Adrianus Johannes "Arjan" de Zeeuw (born 16 April 1970) is a Dutch former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
.
Club career
Born in
Castricum
Castricum () is a municipality and a town in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands.
Castricum is a seaside town in the province of North Holland. It draws in a fair share of tourists who mainly come to visit the beach and nearby dune ...
,
North Holland
North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
, De Zeeuw started his career at Vitesse '22 in the Dutch amateur leagues, and studied for a degree in
medical science
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...
whilst playing for the club.
At the age of 22, he turned professional and signed for
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the fir ...
in the
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the ...
. In 1995, he considered quitting football after he felt Telstar had priced him out of a move to
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
side
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, but decided to stay with the club for one more year.
De Zeeuw was approached by
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
later that year, who signed him for a fee of £250,000 during the 1995–96 season. In December 1995, he scored his first goal in English football in a 2–2 draw against
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
. He was a key player in the side that won promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
in the 1996–97 season. The club were relegated the following year, and it appeared that De Zeeuw was set to leave the club in the summer after turning down a new contract, but was later persuaded by new manager
John Hendrie to sign a one-year deal. When his contract expired at the end of the 1998–99 season, he moved to
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
.
At Wigan he soon became a vital team member, proving to be highly dependable at the back, and received the club's Player of the Year award in 2001 and 2002. His contract with Wigan expired in the summer of 2002, and the following season, he moved on a free transfer to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. He was an integral part of the Portsmouth squad
that claimed the First Division championship.
He continued to perform to high standards as Portsmouth played well in their debut
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
season, and was recognised by the fans who voted him Portsmouth Player of the Year. He was rewarded with the captaincy for the 2004–05 season, following
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham, MBE (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career.
Sheringham began his career at Millwall, where he ...
's departure to
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
, and led the team to stave off relegation following the departure of manager
Harry Redknapp
Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In his ...
.
In the summer 2005, after falling out with then-Portsmouth manager
Alain Perrin
Alain André Christian Perrin (born 7 October 1956) is a French professional football manager and former player.
Perrin made his managerial breakthrough at Troyes, whom he took from the fourth tier to Ligue 1 and UEFA Cup qualification by winnin ...
, he returned to Wigan Athletic for the nominal fee of £90,000.
De Zeeuw, who is now advanced in years for the life of a footballer, wanted the guarantee of first-team football which Perrin was unwilling to provide. The majority of Portsmouth supporters lamented this decision and loss of their former captain, who had a very consistent season with Wigan at the heart of their defence, helping them to a better-than-expected mid-table finish and even received praise from then Prime Minister
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
.
De Zeeuw is considered by many to be an excellent example of professionalism in the modern game. He refused to retaliate after
El Hadji Diouf
El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (; born 15 January 1981) is a Senegalese former professional footballer. Throughout his career, Diouf played as a winger or a forward.
Having started his professional football career in France with Sochaux, Rennes an ...
spat in his face during a match at the
Reebok Stadium
The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...
in November 2004. His response was to score the winning goal in Portsmouth's 1–0 victory.
In Wigan's second Premiership season, he struggled to get a regular first team place due to a series of injuries and was released by the club on 17 May 2007. Whilst at Wigan he started in the
2006 Football League Cup Final
The 2006 Football League Cup Final also known as the 2006 Carling Cup Final for sponsorship reasons, was played between Manchester United and Wigan Athletic on 26 February 2006. Manchester United won the match comfortably, by four goals to nil. L ...
. In a poll to celebrate the centenary of the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
The aims of ...
fans voted De Zeeuw to be the best player of all time for Wigan Athletic.
In June 2007, it was announced that De Zeeuw had signed a one-year contract with
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
. During pre-season training, a freak accident left the defender sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks. He made his debut against
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
on 15 September 2007.
It was announced towards the end of the 2007–08 season that De Zeeuw would be one of eight first team players whose contracts would not be renewed. His season was hampered by injury and lack of form leading to new manager
Chis Coleman decided he was surplus to requirements.
In 2009, he signed with ADO'20.
Post football career
Following his retirement in 2009, De Zeeuw began working as an investigative detective in
Alkmaar
Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...
, specialising in forensics and stating PCR was among his most loved techniques.
Career statistics
Honours
Individual
*
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...
:
2000–01 Second Division,
2001–02 Second Division
References
External links
Arjan de Zeeuw tributeat Wigan Athletic official website
at ccfc.co.uk
*
Sunday Times article 31 January, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeeuw, Arjan de
1970 births
Living people
People from Castricum
Dutch police officers
De Zeeuw
Dutch footballers
Dutch expatriate footballers
De Zeeuw
De Zeeuw
De Zeeuw
De Zeeuw
De Zeeuw
SC Telstar players
University of Amsterdam alumni
ADO '20 players
Association football defenders
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England
Footballers from North Holland