Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Part 1)

Jerrel Floyd "Jimmy" Hasselbaink, born on March 27, 1972, is a Dutch football manager and former player. His football journey began in Suriname before his family relocated to Zaandam in the Netherlands. Initially a goalkeeper, he transitioned to playing as a right winger and eventually as a forward.
Hasselbaink started his senior career with Telstar and AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands before moving to Portuguese club Campomaiorense in August 1995. He then joined Boavista, winning the Taça de Portugal in 1997. His move to English side Leeds United in 1997 marked a significant chapter in his career, where he became a prolific goalscorer and earned the Premier League Golden Boot award in 1999. Subsequently, he joined Atlético Madrid in Spain for £10 million, reaching the Copa del Rey final despite the club's relegation from La Liga.


Hasselbaink made a high-profile transfer to Chelsea for a club-record £15 million fee. He enjoyed further success at Chelsea, winning another Premier League Golden Boot in his first season and contributing to the team's second-place finish in the Premier League in 2003–04. Hasselbaink later played for Middlesbrough, Charlton Athletic, and Cardiff City in the English leagues, reaching the UEFA Cup final with Middlesbrough in 2006 and the FA Cup final with Cardiff City in 2008. He also represented the Netherlands national team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring nine goals in 23 appearances.


Transitioning into management, Hasselbaink took charge of Royal Antwerp in Belgium in May 2013 before moving to Burton Albion in England in November 2014, leading them to promotion to League One in his first season. He later managed Queens Park Rangers, Northampton Town, and had a second stint at Burton Albion before resigning in September 2022.
Currently, Hasselbaink serves as an assistant coach for the England national team, contributing his expertise to the development of players at the international level.


Jimmy Hasselbaink was born on March 27, 1972, in Paramaribo, Suriname, which was then part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He was the youngest of six children born to Frank Ware and Cornelli Hasselbaink. At the age of three, in 1975, Hasselbaink suffered a serious accident when he was run over by a moped, resulting in a broken right leg.
In October 1978, when Hasselbaink was six years old, his mother relocated with him and three of his siblings to Zaandam, Netherlands, while his father remained in Suriname and had limited contact with the family. In Zaandam, Hasselbaink began playing youth football for Gestaagt Volharding Overwint (GVO), initially as a goalkeeper. He later transitioned to playing as a right winger for Zaansche Football Club (ZFC) and Zaanlandia.


During his teenage years, Hasselbaink became involved with a street gang and was subsequently sent to a youth detention facility for three months due to theft. After his release, he joined the youth team at DWS but was dismissed from the club for stealing a first-team player's watch. Despite these setbacks, he began his senior career with Telstar in the Eerste Divisie, although he faced disciplinary issues at the club due to persistent lateness.
Hasselbaink's talent eventually caught the attention of AZ Alkmaar, where his brother Carlos was already playing. He earned a professional contract with AZ Alkmaar but was not retained by the club after his initial contract expired in 1993. Following unsuccessful trials and contract negotiations with other Dutch clubs, he spent time training with HFC Haarlem and playing amateur football for Neerlandia while searching for a professional opportunity abroad. He also spent time in Austria with Admira Wacker during this period.


After impressing during a trial, Jimmy Hasselbaink signed for Campomaiorense, a newly promoted team in the Portuguese Primeira Divisão, in August 1995. Initially, the chairman wanted to keep his signing a secret, leading to him being referred to simply as "Jimmy" in the press. This nickname stuck for the remainder of his career. Hasselbaink had a slow start, failing to score in his first four games and even missing a penalty in the fifth game. However, he redeemed himself by scoring both goals in a crucial 2–0 win over Gil Vicente.


Despite his individual success, Campomaiorense couldn't avoid relegation that season. In the summer of 1996, Hasselbaink moved to Boavista for a fee of €300,000. The season with Boavista was tumultuous, with the club going through multiple managerial changes. Despite the team's struggles, Hasselbaink had a prolific season, finishing as the league's second-highest scorer behind Porto's Mário Jardel. He scored his first professional hat-trick for Boavista in a victory over Marítimo and later netted another hat-trick in a 7–0 win over Gil Vicente, alongside teammate Nuno Gomes.
Although Hasselbaink was initially benched in the Taça de Portugal final due to an arranged transfer to Leeds United, he came on as a late substitute as Boavista secured a 3–2 victory over Benfica to win the cup.


In the summer of 1997, Leeds United manager George Graham secured the signing of Jimmy Hasselbaink for a fee of £2 million. Hasselbaink made an immediate impact by scoring on his Premier League debut in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal at Elland Road on 9 August. However, he initially struggled to adapt to the pace of the English game, managing only five league goals before Christmas.
Despite his slow start, Hasselbaink finished the season strongly, ending up with a total of 26 goals in all competitions. His prolific scoring earned him joint-winner of the Premier League Golden Boot alongside Michael Owen and Dwight Yorke. Leeds United finished fourth in the league under the management of David O'Leary, securing a place in the UEFA Cup.


However, despite his success on the pitch, Hasselbaink and his agent were dissatisfied with the contract offered by the club. Despite having two years left on his existing deal, Hasselbaink was sold due to the disagreement over terms. O'Leary acknowledged the financial challenges, stating that the demands of the player were beyond what any club in England could afford.
In the middle of 1999, Jimmy Hasselbaink was purchased by Spanish club Atlético Madrid for a fee of £10 million. Despite Atlético Madrid losing their first three La Liga games of the 1999–2000 season, Hasselbaink made an immediate impact by scoring his first goal for the club, securing a crucial point at Real Zaragoza.


Throughout the season, Hasselbaink continued to score important goals for Atlético Madrid. He notably scored twice in the Madrid Derby against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, helping Atlético secure their first victory at the stadium in nine years. Additionally, he found the back of the net against Barcelona at Camp Nou, albeit in a 2–1 league defeat.
Despite Hasselbaink's contributions, Atlético Madrid endured a turbulent season. Manager Claudio Ranieri aimed to qualify for the Champions League but resigned in February due to poor results. Despite this, Hasselbaink still managed to share the league's Silver Boot award with Catanha of Málaga CF, finishing just three goals behind the top scorer, Salva Ballesta of Racing de Santander.

References

1.  "Chelsea thrash Spurs". BBC Sport. 13 March 2002. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
2. ^ Hasselbaink 2005, p. 172
3. ^ "Arsenal lift FA Cup". BBC Sport. 16 February 2003. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
4. ^ Hasselbaink 2005, p. 170
5. ^ Jump up to:
6. a b Hasselbaink 2005, p. 182
7. ^ Hasselbaink 2005, p. 184
8. ^ Hasselbaink 2005, p. 186
9. ^ "Barca interest Hasselbaink". BBC Sport. 22 August 2002. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
10. ^ "Hasselbaink tipped for Barca switch". BBC Sport. 11 January 2003. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
11. ^ Obayiuwana, Osasu (20 January 2003). "Barca rule out signings". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
12. ^ "Chelsea statistics 2002/03". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
13. ^ "Chelsea 5-2 Wolves". BBC Sport. 27 March 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
14. ^ "Monaco 3-1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 20 April 2004. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
15. ^ "Chelsea 2-2 Monaco". BBC Sport. 5 May 2004. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
16. ^ Hasselbaink 2005, p. 214
17. ^ "Hasselbaink signs for Boro". BBC Sport. 9 July 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
18. ^ "Hasselbaink signs for Boro". BBC Sport. 9 July 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2015.