in Paramaribo, the capital city of Suriname. His parents are Dulce and Johann Seedorf. When he was two years old, his family relocated to Almere, Flevoland.

His father had played football before him and currently works as a talent agent. In later years, his younger brothers, Jürgen and Chedric, also took up football.

When he was six years old, Seedorf started playing in the youth ranks of his local amateur sides VV AS '80 and Real Almere. At some point, he was spotted by agents representing Ajax and spent the next few years training at the Ajax Youth Academy.

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Playing Career

Clarence Seedorf started his professional career at Ajax. His first match was against Groningen on September 29, 1992. He was 16 years old at the time.

In his debut season (1992-93), he played 12 matches in the Eredivisie, scoring one goal. During his time with the team, he was one-third of “De kabel" along with Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert. Later, it became a quintet with the additions of Winston Bogarde and Michael Reiziger

In his last season with the team, they won the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League. Despite this, he left Ajax for the Serie A club Sampdoria in 1995. He played a season there and scored three goals in 32 matches.

Seedorf played for the Spanish giant Real Madrid from 1996 to 1999, appearing in 121 matches and registering 15 goals. He was one of most consistent players of Los Blancos, winning a La Liga (1996-97) and UEFA Champions League (1997-98) with them.

In 1999, he came back to Italy to play for Inter Milan in a $24.35 million deal. He was part of the Inter roster for three seasons before he was transferred to Milan’s other prominent team.

The ten seasons he spent at A.C. Milan helped him secure his spot as one of the greatest attacking midfielders of all time. He won two Serie As with them (2003-04 and 2010-11), as well as one Coppa Italia (2002-03), two UEFA Champions Leagues (2002–03 and 2006–07), two UEFA Super Cups (2003 and 2007), and one FIFA Club World Cup (2007).

He left Milan in 2012 and played the last two seasons of his career with the Brazilian team Botafogo before retiring in 2014.

Seedorf played 87 international matches for the Dutch national team. During the 1996 UEFA European Championships, he missed a crucial penalty in the quarter-final shootout against France, which resulted in Netherlands’ defeat and departure from the tournament. He was also part of the Dutch squad at Euro 2000 and 2004, as well as the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Management Career

Clarence Seedorf started his management career at Milan, his old team, in 2014. In 2016, he served as the manager of the then-second division Chinese team Shenzhen. For three months in 2018, he was the manager of the Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruña. Seedorf managed the Cameroon national team from 2018 to 2019.

Family & Personal Life

Clarence Seedorf is married to a Brazilian woman named Luviana. They co-own a restaurant called Finger's in Milan. The couple has four children together, son Denzel, and daughters Jaysyley, Jusy, and Darjaene.

He is fluent in six languages. Besides Dutch, he can speak English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Sranan Tongo.

In a 2011 interview, he revealed that he was pursuing a master's degree in business at the renowned Bocconi University in Milan. Due to this, he received the nickname "il professore" ("the professor") during his tenure at Milan.

In recent years, Seedorf has been involved in sports journalism as a commentator and columnist. He has served as a football pundit on BBC and wrote a column called ‘Seedorf Responds’ for ‘The New York Times.’

In June 2009, he revealed that he had been selected to be the Nelson Mandela Foundation's latest Legacy Champion. He has also been inducted into the A.C. Milan Hall of Fame.

In 2012 and 2014, he participated in Soccer Aid, a charity game held at Old Trafford. He is part of several social development projects in Suriname. In 2001, he established the Clarence Seedorf Stadium in Oost, Para District, Suriname.

Clarence Seedorf Biography