Adrianus Johannes "Arjan" de Zeeuw (born 16 April 1970) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Club career Born in Castricum, North Holland, De Zeeuw started his career at Vitesse '22 in the Dutch amateur leagues, and studied for a degree in medical science whilst playing for the club. At the age of 22, he turned professional and signed for Telstar in the Eerste Divisie. In 1995, he considered quitting football after he felt Telstar had priced him out of a move to Eredivisie side Utrecht, but decided to stay with the club for one more year. De Zeeuw was approached by Barnsley later that year, who signed him for a fee of £250,000 during the 1995–96 season. In December 1995, he scored his first goal in English football in a 2–2 draw against Ipswich Town. He was a key player in the side that won promotion to the Premier League in the 1996–97 season. The club were relegated the following year, and it appeared that De Zeeuw was set to leave the club in the summer after turning down a new contract, but was later persuaded by new manager John Hendrie to sign a one-year deal. When his contract expired at the end of the 1998–99 season, he moved to Wigan Athletic. At Wigan he soon became a vital team member, proving to be highly dependable at the back, and received the club's Player of the Year award in 2001 and 2002. His contract with Wigan expired in the summer of 2002, and the following season, he moved on a free transfer to Portsmouth. He was an integral part of the Portsmouth squad that claimed the First Division championship. He continued to perform to high standards as Portsmouth played well in their debut FA Premier League season, and was recognised by the fans who voted him Portsmouth Player of the Year. He was rewarded with the captaincy for the 2004–05 season, following Teddy Sheringham's departure to West Ham United, and led the team to stave off relegation following the departure of manager Harry Redknapp. In the summer 2005, after falling out with then-Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, he returned to Wigan Athletic for the nominal fee of £90,000. De Zeeuw, who is now advanced in years for the life of a footballer, wanted the guarantee of first-team football which Perrin was unwilling to provide. The majority