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Hasselbaink hangs up his boots

Image: Hasselbaink: During his Chelsea days

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has decided to retire from professional football with immediate effect.

Veteran striker retires

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has decided to retire from professional football with immediate effect. The veteran striker was released by Cardiff at the end of last season and has been unable to find a new club. The Suriname-born Dutch international began his career with AZ Alkmaar in 1990, before taking in spells at nine other clubs over the next 18 years. His first taste of life in England came in 1997 when he joined Leeds, where he bagged 20-plus goals in consecutive seasons. However, the Whites refused to hand him an improved contract and he moved on to Atletico Madrid.

Productive

He was back in the Premier League in 2000 when Chelsea paid big money to take him to Stamford Bridge, and he enjoyed a productive four-year stay in the capital. Hasselbaink moved on to Middlesbrough in 2004, Charlton three years later, and finally to Cardiff in the summer of 2007. His one season in Wales was disrupted by injury, although he did feature in the Bluebirds' FA Cup final defeat to Portsmouth. He won 23 caps for his country, scoring nine goals, and appeared at the 1998 World Cup finals.

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