Boudewijn Zenden

Boudewijn Zenden (born August 15, 1976 in Maastricht; commonly known as Bolo Zenden) is a Dutch football left midfielder and occasional defender, who currently plays for Liverpool in the English Premiership.

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Prior to joining Liverpool, Zenden played for PSV Eindhoven (1994-98), Barcelona (1998-2001), Chelsea (2001-03), and Middlesbrough (2003-05). He joined Barcelona in 1998 from PSV as part of the large Dutch contingent under then coach Louis van Gaal but saw his first-team appearance limited by Marc Overmars who could also play in his favoured position and also do well.

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In March 2004, he scored the game winner in the League Cup final against Bolton Wanderers to give Middlesbrough their first major trophy. Originally on loan with the club from Chelsea, the move to Boro was made permanent after the triumph but Zenden stayed only another year with the team, signing a contract with Liverpool on July 4, 2005 after a free transfer.

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Zenden has earned 40 caps for the Dutch national team (as of the end of 2004), and played for his country in the , and . He even scored a goal in the World Cup 1998 against Croatia in the 3rd placing playoff with a wonderful solo run and a rocket of a shot. He was also rather well-known after scoring the goal for attempting to do a somersault in celebration but botched it, most probably being buoyed by the joy of scoring the goal. Under current Dutch coach, Marco van Basten, however, he saw himself excluded from selection for the national squad alongside Mark van Bommel and Clarence Seedorf.

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An interesting trivia about Zenden is that he is also a black-belt holder in judo and was the regional champion in his hometown in Limburg.

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August 15: August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining....

1976: 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar)....

Maastricht: Maastricht (Limburgish and city dialect: Mestreech; French: Maestricht) is a municipality, and capital of the province of Limburg. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river (Maas in Dutch) in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands between Belgium and Germany. The name of city is deriv...