Football-Seedorf and Sutton breathe fresh air on Praslin |16 June 2005

Time now for the players to breathe some fresh air before the new seasons begin in both countries. AC Milan’s Clarence Seedorf and Celtic’s Chris Sutton have chosen Seychelles to recharge their batteries.

The two star footballers are holidaying at Lemuria Hotel on Praslin and the hotel’s general manger Andrew Spearman told Sports Nation on Wednesday that they are both enjoying their stay here and the sun.

Seedorf, the man with three European Champions League titles

Surinam-born Seedorf is a Dutch international and he made his international debut for the Oranje as an 18-year-old against Luxembourg in 1994.

The midfielder made his name at Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands by breaking into the first team at the age of 16, winning two Dutch titles and the Dutch Cup. In his third season with Ajax in 1995, he teamed up with the likes of Frank Rijkaard, Patrick
Kluivert, Edgar Davids and Edwin van der Sar to win the European Champions League.

In 1996, he switched to Italy to play for one season for Sampdoria before joining Real Madrid in 1996 for 8.6 million euros. He helped the team win the Spanish League title in 1997, the European Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup in 1998.

The following year, he moved to Inter Milan on a loan deal that eventually became a 25m euros permanent transfer. Seedorf then signed for cross-town rivals AC Milan in 2002. After just one season with the Rossoneri, he won the European Champions League and the Italian Cup. He followed that with the European Super Cup, the Scudetto (Italian first division league title) and the Italian Super Cup.

The only player to win three Champions League titles with three different teams, Seedorf looked like securing a fourth medal in the May 25 final against Liverpool after a 3-0 half-time lead. But Liverpool climbed back to score three goals inside six second half minutes before winning the title on a penalty shoot-out.

Seedorf said before playing his fourth European Champions League final that each one of his titles is “special because they were all so different with the biggest clubs in the business – the kind of clubs where winning is expected. Each trophy has come at a different stage in my career and for that, they evoke different memories – and take me back to the clubs where I won them.”

In an interview published by Reuters the day afternoon the final loss to Liverpool, the midfielder was quoted as saying:
“It is easy to regard a season in which we haven’t won Seria A or the Champions League as a negative season. But I think it has been a positive season – we have finished second in two big competitions and you can’t always win – football is like that.”

Seedorf has represented the Netherlands at Euro 1996, Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and the World Cup in France in 1998.

All-rounder Sutton

An all-rounder, Sutton played for Norwich, Blackburn and Chelsea before former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill, who resigned at the end of last season, brought him to Scotland in 2000.

A prolific scorer throughout his career, Sutton became the most expensive player in English football in 1994 when he was transferred from Norwich to Blackburn Rovers for £5 million. In his first season at Ewood Park, he developed a strong partnership with former England striker and captain Alan Shearer, scoring 15 goals to help the club secure their first league title since 1914.

The player, who has won just one England cap in 1998, was transferred to Chelsea for £10 million at the end of the 1998-1999 season.

After scoring just one goal in 28 appearances, Sutton was sold for £6million to Celtic in 2000 and his goals have helped the team win three Scottish Premier League titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.

Celtic also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2003.

This year, Celtic failed to defend their Scottish Premier League title as their Glasgow neighbours Rangers piped them to the finish on the final day.

In the Cup final, Sutton afforded to miss a penalty but Alan Thompson scored the winner for Celtic against Dundee United.

G. G.