Jaap Stam

Jaap Stam

Stam in training for Ajax in 2006
Personal information
Full nameJakob Stam
Date of birth17 July 1972
Place of birthKampen, Overijssel, Netherlands
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Playing positionCentre-back
Club information
Current team
Jong Ajax (assistant)
Youth career
1988–1992DOS Kampen
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1992–1993FC Zwolle32(1)
1993–1995SC Cambuur66(3)
1995–1996Willem II19(1)
1996–1998PSV76(12)
1998–2001Manchester United80(1)
2001–2004Lazio70(3)
2004–2006Milan42(1)
2006–2007Ajax31(1)
Total416(23)
National team
1996–2004Netherlands67(3)
Teams managed
2008–2011Manchester United (scout)
2009FC Zwolle (interim)
2011–2013FC Zwolle (assistant)
2013–2014Ajax (assistant)
2014–Jong Ajax (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Jakob "Jaap" Stam (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjaːp ˈstɑm]; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch retired football player who is currently an assistant coach at his former club AFC Ajax.

Born in Kampen, he played for several European clubs including PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, A.C. Milan and Ajax before retiring in October 2007. As well as club trophies, he won several personal awards, including being voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League.[2] He was known for possessing "a rare combination of speed, strength and ball-playing ability".[3]

Stam played 67 international matches for the Netherlands, scoring three goals. He was in their squads for three European Championships and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early career

Stam started his career with local amateur football club DOS Kampen. On 15 August 1992, Stam made his professional debut for FC Zwolle in a 1–1 draw against SC Heracles in the Eerste Divisie. He became a first team regular right away and moved to Eredivisie side Cambuur Leeuwarden for the following season, but relegated in his first season which brought him back into the Eerste Divisie. Two seasons at Cambuur earned him a transfer to Eredivisie side Willem II. At Willem II he impressed at the Eredivisie level straight away, which meant his final breakthrough. A shock 1–0 home victory over Ajax led to Stam's transfer to PSV Eindhoven in the same season in which they eventually won the KNVB Cup, his first professional trophy.

PSV

Stam was a key player for PSV in the 1996–97 season, as the team won the Eredivisie Championship and the Johan Cruijff-schaal; Stam won the VVCS Footballer of the Year award.

In 1998, Stam became the then most expensive Dutch football player in history and the most expensive defender in history, when Manchester United bought him for £10.6 million.

Manchester United

Stam spent three seasons at Manchester United, during which time United won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Champions League. He scored his only goal for the club in a 6–2 away victory against Leicester City.[4]

Early in the 2001–02 season, Stam was controversially sold to Lazio in Italy, after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly furious with allegations Stam had made in his autobiography Head to Head about himself and the club. Stam made numerous statements in the book about his views on opposing players, and notoriously alleged that Ferguson's approach to buy him was done without the permission of PSV Eindhoven.[5] Laurent Blanc was signed as his replacement.

However, Alex Ferguson has since described the decision to sell Stam as an error: "At the time he had just come back from an achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit. We got the offer from Lazio, £16.5m for a centre-back who was 29. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake. He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level."[6] On the financial report Manchester United announced the fee was £15.3 million.[7]

Lazio

During his time with Lazio, Stam was found guilty of having the banned steroid nandrolone in his system following a Serie A game,[8] and received a five-month ban, which was eventually reduced by a month after appeals.[9] He was the second Lazio player suspended in 2001, after Fernando Couto.

In his last season at the club, he won the Coppa d'Italia.

Milan

Stam joined Milan after Euro 2004. He reached his second Champions League final with the Rossoneri in 2005, but was a runner-up after his team was defeated by Liverpool in a penalty shootout.[10]

Ajax

On 30 January 2006, it was announced that he would return to the Eredivisie and play for Ajax, where he signed a two-year contract for €2.5 million transfer fee. Stam was named team captain upon his arrival at the club. In his first season, he won both the Johan Cruijff-schaal and the KNVB Cup, and another Johan Cruijff-schaal was added to his trophies at the start of the 2007–08 season.

On 29 October 2007, he announced his retirement from professional football with immediate effect after playing six league games for Ajax in Eredivisie 2007-08. His last game was in a 0–0 draw against N.E.C on 20 October 2007.

Post career

In October 2008 Stam returned to Manchester United as a scout for the club, responsible for most of South America.[11][12]

In 2011 Stam became an assistant coach for PEC Zwolle, a position he held for two seasons after Kieron Hogendoorn vacated the role.

Following his stint with Zwolle, Stam took a three-year contract with AFC Ajax as an assistant coach, and as defensive trainer starting in in the 2013-14 Eredivisie season.[13]

Soccer Aid

Stam has been involved with Soccer Aid, which puts celebrities and football legends together in two teams; England and Rest of the World for a charity game in aid of Unicef. Stam first appeared in Series 2 of Soccer Aid in 2008, where he played ninety minutes in his favoured centre-back position. Stam was on the losing side as Rest of the World fell to a 4–3 defeat to England at Wembley Stadium. Most notable players to be included in the Rest of the World 2008 squad include Paolo Di Canio and Luis Figo.

Stam also appeared in Soccer Aid for Series 4, playing for Rest of the World who lost 3–1. Former Blackburn Rovers star Robbie Savage picked Stam as one of the best players in the match.

During Series 5 of Soccer Aid Stam was named as Man of the Match.

International career

Stam made his debut for the Netherlands on 24 April 1996, in the 1–0 defeat to Germany. He was also an important player in the Dutch team that finished fourth in the 1998 FIFA World Cup

During the Euro 2000, he reached another semi finals with the Dutch team, hosted in his home country and Belgium. Stam missed an important penalty kick in the penalty shootout in the semi-finals, which led to defeat against Italy.

Stam reached his third semi finals in an international competition with his nation during Euro 2004 in Portugal and retired from international football after the tournament. The reason cited for his international retirement was that he wanted to focus on his new team Milan and his family.

In total he played 67 matches for the Netherlands, scoring 3 goals.

Honours

Player

Club

PSV

Manchester United

Lazio

Milan

Ajax

International

Netherlands

Individual

Assistant coach

Club

FC Zwolle
Ajax

Career statistics

[15] [16]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
1992–93ZwolleEerste Divisie321–
1993–94CambuurEredivisie331–
1994–95Eerste Divisie332–
1995–96Willem IIEredivisie191–
1995–96PSVEredivisie141–
1996–97337–
1997–98294–
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
1998–99Manchester UnitedPremier League3017000130511
1999–20003300000130510
2000–01150100060230
2001–021000000020
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
2001–02LazioSerie A131
2002–03280
2003–04292
2004–05MilanSerie A170201081281
2005–06251300090371
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
2006–07AjaxEredivisie251–
2007–0860–
Total Netherlands 22418–
England 79180003201271
Italy 1124
Career total 41623

[17]

Netherlands national team
YearAppsGoals
199640
199761
1998141
199941
200080
200170
200250
200390
2004100
Total673

Books

References

  1. ↑ Barnes, Justyn; Bostock, Adam; Butler, Cliff; Ferguson, Jim; Meek, David; Mitten, Andy; Pilger, Sam; Taylor, Frank OBE; Tyrrell, Tom (2001). The Official Manchester United Illustrated Encyclopedia. London: Manchester United Books. p. 116. ISBN 0-233-99964-7.
  2. ↑ "UEFA Super Cup". UEFA.com. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  3. ↑ "Player Profile". BBC Sport. 14 May 2000. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  4. ↑ Jones, Ken (16 January 1999). "O'Neill faces up to Premiership's harsh reality". London: The Independent. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  5. ↑ "Interview: Jaap Stam". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  6. ↑ Harris, Nick (6 September 2007). "Ferguson will never talk to the BBC again". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2011-11-29.
  7. ↑ http://production.investis.com/manutd/findata/reports/anrep01/chstat.pdf
  8. ↑ "Stam suspension upheld". BBC. 17 November 2001. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  9. ↑ "Stam cleared to return". BBC. 4 March 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  10. ↑ "AC Milan 3–3 Liverpool (aet)". BBC Sport. 25 May 2005. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
  11. ↑ "Douglas advised to ignore European interest". Sky Sports. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  12. ↑ Gray, Ashley (10 October 2008). "Jaap Stam makes up with Sir Alex and signs up for United as a South American talent scout". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  13. ↑ Langelaar, Jeroen (7 January 2013). "Jaap Stam keert als assistent-coach terug bij Ajax". Daily Mail (Netherlands). Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  14. ↑ http://www.fifpro.org/en/events/world-xi/players?sortname2=2005
  15. ↑ Jaap Stam at National-Football-Teams.com
  16. ↑ Jaap Stam career statistics at Soccerbase
  17. ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/stam-intl.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jaap Stam.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Tomáš Galásek		 Ajax captain
2006-2007 		Succeeded by
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar