A glance at the Milan Futuro team sheet ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s game against Real Calepina showed a familiar surname: Seedorf.
Denzel Seedorf was born in Milan on 25 May 2007, just two days after his father Clarence won his fourth and final Champions League. It was of course his second with Milan, the great revenge in Athens against Liverpool.
A second Seedorf?
Clarence played for teams like Ajax and Inter, who are also known for developing young talent, but it was Milan he chose as the best destination for his son. The midfielder spent the best part of his career there, from 2002-2012, and as mentioned it is the city of son’s birth.
Starting with the Under 13s, Denzel has been working his way up the Rossoneri youth teams. This season he earned a spot with the Primavera and a debut too, playing the final minutes of the draw against Lazio on November 2nd. It comes after Paulo Fonseca had him train with the first team last season.
He also made an appearance for the U18s in mid-September, in the 2-1 win over their peers from Lecce. Unlike Zlatan’s son Maximilian Ibrahimovic for example, it is notable that Denzel is yet to really dominate any level in terms of numbers, but he already has an imposing physique.
Seedorf Jr. made his senior debut in Real Calepina vs. Milan Futuro, a match won 1-0 by the home team. His father’s former team-mate, Massimo Oddo, brought on Denzel as a substitute. He played just seven minutes, but it was enough to mark a step forward in his journey.
Like his father, he plays as a midfielder, although he doesn’t particularly like comparisons. With his technique and size, he can play either as a box-to-box midfielder or as a defensive midfielder. In the 2024-25 season, he played for the Rossoneri U18s (31 appearances) in both roles.
Despite his limited use, Denzel is appreciated by team-mates and coaches for his total dedication. He has a very different personality from his father: humble, sometimes even too modest, aware of both his own strengths and limitations.
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He doesn’t just live for football: as a very intelligent young man, he also takes his studies very seriously. Indeed, Denzel Seedorf is trying to get his high school diploma at a college in the province of Como.
His father, Clarence, is very discreet and unobtrusive with his son’s sporting dynamics. He is rarely seen at Milanello and tries to stay out of the spotlight. Naturally, we will likely here more from both of them in the months and years to come.
He looks like he has 30 years old 😆😆
I hope he will be like his father for us someday.