Legendary defender details his Sheffield Wednesday trial and explains why he didn’t sign

Stam, who went on to have a fantastic career with the likes of Manchester United, Lazio, AC Milan and in the Dutch national team, almost started his venture outside his native Netherlands at S6 after Trevor Francis was informed of his ability. But it wasn’t to be…

The towering centre back, a Premier League and Champions League winner, played for the Owls’ U23s and trained with the likes of Chris Waddle during a short training spell in Sheffield, and he says jetting out to Middlewood Road was the first time he’d even been on a plane.

“I was there in the beginning of my career,” speaking on Full Circle from bet365. “I was from the amateur league in Holland when I went to FC Zwolle – that was my first professional team. I played there for six months, and one of the assistant managers over there was Jimmy Calderwood. He's a friend of Trevor Francis, at that time the manager of Sheffield Wednesday. He told Trevor, ‘We've got this kid at Zwolle at the moment, and he’s just joined’.

“That's what he told me afterwards. He said, ‘He joined us like six months ago, but this kid is doing an unbelievable job in producing a certain level in the Dutch second division. You need to invite him and bring him over and have a look’. So they invited me to come over to Sheffield.

“For me it was a whole new experience because it was the first time I’d been in a plane too, on that journey over to the UK.”

The 50-year-old went on to say, “It was all new impressions, which I loved of course. I went over there, and we played a game. I remember we played in the Cup in Holland on Sunday and then flew to Sheffield on the Monday. I played in a game with the Wednesday U23s, so it was two games in two days, which was quite new as well.

“But because it's different players, and in a different atmosphere as well, you just play through the motions and I loved it. Afterwards I had a training session with the first team as well, Chris Waddle was there along with some other great players at that time.

“In my opinion the trial went ok, at which point they then asked me to come back again for another trial and at that time I said, ‘Of course’. I loved it, a great experience with a historic club. I was very impressed with my time in Sheffield.

“But I said to the management, first I want to establish myself in Holland and that's why I stayed in Zwolle for that season.”

After leaving Zwolle, Stam played for SC Cambuur, Willem II and PSV Eindhoven before he eventually moved to England to join the Red Devils - and from there he went on to win the Premier League title three times, the Champions League, as well as trophies in Italy and the Netherlands.

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