Whatever happened to Winston Bogarde? Well... he's fat, he's round and he hasn't got a pound







All that remains inside the Big House at 510 Osdorperweg is a cracked, framed picture of Winston Bogarde celebrating Barcelona’s 1997 Super Cup triumph.

Everything else on a plot of land crudely nicknamed ‘The Biggest House in Amsterdam’ has been sold by the bank to the highest bidder.

The world has finally caved in on Bogarde, seven years after leaving Chelsea and the most famous contract in world football.

Inside 510 are the secrets of Bogarde’s complicated and confusing life, hidden behind the curtains that have been tightly shut by the bank.

In that time he has bought and sold a hugely successful music company, brought an abrupt halt to his coaching career, closed his gaming club after a gangland murder and been thrown out of his £3.2million home on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

Wide man: Winston Bogarde hardly looked the part for Edwin van der Sar's testimonial at the AmsterdamArena in August

His swish, five-bedroom apartment in nearby Ijburg is unoccupied and reports in Holland suggest that too is under the threat of repossession. Could this be the price the former Chelsea defender is paying for his largesse?

Turn back the clock and Bogarde was a big name in the game, winning the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and two La Liga titles with Barca.

Chelsea gave the Holland centre half a four-year contract worth £10m when he moved to London on a free transfer in July 2000.

Incredibly he started just four games under Gianluca Vialli and Claudio Ranieri, making his final appearance as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Gillingham on Wednesday, November 6, 2002.

Bogarde spent his final season commuting from Osdorperweg 510, catching the early flight into Heathrow and training with the youth team at Harlington.

Today Bogarde is contemplating his next move, reflecting on a mad world that was full of money and mayhem.

He has a long-standing offer of help from his former Holland team-mate Clarence Seedorf, but the biggest blow to Bogarde is his status.

Collector's item: Bogarde (right) made a rare top flight outing for Chelsea against Leicester in 2000

He lived the high life, dripping in gaudy gold jewellery and flashing his cash around Amsterdam hotspots in the years leading up to his retirement from the game.

‘Chelsea offered me a contract, I signed the contract, so what is the problem?’ was one of his memorable quotes towards the end of his career in England.

Others saw it differently. Graeme Le Saux played with him at Chelsea and watched his playing career crumble when he signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Le Saux said: ‘As a player he seemed to have little desire to achieve anything. It was all about what he had done at Barcelona and Ajax, not about what he could achieve with Chelsea.

‘In different ways we all tried to motivate him, but he appeared to have other things going on in his life and he lacked focus.

‘He put a lot of weight on at Chelsea. I’d have been embarrassed to be in that shape as a professional, but he didn’t seem to care.’

Home a loan: Bogarde's 'Big House' in an exclusive part of Amsterdam has been repossessed by the bank

Some respected his business brain, but others believe he lacked respect for the game that turned him into a multi-millionaire.

One former Holland team-mate said: ‘Bogarde was always the big “I am”. When he’s in a room, everyone has to know that he’s there. He only trusted a few people, but nobody really knows him.’



Stories always circulated about him in Amsterdam: calling his financial adviser Paul Foortse to buy a restaurant just because the food happened to be good.

Early in his career Ajax released a statement ordering their players ‘to keep their jackets on’ after he removed his tracksuit top to challenge a fan who criticised him.

He authorised Marcel Rozer to write a biography and was proud to be associated with the title This N****r Bows to Nobody.

Glory days: Bogarde (second right) celebrates Ajax's fourth European Cup in 1995 with Finidi George, Michael Reiziger, Marc Overmars, Kanu and Danny Blind

Holland’s public have been waiting for the fall and it finally came when the bank forced him out of the Big House last month.

He bought the six-bedroomed house, complete with ‘party basement’ featuring a bar and dancefloor, in 1999 for €1,043,790 (£910,000) and remortgaged it four times before the Dutch bank Van Lanschot called his bluff.

Vic van Heeswijk, the notary dealing with the ‘Big House’, said: ‘When people have to sell their house, then mostly it’s people who don’t communicate, have moved to another country, or have big financial problems.’

Bogarde has so much to tell and yet he refuses to engage with the public, arriving at former Sheffield Wednesday and Celtic winger Regi Blinker’s party in Amsterdam last week and heading directly to the VIP lounge.

Le Saux added: ‘As a professional it’s difficult to come to terms with the fact your playing career is over. In many ways this is a tragic story because it’s only seven years since he retired.

‘He earned a lot of money from the game and at Chelsea he didn’t put much, if anything, back.’

International honours: Bogarde gives Alan shearer an unhelpful hand during one of his 20 Holland caps during the 4-1 demolition at the hands of England in Euro 96

He still has allies and friends are standing by Bogarde, who sees his problems as nothing more than a short-term issue.

There were times when Bogarde was looking to the future and a career as a coach with a top team in Holland. He won 20 caps, but it was not enough for the Dutch FA to accept him on their accelerated coaching programme.

Instead he studied in Northern Ireland with his friend Regillio Simons as they set out on their coaching careers.

Simons, keen to play down his friend’s financial troubles, said: ‘Winston’s a good guy. I trust him. There are millionaires who sell their houses, but it doesn’t say anything about their financial status.’

Bogarde’s long-standing agent Sigi Lens was asked for comment but declined that invitation. Bogarde also declined to speak to Sportsmail.

Fallen idol: A broken picture of Bogarde and the UEFA Super Cup he won with Barcelona, lies - upside down - in the hall at 510 Osdorperweg

There were times after his career when the money was rolling in and he was one of the founding fathers of Global Music Entertainment.



He became a big-name poker player, earning a place on the top table of a TV programme called Veronica Poker. His interests were diverse, becoming a board member of a gaming club called Reves at 291 Jacob van Lennepkade in Amsterdam.



Officially it was a club promoting pub sports such as darts and pool, but there were frequent complaints from the neighbours.

The police were regular visitors, but they were too late on the night Greg Kelly was shot dead by masked raiders in 2007.



Shut down: Bogarde's gaming club closed after it was the scene of a murder

Bogarde was not involved in any wrongdoing but the club was forced to close down shortly after, its reputation damaged beyond repair following the incident.

He switched focus, turning his attention to management and gaining his UEFA coaching licences. He dreamed of returning to Ajax or becoming the coach of Surinam as part of his strategy to return to the game.

He worked with the FC Volendam junior team for a spell and Frank Vereboom, his boss at the club, speaks well of Bogarde.

Vereboom said: ‘He is a passionate trainer and a fighting machine. I don’t understand why he doesn’t have a job now. In Holland we always say, “We don’t have good defenders”. Winston would be a very good addition for a head coach.’