Players - Bolo Zenden

Bolo Zenden
Birthdate: 15 August 1976
Birthplace: Maastricht, Netherlands
Other clubs: PSV Eindhoven (1987-98), Barcelona (1998-2001), Chelsea (2001-04), Middlesbrough (loan 2003-04 + transfer 2004-05), Olympique Marseille (2007-09), Sunderland (2009-11)
Signed from: Free Transfer
Signed for LFC: Bosman, 04.07.2005
International debut: 30.04.1997 vs. San Marino
International caps: 54/7 - 03.09.2004
Liverpool debut: 13.07.2005
Last appearance: 23.05.2007
Debut goal: 29.10.2005
Last goal: 19.11.2005
Contract expiry: 01.07.2007
Win ratio: 65.96% W:31 D:8 L:8
Games/assists ratio: 15.67
Honours: European Super Cup 2005
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 12 / 1
League games / goals / assists: 23 / 2 / 1
Total games / goals / assists: 47 / 2 / 3

Player Profile

Zenden was voted the best player in Holland in his fourth and final season at PSV Eindhoven, where he had been raised since 1993. He joined Barcelona in the 1998/99 season and won the Primera Liga title in his second campaign. He played 89 games in three years before being sold to Chelsea for £7.5 million prior to the 2001/02 season. Zenden struggled to become a regular at Chelsea and was loaned to Middlesbrough in the 2003/04 season. He scored Middlesbrough's winning goal against Bolton in the League Cup final from the penalty spot and played well enough to earn himself an additional one-year-contract sparking speculation that he might go to a bigger club if he continued to play well. Zenden was voted Boro's supporters' Player of the Year in the 2004/05 season and as Liverpool came calling Zenden jumped on board, when his contract expired. Zenden's career at Liverpool never really took off even though Rafa put his faith in him in the 2006/07 Champions League season. Zenden only featured in seven Premier League matches in 2005/06, scoring twice, against West Ham in October and then against Portsmouth the following month when he headed in the rebound after Peter Crouch's penalty had been saved. The 2006/07 season was far more productive for "Bolo". He appeared in 30 matches, although eleven of those were as a substitute. He figured in several Champions League matches as Liverpool progressed to the Athens final and the last of his 47 appearances for Liverpool came in the final in the Greek capital.

The Dutchman joined Marseille on a two-year deal in July 2007 after his contract had expired at Liverpool. A quirk of fate brought him back to Merseyside much earlier than he could have expected with Marseille and Liverpool being paired in the same Champions League group. Zenden played at Anfield when Marseille won 1-0 in September but Liverpool gained their revenge in December when a convincing 4-0 away win ensured that they progressed to the knock-out stage of the competition leaving Marseille behind. Zenden became a free agent when his two-year contract with Marseille expired in the summer of 2009 and Sunderland secured his services after he had impressed manager Steve Bruce during trials that took place in the October international break period. Zenden was a substitute in half of Sunderland's 38 Premier League matches in 2009/10, including both games against former club Liverpool. He scored twice, the second being an astonishing left-footed volley at the Stadium of Light against Tottenham in early-April. He signed a new one-year contract and during the 2010/11 season, he appeared in 27 Premier League matches. Zenden retired on the final day of the season with the first goal in Sunderland's comfortable away win at already-relegated West Ham United. It was the sixty-fourth club goal of a senior career that started in 1993 and took him to four different European countries. He also represented his country, the Netherlands, 54 times between 1997 and 2004, scoring seven times. Zenden took on his first coaching role in November 2012 when he was appointed assistant to Chelsea' interim manager, Rafa Benítez, until the end of the 2012/13 season.

After leaving Chelsea at the same time as Benitez, Zenden returned to the country of his birth to become assistant to the head coach of Jong PSV, PSV Eindhoven's reserve team. By 2018 he had progressed to the first team set up, specialising in coaching forwards and wingers. He also works as a pundit for Dutch television and owns a health club in Maastricht. 

Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 23 0 2 21 1 47
2005-2006 7 0 0 10 0 17
2006-2007 16 0 2 11 1 30
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
4 274 PSV Eindhoven
4 263 Chelsea
3 186 Middlesbrough
2 180 Portsmouth
2 180 FBK Kaunas
2 158 Birmingham City
2 156 Reading
2 155 Real Betis
2 123 Bordeaux
2 116 TNS
2 111 Arsenal
2 96 Manchester City
2 47 Anderlecht
2 46 Aston Villa
2 25 West Ham United
1 120 CSKA Moscow
1 90 Blackburn Rovers
1 90 Sheffield United
1 75 Newcastle United
1 71 Wigan Athletic
1 63 Sunderland
1 59 AC Milan
1 57 Charlton Athletic
1 55 Maccabi Haifa
1 26 CSKA Sofia
1 14 Bolton Wanderers
1 7 Barcelona
Total Started/substitutions
30 Started
7 On the bench
17 Substitute
10 Substituted
Total Venue
23 Home
21 Away
3 Neutral
Total Competition
23 Premier League
20 Champions League
2 League Cup
1 Community Shield
1 European Super Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
47 31 8 8 66% Rafa Benítez
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 0 0 0 0 2
2005-2006 2 0 0 0 0 2
2006-2007 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
1 Portsmouth
1 West Ham United
Total Started/substitutions
1 Started
1 Substitute
Total Competition
2 Premier League
Total Goal minute period
1 16-30 minutes
1 76-90 minutes
Total Goal origin
2 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 1 0 0 2 0 3
2005-2006 0 0 0 1 0 1
2006-2007 1 0 0 1 0 2
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Total Opponent
1 Middlesbrough
1 Real Betis
1 Bordeaux
Total Competition
2 Champions League
1 Premier League
Total For player
2 Steven Gerrard
1 Luis Garcia
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 13.07.2005 TNS Anfield Europe
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 82 29.10.2005 West Ham United Anfield League
Related Articles
Ten-man Boro hold out for a draw

The Telegraph match report on Middlesbrough - Liverpool on 13.08.2005.

The early years of Bolo Zenden

Thanks to PSV book "'Voor Rood Wit Gezongen'" and Dutch journalist Ramon Min at AD Sportswereld we publish the early history of one of Liverpool's latest recruits.

Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
PSV Eindhoven 1994-1995 Netherlands 1 26 5 27 5
PSV Eindhoven 1995-1996 Netherlands 1 25 7 27 7
PSV Eindhoven 1996-1997 Netherlands 1 34 8 36 8
PSV Eindhoven 1997-1998 Netherlands 1 26 12 29 12
Barcelona 1998-1999 Spain 1 25 0 29 0
Barcelona 1999-2000 Spain 1 29 2 39 3
Barcelona 2000-2001 Spain 1 10 1 15 1
Chelsea 2001-2002 England Premier League 22 3 32 3
Chelsea 2002-2003 England Premier League 21 1 27 1
Middlesbrough 2003-2004 England Premier League 31 4 39 7
Middlesbrough 2004-2005 England Premier League 36 5 49 5
Marseille 2007-2008 France 1 27 2 34 2
Marseille 2008-2009 France 1 27 4 36 4
Sunderland 2009-2010 England Premier League 20 2 21 2
Sunderland 2010-2011 England Premier League 27 2 29 2
Total 386 58 469 62