Jaap Stam: Manchester United’s Greatest-Ever Defender Returns to Old Trafford

On a cold night at Selhurst Park last month, with Manchester United struggling to overcome Crystal Palace, the club’s travelling supporters were more concerned with exalting one of their old heroes.

During the second half, a rousing rendition of “Yip, Jaap Stam is a big Dutchman” could be heard bellowing out from the Arthur Wait Stand and across the ground.

It is 16 years since Jaap Stam last wore a Manchester United shirt, but his all-too-brief three years at Old Trafford are still remembered with pride by supporters, a time when they could boast of watching the best defender in the world every week. 

This Saturday lunchtime, United supporters will get to salute him again as he returns to Old Trafford for the first time as a manager when his Reading side meet United in the third round of the FA Cup.

Since he left English football in the summer of 2001, Stam’s legend has only been further burnished, and it remains my contention that he is both the greatest defender to play for United and to grace the Premier League.

Stam finished each of his three seasons with United as a Premier League champion, as well as completing the treble by adding the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup in his first season in 1999.

The greatest campaign in United’s history was this 1998-99 season, and it was built upon having Stam guarding their defence, which allowed United’s attacking talent, including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Dwight Yorke and Paul Scholes, to flourish.

Peter Schmeichel only played behind Stam for that one season, but the Dane did not hesitate when I once asked him who was the best defender he had played with during his career.

“It has to be Stam, he was a tower of strength; he was so quick and strong,” the former United goalkeeper said. “In the treble-winning season, he proved himself as one of the best-ever defenders. He was awesome.”

During this time, Stam won UEFA’s Defender of the Year award in both 1999 and 2000, and when Premier League managers were polled on who they would most like to purchase given a free choice and an unlimited budget, they chose Stam over the more obvious charms of Thierry Henry, Roy Keane and Alan Shearer.

As a player, Stam had no discernible weakness. He had a towering 6’3″ frame and a brutish strength that allowed him to overpower and bully any opposition striker who dared venture near him. 

And he was quick, really quick. He possessed the sort of pace rarely bestowed on a mere defender, and I cannot recall seeing him beaten in a race for the ball.

“Once Jaap’s pace took him into the channel ahead of an attacking player they had no chance,” his former team-mate, Giggs, wrote admiringly in Giggs: The Autobiography. “He was so strong it was a mismatch. He would not be beaten.”

After three trophy-laden years, former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson surprisingly brought a premature end to Stam’s United career by accepting a £16.5 …

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