Born on this day is former Sunderland winger and Netherlands international Bolo Zenden. Zenden had played for some of Europe’s most elite clubs such as Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool before winding down his career on Wearside.
Zenden was very successful under fellow Dutchman Louis Van Gaal, impressing at left wingback. He moved to England in 2001, catching the eye of Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea. However, persistent injuries meant he was unable to nail down a consistent spot in the Blues’ starting eleven. In 2003, he was loaned to Middlesbrough where he impressed in a more central role, whereas he was deployed as a winger at Chelsea. He scored in Boro’s 2004 League Cup final win over Bolton, and moved to Teesside permanently at the end of the season.
He had a successful couple of years at Middlesbrough, earning Boro fans’ Player of the Year in 2005. When his contract expired, Zenden moved to Liverpool who had recently been crowned champions of Europe. After starting regularly on the left-hand side, the winger suffered a major ligament injury in December 2005, and didn’t play another game that season. When Dietmar Hamann departed in 2006, Rafa Benitez saw Zenden as a replacement in central midfield. Due to more injury struggles, he was in and out of the side until his contract expired in 2007.
After two years in Marseille, the maverick midfielder returned to England, signing for Steve Bruce in 2009. Zenden had kept himself in good condition (he was a vegetarian since his teen years) and, despite being limited to substitute appearances, gave us a number of memorable moments. He made his debut in a hard-earned 1-0 win over Liverpool, replacing an injured Lee Cattermole as a second half substitute. His first goal for the Lads came in a heavy defeat to Chelsea, where we lost 7-2. Despite the scoreline, Zenden impressed, scoring just 10 minutes after coming on with a fine half-volley. Undoubtedly though, his best goal for Sunderland was in a 3-1 win over Tottenham, scoring an amazing acrobatic volley that found the top corner.
In November 2010, the Dutchman made headlines for other reasons. He went viral online after his hilarious attempt to join in with Asamoah Gyan’s goal celebration! At the end of the season, Zenden decided not to renew his contract and Sunderland turned out to be his last club, captaining the lads and scoring on his final appearance against West Ham.
One day while still playing for the club, Bolo turned up at the SoL with a suit. It was a gift for Head of Media at the time, the late Louise Wanless. Louise was a lifelong Boro supporter and had mentioned how the greatest day for herself and her dad was watching Bolo score a penalty as Middlesbrough beat Bolton in 2004. The suit was Bolo's from the final, and he'd brought it as a gift for her father. Typical Bolo Zenden - a thoughtful and entirely decent chap with no stereotypes of how a superstar footballer is expected to behave, despite a mile-long CV and a legendary career.
