Dutch · Paramaribo, Suriname · Born 27 March 1972Dutch striker who became one of the Premier League's most prolific goalscorers, winning the Golden Boot twice and scoring over 100 goals in England.
Jerrel Floyd Hasselbaink was born on 27 March 1972 in Paramaribo, Suriname, the youngest of six children. When he was six years old, his mother took him and three siblings to live in Zaandam, near Amsterdam, while his father remained in Suriname, rarely making contact with the family afterward. Growing up in a tough, high-rise housing estate alongside families from Suriname, Turkey, and Morocco, Hasselbaink fell in with a street gang as a teenager, carrying a knife and spending three months in a youth detention facility for theft. Football, by his own account, saved him from a fate of prison or addiction that claimed several of his childhood friends. He began his senior career with Telstar while still involved with the gang, before a move to AZ Alkmaar helped him leave that life behind entirely. After spells in Portugal with Campomaiorense and Boavista, where he won the Taça de Portugal, Leeds United signed him in 1997 for £2 million. Hasselbaink won the Premier League Golden Boot in his first English season, sharing the 1998-99 award, and his combination of powerful finishing and a fierce shot made him one of the most feared strikers in the country. He moved to Atlético Madrid in 1999 before Chelsea brought him back to England the following year, where he continued his prolific scoring form for four seasons, later playing for Middlesbrough, Charlton Athletic, and Cardiff City. Hasselbaink earned 23 caps for the Netherlands, scoring nine international goals, and after retiring in 2008 moved into management, taking charge of Royal Antwerp, Burton Albion (across two spells), Queens Park Rangers, and Northampton Town, before later returning to work as an assistant coach with the Suriname national team — the country of his birth.
Winning Premier League Golden Boot twice in consecutive seasons
He scored 23 Premier League goals in his first season at Chelsea without taking a single penalty.
Did You Know?How They Played
Physical striker with exceptional shooting power and accuracy
Lasting Impact
One of the most clinical finishers in Premier League history
Career Honours
- Premier League Golden Boot 2x
- La Liga runner-up
- Premier League Golden Boot 1998-99
- Premier League Golden Boot 2000-01
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telstar | 1990–1991 | 4 | 0 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 1991–1994 | 46 | 5 |
| Neerlandia | 1994–1995 | — | — |
| Campomaiorense | 1995–1996 | 31 | 12 |
| Boavista | 1996–1997 | 29 | 20 |
| Leeds United | 1997–1999 | 69 | 34 |
| Atlético Madrid | 1999–2000 | 34 | 24 |
| Chelsea | 2000–2004 | 136 | 69 |
| Middlesbrough | 2004–2006 | 58 | 22 |
| Charlton Athletic | 2006–2007 | 25 | 2 |
| Cardiff City | 2007–2008 | 36 | 7 |
 Netherlands | — | 23 | 9 |
Dutch Athletes