 Stam in 2006 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jakob Stam[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1972-07-17)17 July 1972 (age 53)[1][2] | ||
| Place of birth | Kampen, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3][2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1992 | DOS Kampen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1993 | FC Zwolle | 32 | (1) |
| 1993–1995 | SC Cambuur | 66 | (3) |
| 1995–1996 | Willem II | 19 | (1) |
| 1996–1998 | PSV Eindhoven | 76 | (12) |
| 1998–2001 | Manchester United | 79 | (1) |
| 2001–2004 | Lazio | 70 | (3) |
| 2004–2006 | Milan | 42 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Ajax | 31 | (1) |
| Total | 415 | (23) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–2004 | Netherlands | 67 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009 | PEC Zwolle (caretaker) | ||
| 2014–2016 | Jong Ajax | ||
| 2016–2018 | Reading | ||
| 2018–2019 | PEC Zwolle | ||
| 2019 | Feyenoord | ||
| 2020–2021 | FC Cincinnati | ||
| 2024– | DOS Kampen | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jakob "Jaap"Stam (Dutch pronunciation:[jaːpˈstɑm]; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch professionalfootball coach and former player. As a player, he played as acentre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of all time.[4][5][6][7][8] He was part of the Manchester United team that won theTreble of thePremier League,FA Cup andUEFA Champions League in1999.
Stam played for several European clubs includingPSV Eindhoven,Manchester United,Lazio,Milan andAjax before retiring in October 2007. As well as winning numerous club trophies including anEredivisie, aCoppa Italia, anIntercontinental Cup and three Premier League titles, he won several personal awards including being voted the best defender in both the1998–99 and1999–2000 UEFA Champions Leagues as well as being in three consecutivePFA Team of the Year sides from 1999 to 2001. Stam played 67 international matches for theNetherlands, scoring three goals. He was in their squads for threeUEFA European Championships and the1998 FIFA World Cup.
After retiring as a player, Stam worked as a coach atPEC Zwolle and Ajax. He later managedFeyenoord in 2019 andFC Cincinnati ofMajor League Soccer.
Born inKampen,[1]Overijssel, Stam started his career with local amateur football clubDOS Kampen. On 15 August 1992, Stam made his professional debut forFC Zwolle in a 1–1 draw againstSC Heracles in theEerste Divisie. He moved toEredivisie clubCambuur Leeuwarden for the following season, but was relegated in his first season. Two seasons at Cambuur earned him a transfer to Eredivisie clubWillem II. At Willem II, he immediately impressed at the Eredivisie level, which meant his final breakthrough.
Stam transferred toPSV Eindhoven where he won theKNVB Cup in 1995–96, his first professional trophy. He won the1996–97 Eredivisie, as well as theJohan Cruyff Shield. Individually, Stam won the VVCS Footballer of the Year award.
In April 1998, Stam became the thenmost expensive defender in history whenManchester United bought him on a five-year contract for£10.6 million. PSV initially valued him at £15 million, but accepted the lower offer after Stam waived his right to 15% of the fee.[9]
Stam spent three seasons at Manchester United, during which time United won threePremier League titles, oneFA Cup, theIntercontinental Cup and theUEFA Champions League. He scored his only goal for the club in a 6–2 away victory againstLeicester City.[10]
In the1999 UEFA Champions League final, Stam's centre-back partnerRonny Johnsen conceded a free kick on the edge of the penalty area when he brought downBayern Munich'sCarsten Jancker in the first few minutes.Mario Basler scored the free kick and Bayern held the lead for 85 minutes before United scored two goals in added time to win the tournament.[11]
Early in the2001–02 season, Stam was controversially sold toLazio in Italy after Manchester United managerSir Alex Ferguson was reportedly upset by allegations Stam had made in his autobiographyHead to Head about the club. Stam made numerous statements in the book about his views on opposing players, and alleged that Ferguson's approach to buy him was done without the permission of PSV.[12] Later,Simon Kuper reported that contrary to initial belief, Ferguson had noticed that Stam's tackling numbers were declining and simply assumed the defender was past his playing peak.[13]Laurent Blanc was signed as his replacement.[14]
In 2007, however, Ferguson 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."[15] On the financial report, Manchester United announced the fee was £15.3 million;[16] Lazio declared the fee was £16 million.[17]
During his time with Lazio, Stam was found guilty of having the banned steroidnandrolone in his system following aSerie A game,[18] and received a five-month ban, which was eventually reduced by a month after appeals.[19] He was the second Lazio player suspended in 2001, afterFernando Couto. In his last season at the club, he won theCoppa Italia.
Stam joinedAC Milan afterUEFA Euro 2004. He reached his second Champions League final with theRossoneri in2005, but was a runner-up after his team was defeated byLiverpool in apenalty shoot-out.[20]
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 a €2.5 million transfer fee. Stam was named team captain upon his arrival at the club.[21] In his first season, he won both the Johan Cruyff Shield and the KNVB Cup; another Johan Cruyff Shield was added to his trophies at the start of the2007–08 season.
On 29 October 2007, Stam announced his retirement from professional football with immediate effect after playing six league games for Ajax in the2007–08 league season. His final game was in a 0–0 draw againstNEC on 20 October 2007.
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Stam made his debut forthe Netherlands on 24 April 1996 in a 1–0 friendly defeat toGermany inRotterdam. He was not initially chosen forUEFA Euro 1996, but was later added to the squad after an injury ruled outFrank de Boer; he did not however make any appearances at the tournament. He scored his first goal on 6 September 1997 in a 3–1 home win over rivals Belgium in World Cup qualification. He was also an important player in the Dutch team that finished fourth in the1998 FIFA World Cup.[22]
DuringUEFA Euro 2000, he once again reached the semi-finals with the Dutch team, hosted in his home country and Belgium. Stam missed his attempt in the penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals, hitting the ball over the bar in a defeat againstItaly. He was not originally scheduled to take a penalty, but had to due to substitutions and fatigue among his teammates.[23]
Stam reached his third semi-finals in an international competition with his nation atUEFA 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, as well as his family.[24]
In total, he played 67 matches for the Netherlands, scoring three goals.[22]
Considered by several pundits to be one of the best defenders of his generation, as well as one of the greatest Dutch and Premier League defenders in history,[4][5][6][7][8] Stam played primarily as acentre-back. He was known for possessing "a rare combination of speed, strength and ball-playing ability",[25] as well as an excellent positional sense and a powerful shot.[26][27] Due to his wide range of skills, in his prime he was also capable of playing as afull-back on the right flank.[28][29]
In October 2008, Stam returned to Manchester United as a scout for the club, responsible for most of South America.[30]
Stam has been involved withSoccer Aid, which puts celebrities and football legends together in two teams (England and Rest of the World) for a charity game in aid ofUNICEF. Stam has appeared in five Soccer Aid matches 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.[31]
In 2009, Stam became an assistant coach for PEC Zwolle, and on 30 October was appointed caretaker manager.[32] Following his stint with Zwolle, Stam signed on for a three-year contract with Ajax in 2013 as an assistant coach, and as defensive coach starting in the2013–14 Eredivisie season.[33] On 28 May 2014, Stam was revealed as one of the new managers ofJong Ajax, the reserve team in the Eerste Divisie. He was joined byAndries Ulderink and they signed a contract beginning on 1 July 2014 and lasting until 30 June 2016.[34][35]
On 13 June 2016, Stam was appointed as manager of EnglishChampionship clubReading on an initial two-year contract.[36] He enjoyed a successful first season with the club, leading them to the Championship play-offs. On 4 July 2017, Stam signed a new two-year contract extension with Reading, keeping him at the club until 2019.[37] On 21 March 2018, Reading announced that Stam had left the club with immediate effect following a run of one win in 18 league matches left the team 20th in the league table.[38]
On 28 December 2018, Stam was appointed as the new manager of Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle on a year-and-a-half contract.[39]
On 6 March 2019, Feyenoord announced that Stam would succeedGiovanni van Bronckhorst asFeyenoord's new manager. He signed a two-year contract, effective 1 June 2019.[40] Following a 0–4 defeat to Ajax, Stam resigned on 28 October 2019, saying "I've thought about this for a long time. My final conclusion is that it's better for the club, the players and myself if I step aside."[41][42]
On 21 May 2020,Major League Soccer clubFC Cincinnati announced that Stam would succeed interim managerYoann Damet. He signed a year-and-a-half contract.[43] On 15 July, he won 1–0 on his debut against anAtlanta United FC side managed by his former international teammateFrank de Boer.[44]
Stam was dismissed on 27 September 2021, with Cincinnati second-from-bottom in theEastern Conference having won four of 25 games.[45]
In February 2024, Stam was appointed manager at seventh-tierDOS Kampen, his hometown amateur club where he had begun playing more than three decades earlier. He agreed to take charge in the summer, for a one-year contract.[46]
Stam is a Protestant.[47] He met his wife Ellis when he was 16,[48] and they have two daughters and twin sons.[49] His first daughter's birth was induced two weeks early, to come between the 1998 World Cup and pre-season training for Manchester United.[48] When he played for Manchester United, he lived inWilmslow inCheshire.[48] His cousinMaurice van Ham was also a professional footballer.[50]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zwolle | 1992–93 | Eerste Divisie | 32 | 1 | — | — | — | 32 | 1 | |||||
| Cambuur | 1993–94 | Eredivisie | 33 | 1 | — | — | — | 33 | 1 | |||||
| 1994–95 | Eerste Divisie | 33 | 2 | — | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 66 | 3 | — | — | — | 66 | 3 | |||||||
| Willem II | 1995–96 | Eredivisie | 19 | 1 | — | — | — | 19 | 1 | |||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 1995–96 | Eredivisie | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| 1996–97 | Eredivisie | 33 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[a] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 40 | 7 | ||
| 1997–98 | Eredivisie | 29 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | 5[c] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 40 | 4 | ||
| Total | 76 | 12 | 11 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 98 | 12 | |||
| Manchester United | 1998–99 | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 51 | 1 |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 33 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 13[c] | 0 | 5[e] | 0 | 51 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 127 | 1 | ||
| Lazio | 2001–02 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | — | — | 5[c] | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[f] | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 7[c] | 1 | — | 42 | 3 | |||
| Total | 70 | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | 16 | 1 | — | 94 | 4 | ||||
| Milan | 2004–05 | Serie A | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[c] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 9[c] | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | |||
| Total | 42 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 65 | 2 | |||
| Ajax | 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 25 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 11[h] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 41 | 2 | |
| 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | — | — | 4[f] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||
| Total | 31 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 415 | 23 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 553 | 26 | ||
Appearances and goals by national team and year[53]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1996 | 4 | 0 |
| 1997 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 14 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 67 | 3 | |
International goals
(Source)[54]
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6 September 1997 | De Kuip,Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Belgium | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 10 October 1998 | Philips Stadion,Eindhoven, Netherlands |  Peru | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 13 November 1999 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands |  Czech Republic | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Reading | 13 June 2016 | 21 March 2018 | 98 | 40 | 23 | 35 | 040.8 | [38][55] |
| PEC Zwolle | 28 December 2018 | 31 May 2019 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 041.2 | [55] |
| Feyenoord | 1 June 2019 | 28 October 2019 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 038.9 | [55] |
| FC Cincinnati | 21 May 2020 | 27 September 2021 | 47 | 8 | 13 | 26 | 017.0 | |
| Total | 180 | 62 | 45 | 73 | 034.4 | |||
*Some of Stam's record comes from theMLS is Back tournament. However, the tournament is essentially the MLS 2020 season.
PSV[56]
Lazio
Milan[58]
Ajax[56]
Individual
Netherlands squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
