Jaap Stam looked the part before he had touched the ball. Shaved head, huge frame and a stare that could stop a striker in his tracks, he was about as intimidating as a Premier League defender got.
He was also very good. The Dutch centre-back was the anchor of Manchester United's 1999 Treble side, the season they won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League. His pace, power and aggression made him close to impossible to beat in a one-on-one, and he was dominant in the air.
Ferguson's admission
In 2001 United sold him. Sir Alex Ferguson later admitted that selling Stam was the biggest mistake of his career, a confession he did not make about many players. That says a good deal about how highly he rated him.
Stam went on to play in Italy with Lazio and AC Milan, and he earned 67 caps for the Netherlands, playing at several international tournaments.
Fast, strong, aggressive and hard to shake off, he was the complete centre-back of his generation. Many at Old Trafford still call him the most fearsome defender the ground has seen. Number 6.
Tomorrow: into the top five.
