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Jaap Stam was one of the hardest footballers to grace the football field. The former Dutch international was an inspiration to the young players of the current generation. Here’s few of the quotes on Jaap Stam by former players.
“Once Jaap’s pace took him into the channel ahead of an attacking player they had no chance. He was so strong it was a mismatch. He would not be beaten.”
– Ryan Giggs
“It was one of the mistakes [ selling Jaap Stam ] I made – hopefully I haven’t made too many – but that was one.”
“Alex Ferguson didn’t make many mistakes, but selling Stam was one. Manchester United really struggled when he left, and didn’t look the same in defence until [Nemanja] Vidic and [Rio] Ferdinand formed their partnership.”
“He was very quiet off the pitch, very quiet in the dressing room – but once he got on the pitch you knew he meant business. He wasn’t somebody you wanted to cross, he was a real animal on the pitch.”
“It has to be Stam, he was a tower of strength; he was so quick and strong. In the treble-winning season, he proved himself as one of the best-ever defenders. He was awesome.”
– Peter Schmeichel on the best defender he has had ever played with
“An awesome defender with great recovery pace, strength and physique.”
– Nicky Butt
“Jaap’s a man-mountain, but as quick as a Ferrari. I’ve heard some critics say he was slow but that’s absolute rubbish. As a man-marker, he’s the best I’ve seen. When you play against international forwards like Batistuta, Ronaldo, Inzaghi… their one thought is to score a goal. But one-on-one, Jaap was the man to diffuse any situation. People would try and run him, outwit him and he always had an answer.
– Teddy Sheringham
“When Jaap was on his game he was awesome, and another with a huge presence.
– Andy Cole said while picking his all-time Manchester United XI
If we missed any of the quotes on Jaap Stam, do let us know in the comments below.
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