 Melchiot in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Dino Patrick Melchiot[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-11-04)4 November 1976 (age 49)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Right-back[4] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1999 | Ajax | 73 | (1) |
| 1999–2004 | Chelsea | 130 | (4) |
| 2004–2006 | Birmingham City | 57 | (2) |
| 2006–2007 | Rennes | 30 | (2) |
| 2007–2010 | Wigan Athletic | 97 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Umm Salal | 20 | (0) |
| Total | 407 | (9) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Netherlands U19 | 11 | (1) |
| 1996–1998 | Netherlands U21 | 13 | (0) |
| 2000–2008 | Netherlands | 22 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mario Dino Patrick Melchiot (born 4 November 1976) is a Dutch former professionalfootballer who played as adefender. He played both as aright-back and as acentre-back, and also occasionally played inmidfield.[5] He represented theNetherlands national football team atUEFA Euro 2008, and mostly played abroad for football clubs in England, France and Qatar.
Melchiot was born and raised inAmsterdam, living with his two brothers and two sisters. He enjoyed a close relationship with his eldest brother, Winston, who acted as Mario's mentor after their parents split up. When Winston died of a heart attack at the age of 25 in 1996, Melchiot considered giving up football.[6]
Melchiot started his career in the youth system atAjax, and made his debut in the1996–97 season. He scored his first goal for the club in the semi-final of theChampions League in a 4–1 defeat againstJuventus.[7] Melchiot spent three seasons at the club, winning theEredivisie in1998 and theKNVB Cup in1998 and1999. In the summer of 1999, he signed a three-year contract withChelsea under theBosman ruling.[8]
For most of hisfirst season at the club, Melchiot did not feature in the first team due to injuries. However, on 22 April 2000, following an injury toAlbert Ferrer, he finally made his debut in a 1–1 draw againstMiddlesbrough. A month later he played in the2000 FA Cup Final againstAston Villa where he played a major role in helping Chelsea win the match.[citation needed]
At the start of the2000–01 season, Melchiot scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 2–0 win againstManchester United in the2000 FA Charity Shield.[9] His second goal was also against Manchester United, as he helped his team to a memorable 3–0 win atOld Trafford in the2001–02 season.[10] Under the management ofClaudio Ranieri, He quickly established himself as the club's first-choice right-back, and was soon rewarded with a contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2004.[11]
Melchiot signed forBirmingham City on a three-year contract in July 2004,[12] and made his debut in a 1–1 draw againstPortsmouth.[13] In his second season, Birmingham found themselves in a relegation battle. He soon became ascapegoat for the club's poor performances, and was booed by his own supporters in a match againstTottenham Hotspur.[14] Birmingham were finally relegated in April 2006 after a 0–0 draw withNewcastle United. He played his last game for Birmingham in their 1–0 defeat toBolton Wanderers on 7 May 2006. He scored two league goals during his spell at Birmingham, againstCharlton Athletic[15] andWigan Athletic.[16]
In August 2006, Melchiot joined French outfitRennes on a one-year contract. He scored his first goal for the club in aCoupe de la Ligue Round of 16 tie againstLigue 2 clubLibourne-Saint-Seurin. He endeared himself to the Rennes faithful when he scored his first league goal for the club in a 2–0 win over fierce rivalsNantes. Melchiot's contract with Rennes lasted until the summer of 2007.[citation needed]
Melchiot joinedWigan Athletic on a free transfer on 15 June 2007.[17] On 24 July 2007, he was given the Wigan captaincy,[18] following the departure of his compatriotArjan de Zeeuw. He became a fan-favourite at theJJB Stadium, and madeLatics history when he became the first Wigan player to play in a major international tournament by coming on for the Netherlands against Romania at theUEFA Euro 2008 tournament. He made 101 appearances for Wigan during his three years at the club.[citation needed]
In June 2010, Melchiot turned down a new contract from Wigan and agreed to joinUmm-Salal Sports Club on a free transfer after his existing contract expired at the end of the month.[19] He was signed by Umm Salal manager,Henk ten Cate, as he was reportedly interested in an experienced defender after signing Spanish midfielderGabri.[20] He made his debut in a 2–2 draw againstAl-Arabi. At the end of the 2010–11 Qatar Stars League Season, he left Umm-Salal as they opted not to give him a new one-year contract.[citation needed]
Melchiot wascapped 22 times for theNetherlands since making his international debut on 11 October 2000 in a 2–0World Cup qualifier defeat againstPortugal. His last international appearance was in the final group match ofUEFA Euro 2008 againstRomania on 17 June 2008.[citation needed]
In 1998, Melchiot and Ajax teammatesBenni McCarthy andDean Gorre, calling themselves BMD, released a rap/R & B track called "Midas Touch".[21][22] He has also campaigned for theBritish Heart Foundation[23] and has appeared on the quiz showA Question of Sport.[24]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax[25] | 1996–97 | Eredivisie | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| 1997–98 | Eredivisie | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[e] | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||||
| 1998–99 | Eredivisie | 24 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| Total | 73 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 97 | 3 | |||
| Chelsea[26] | 1999–2000 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 1[f] | 1 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 37 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | — | 50 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | ||
| Total | 130 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 165 | 5 | ||
| Birmingham City[26] | 2004–05 | Premier League | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 1 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| Total | 57 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 67 | 2 | ||||
| Rennes[27] | 2006–07 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 3 | ||
| Wigan Athletic[26] | 2007–08 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | |||
| Total | 97 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 101 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 387 | 9 | 34 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 464 | 13 | ||
Ajax
Chelsea
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