Corinthians Appoints Seedorf as Coach to Avoid Relegation

Brazilian club Corinthians announced on Sunday evening the appointment of Dutchman Clarence Seedorf as the team’s head coach, marking his first managerial role since 2019, amid the club’s struggle to avoid relegation from the Brazilian first division.

The Brazilian club stated in social media posts that it had signed Seedorf, 50, to a contract running until the end of next year.

Corinthians sit in 16th place in the 20-team Brazilian league, just one position above the relegation zone.

Seedorf replaces Fernando Diniz, who was dismissed on Wednesday following a seventh consecutive defeat for the side, which includes Dutch striker Memphis Depay.

Seedorf’s last managerial role was with the Cameroon national team more than seven years ago. He has previously managed three clubs, including Italy’s AC Milan, for whom he also played.

Although Seedorf is the only player to have won the European Cup, now known as the UEFA Champions League, with three different clubs, his managerial career has not seen significant success.

None of his three managerial stints with clubs, including his time at Milan in 2014, lasted more than six months, with his last position being at Spanish side Deportivo La Coruña in 2018.

Seedorf ended his playing career in Brazil, having represented Botafogo, after years of excellence in midfield that established him as one of the standout players of his generation.

Seedorf first won the Champions League in 1995 with Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam at the age of 19, before claiming the title with Spain’s Real Madrid in 1998, and then winning it twice with Italy’s AC Milan in 2003 and 2007.