2014: A look back – The ten greatest footballers who retired

#2 Clarence Seedorf

When the coach of Real Madrid, Fabio Capello, walked in to give the ‘hairdryer’ treatment to his team after a particularly, he saw his midfield dynamo, the newly signed Clarence Seedorf, already dishing out tactical advice to his teammates. Furious, the great Italian threw his coat at the Dutchman saying “If you know so much, why don’t you become (the) coach!”.

Seedorf was just 20 at the time.

That was the kind of guy Clarence Seedorf was -the epitome of the stereotypical Dutch footballer – technically talented, tactically astute and stubbornly (and often, loudly) opinionated. Although his relationship with Capello was pretty warm, his outspoken-ness often got him into hot water with a lot of powerful people over the course of his long career –a prime example of this, his ego feud with Marco Van Basten that famously limited his career with the national team (if you can call 87 appearances limited).

On the field though, he was the kind of player most managers would kill to have on their side – built like a pit bull, he was as ferociously intense as those magnificent animals; his exemplary vision, passing range and long-range shooting combining with a seemingly boundless reservoir of energy to make him the heart of any midfield he played in.

You don’t become the first person to win the notoriously hard to win Champions League with three different clubs without being rather good at the game of football.

In typical Seedorf fashion, just two days after the announcement of his retirement, he told the world that he was going to take over managerial duties at Milan. He wasn’t very successful in his time with his beloved Rossoneri (admittedly with the most mediocre squad in Milan’s modern history at his disposal), but for those who have followed the career of this intelligent, articulate Dutchman, there is very little doubt he will find success wherever he ends up – sooner rather than later.