Clarence Seedorf

Clarence was born in Suriname and is widely considered as one of the 'greats' of modern football. He has been a permanent fixture in the Dutch international squad for a number of years and is the first player to have won the Champions League four times and with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007. He made his professional debut on 29th November 1992 against Groningen at the age of 16, making him the youngest debutant for Ajax ever! Even at the tender age of 16 Clarence was setting records and it was only 2 years after this that he was called up to represent the Dutch national squad, at the age of 18. He scored on his debut, helping his team to a 5-0 victory in a Euro 1996 qualifying match. He went on to become a key player in Ajax's midfield and helped them to their 1995 UEFA Champions League winning campaign. This sparked interest in the talented midfielder from Europe's biggest clubs. In 1996 he moved to Real Madrid where he became a mainstay for 3 seasons in an incredibly talented midfield. In his first season, he helped Madrid regain the La Liga title; in his second season (1997-98), he played a major role in the team's Champions League success, as Real Madrid secured a 1-0 victory over Juventus in the final, earning his second Champions League title of his career. At the end of the 2006-07 season, Seedorf was voted as the best midfielder in the Champions League. He played his 100th game in the Champions League on 4 December against Celtic. In recent years Clarence has done a lot of media-related work, becoming a familiar face in the punditry world. He joined the BBC's team covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, working as a television pundit. He has also presented a number of features for the BBC, including one about Robben Island. He also joined the BBC for their Match of the Day Live coverage of the 2012 UEFA European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Clarence has strong connections to Suriname (where he was born) and has been involved in many social development projects there. He built his own "Clarence Seedorf Stadium" in the district of Para and the teams of the Suri Profs & Brothers play there regularly. With his Champions for Children Foundation he supports projects for good causes in Suriname. For this, Suriname has honoured him to Commandor of the High-Order of the Yellow Star and recently in 2011 the Netherlands also honoured him to Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau (OON).