Seedorf wouldn’t mind a similar match against Liverpool

Clarence Seedorf… They called him “Opa” (Granddad) in his younger days at Ajax… Eyes behind flashy sunglasses, brains overcooked by fashionable cap, driving a red Ferrari… Moviestars, Marco van Basten liked to call him, Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert… The man who wanted to change the world, talk to Nelson Mandela, and convert all the penalties… The man who wanted to be everywhere on the pitch bar the position his coach wanted him. The man who would give deep, philosophical answers to questions from sports-journalists. When he was 14 years old, the NOS Sports program Studio Sport had a special on this special talent from Ajax. When he was 15 he made his debut in the Ajax 1 team. When he was 18 he won his first Champions League Cup. Two would follow, with Real Madrid and AC Milan. He played a fourth finals - against Liverpool in 2005 of course - which he lost (who can forget that match).

On the 23rd of May, Big Buddha Seedorf will climb the Olympus in Athens and join the other Gods in the Pantheon. Maybe a fourth CL cup… At least a fifth finals for sure…

But how he changed… Opa became the ideal chymical wedding between brains and power. Style and Stamina. Eyes and Feet. Delivering an assist and scoring a goal. In the quarter finals against Bayern Munich and again against Man United.

We all should be cheering for Clarence, no matter how hard Bolo Zenden works, no matter how much Dirk Kuyt will score…

And the man himself? This is what he said: “I’d like the match to go exactly as two years ago, with the exeption of Liverpool scoring those three goals after the break. We were on top of things. We dominated. We played fantastic football. If we’d play that match another 19 times, we’d win them all…”