Athletic and Chelsea. Tonight, two teams will meet in the Champions League in which Jerrel Floyd Hasselbaink, better known popularly as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, one of the best strikers of the 1990s and 2000s who wore both jerseys. There was only one season in the Spanish league, 99/00, in which Atlético de Madrid experienced a decline and lost a Copa del Rey final. Despite everything, he became an idol for the athletic fans.
Suriname's professional career began in the Eredivisie in 90-91, with the Stormvogels Telstar. In 91-92, the forward signed for AZ Alkmaar, where he failed to triumph in the two seasons he was. Hasselbaink was two years without playing at a professional level in the Netherlands, until he went to Campomaiorense in the Portuguese League. After 31 games and 12 goals, Boavista was interested and managed to get hold of the Dutchman. Jimmy Floyd scored 20 goals in 29 games Y he won the Portuguese Cup, winning the final 3-2 at Benfica where he coincided with a Portuguese football historian like Nuno Gomes.
After his time in Portugal, Jimmy made it to the Premier League for the first time, the league that he enjoyed the longest. His first stage was lived at Leeds United, where he uncovered all his scoring potential for the first time. In its first season, Hasselbaink scored 16 goals, remaining behind two of the top scorers of that season (Dion Dublin, Michael Owen and Chris Sutton, with 18 goals). In the following season he did reach the top scorer. With two more, Hasselbaink reached the 18-goal mark in the Premier with Leeds, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. The Suriname tip shared this title with Dwight Yorke, and Michael Owen. That summer, he would stop at the Calderón.
On August 22, 1999, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wore the Atlético de Madrid jersey for the first time in an official match in a match between the rojiblanco team and Rayo Vallecano, which ended with a favorable result for the Strip (0-2).
Hasselbaink beats Bizzarri in a Real Madrid-Atlético de Madrid.
AS newspaper
That season, Hasselbaink sent the ball into the goal up to 24 times in the league with the rojiblanc elastica, being second top scorer in the domestic competition, tying with Catanha and surpassed by Salva Ballesta, who scored 27 goals. For the athletic memory there is a league visit to the Santiago Bernabéu in which the Dutch striker achieved a double, getting the victory by 1-3.
Despite running one of his best campaigns individually, collectively, the season was disastrous. Atlético confirmed their relegation on matchday 36 after Hasselbaink himself missed a penalty against Real Oviedo. In addition, the rojiblancos also lost the Cup final against Espanyol. Although it was not a year of joys for the mattress platform, the striker became an idol in the stands of the Calderón who sang his song “Jimmy 'Pichichi' Hasselbaink!” after every goal scored by 17.
After this season he changed the Manzanares for the Thames and made his second place in the Premier, but this time with Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge he spent four years where he was paired up with Eidur Gudjohnsen. As 'blue' he lived his best years. In the season of his return, he was top scorer in the English League with 23 goals. In the second, he stayed one of Henry (24). On 03/02 it fell to only 11 points and on 04/03, it went up to 13 although they were still far from what he was used to. That summer, he left Chelsea, who the following would bring Drogba from Lens as a natural substitute.
Hasselbaink, Lampard and Gudjohnsen during a match against Leeds United.
IAN HODGSON (REUTERS)
In one of his regular appearances in the media, Jimmy recounted his departure from the blues and the problems he experienced with Ranieri. When the Italian was training the club, it passed into the hands of Roman Abramovich and went after two different forwards. The coach told him that he was going to put him on the transferable list but the Dutch forward insisted and knocked down his departure based on goals. In the end, Mourinho came to the 'blue' bench and Jimmy assures that he used him as an example for the rest of the dressing room. “Mourinho used me as an example. He wanted to show that he could let any great player go. I was still the top scorer although that year they had signed two great forwards (Hernán Crespo and Mutu). Mourinho wanted to show who the boss was and he used me. Chelsea won the Premier that year but I could have stayed. But Mourinho always does it that way. (…) You can't blame him. He is a serial winner, “said the now coach.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink fights a ball against Javi Navarro in the 2006 UEFA final.
MARCELO DEL POZO (REUTERS)
An end and a new life
In 2004, he left Stamford Bridge for Middlesbrough, where he spent two more seasons, playing in the last full UEFA final against Sevilla who lost 0-4. In that boron coincided with two historical Australian football as Mark Viduka and goal Schwarzer and with the current English coach, Gareth Southgate.
His last destinations were Charlton Athletic, with whom he only played 14 games and Welsh Cardiff City, where he ended his career in 2008.
After finishing his football career, he trained and works as a coach. His career began in the lower Chelsea and already as head coach He has been on the benches for Belgian Royal Antwerp, Burton Albion and Queens Park Rangers, from which he was fired in November 2016 after winning only 13 of 47 games. Also froml Northampton, which opened the doors to him in September 2017, ending his period in April 2018. Since that year he was unemployed, as far as training is concerned, until January of this year. Now, in 2021, it is back.
At the beginning of the season, Burton Albion once again trusted Hasselbaink to take over the leadership of their team. The Dutchman returns to the 'brewers' of the League One (English Third Division), the team with the best results in his career (33 wins, ten draws and eleven losses in 52 games) to perform a miracle as the team of the Midlands are on the bottom and are five points from salvation.
Although your task on the bench is titanic, Jimmy also has time to join the usual team of ex-players who frequent British sports televisions. for the analysis of the best matches of the Premier League or its teams in Europe. The Dutchman usually appears giving his opinion in the posts of Chelsea matches so do not be surprised if tomorrow Jimmy unites again, through his opinions, the blues and the rojiblancos.