V. Setubal 2-2 Boavista May 4, 1997 Primeira Divisao
“My first match is for Boavista against Vitoria Setubal – you didn’t expect me to choose this one, did you?! [Laughs] The Leeds manager George Graham was in the stadium – he saw me for the first time, he was scouting me. I scored, and from that moment he liked me, and a deal to join Leeds started to get going with my agent. I scored 20 league goals for Boavista that season. I couldn’t stop scoring, we had a really good year, with me and Nuno Gomes up front – we played a lot of games together. Back in the Netherlands, we got the BBC and Match of the Day, so I always wanted to play in England, and I got that opportunity thanks to this game. When the opportunity came, I didn’t need to think about it – I just took it.”
Leeds 1-1 Arsenal August 9, 1997 Premier League
“This was my debut for Leeds, and I scored. It was very special, playing against Arsenal – Ian Wright was one of the strikers you looked at in the Premier League, to see how he did things, how he scored his goals. To play against Steve Bould in your first match, against that famous back four, and to score against David Seaman, it just felt so good. I went one-on-one with him, a defender was closing in and I had to make a quick decision to shoot. I think Seaman thought I was going to aim for the near corner, but I went for the far corner, he slipped a bit with his left foot and the ball went in. A very special moment – your debut at a packed Elland Road, with all the fans going absolutely mental. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.”
Netherlands 0-0 Belgium June 13, 1998 World Cup
“This [above] was my World Cup debut. I didn’t know I was going to be called up for that tournament, I was one of the last ones on the list – No.21 was designated to me, and in those days you could only have 22 players. I went into a mini pre-season with the Dutch national team, and it went so well that the manager Guus Hiddink started me in the first match. I was a bit unlucky, it finished 0-0, but I’d come from Boavista, played one year at Leeds and then been called up for the national team straight away. Two years before that, when the Euros were in England, I went with friends to watch the Dutch national team, when England beat us 4-1. I was going to do the same in France, but I was called up myself, and my family came to watch me.”
Chelsea 4-0 Tottenham March 13, 2002 Premier League
“My final game has to be when I scored a hat-trick for Chelsea against Spurs – left foot, right foot and a header. When I was told after the
