Harvey Esajas

Harvey Delano Esajas (born 13 June 1974) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a defender.

Harvey Esajas
Personal information
Full name Harvey Delano Esajas
Date of birth (1974-06-13) 13 June 1974
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position(s) Defender
Youth career
ASV Wartburgia
SC Buitenveldert
Ajax
Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1996 Feyenoord 8 (1)
1996–1997 Groningen 9 (0)
1997–1998 Cambuur 0 (0)
1998–1999 Dordrecht '90 7 (0)
1999 Móstoles 10 (0)
1999–2000 Real Madrid B 0 (0)
2000 Zamora 20 (0)
2002–2003 Transvaal
2004–2005 Milan 0 (0)
2005–2006 Legnano 3 (0)
2006 Calcio Lecco 1 (0)
Total 58 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Feyenoord / Eerste Divisie

Born in Amsterdam of Surinamese descent, Esajas made his debut in professional football in 1993–94 with Feyenoord, after spending his youth years in the football schools of R.S.C. Anderlecht and AFC Ajax. Prior to the start of the season, he was the key factor in the Helderse affaire: Feyenoord played a friendly match with an amateur side, the Helderse Selectie, and during the game he knocked down opponent Ronald Schouten, breaking his jaw but not being eventually suspended for his actions.

Esajas made his Eredivisie debut on 24 October 1993 against Ajax, and managed to score in one of the most prestigious clash in the Netherlands, in a 2–2 away draw. Despite this promising start he did not make it as a regular in Feyenoord's first team, and only played in five games; during his first season at De Kuip the team won the Dutch Cup and, the following campaign, he only appeared three times, while he was not used at all in 1995–96.

Upon leaving Rotterdam, Esajas signed with FC Groningen. There, he was played rarely, subsequently moving to SC Cambuur in the second division, where he did not feature at all. In 1998–99 he appeared in seven matches for Dordrecht'90, also in the second level.

Retirement and return

Esajas decided to move abroad and was able to have trials at ACF Fiorentina and Torino F.C. in Italy, but neither offered him a contract. He then tried to find a club in Spain, spending some time at CD Móstoles, Real Madrid Castilla and Zamora CF, but did not succeed at any, thus deciding to end his career and find a regular job at a Spanish circus.

Esajas disappeared out of the world of football for a long time, until 2004 (during this time, he also worked as a dish washer).[1] Upon a visit to his close friend Clarence Seedorf, who played at A.C. Milan, he spoke of his wish to return to professional football – at that time his weight was over 100 kg and he had not touched a ball in three years time. Seedorf went to club coach Carlo Ancelotti and told him as a joke he could have a defender for free. The manager's reaction was skeptical, but he accepted the challenge and gave Esajas the opportunity to train at Milanello for a while; in three months time, the player lost 15 kg and in June 2004 was in footballing shape again, thus being offered a contract.[2][3]

When 2004–05's Serie A began, Esajas was one of Milan's last options on the bench, but in January 2005 he was given a few minutes of play for his hard work. He came on as a substitute three minutes before time in the Italian Cup match against U.S. Città di Palermo, for Massimo Ambrosini, and was even able to create a scoring opportunity for Jon Dahl Tomasson, who headed over the bar in an eventual 2–0 home win.[4]

Subsequently, Esajas was part of the Milan squad in Istanbul when they played and lost on penalties to Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final. He did not play any more matches for the Rossoneri, but moved to Serie C team A.C. Legnano instead, also representing Calcio Lecco 1912 in that same season before ending his career for the second and definitive time.

Esajas himself described the story of his career as follows: “The incredible story of the man who made the impossible thing possible”.[5][6]

Club statistics

[7]

Season Club Competition Apps Goals
1993/94FeyenoordEredivisie51
1994/95FeyenoordEredivisie30
1995/96FeyenoordEredivisie00
1996/97GroningenEredivisie90
1997/98CambuurEerste Divisie00
1998/99Dordrecht'90Eerste Divisie70
1998/99MóstolesSegunda División B100
1999/00Real Madrid BSegunda División B00
1999/00ZamoraSegunda División B90
2000/01ZamoraSegunda División B110
2002/03TransvaalHoofdklasse?0
2004/05MilanSerie A00
2005/06LegnanoSerie C30
2005/06Calcio LeccoSerie C10
Total581
gollark: And they're always sane and able to reasonably decide on things!
gollark: Because there's no* way parents can manipulate/coerce children!
gollark: As you can see, I can cause mild degradation of images AT WILL.
gollark: Because the parent can probably coerce them into apious work.
gollark: Parents are sometimes bad and not good.

References
  1. Boeringa, Reon (13 June 2017). "Het bizarre verhaal achter de loopbaan van Harvey Esajas" [The bizarre story behind the career of Harvey Esajas] (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  2. Ystén, Henrik (19 July 2008). "A Country For Old Men (1)" (in German). 11 Freunde. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. Ruta, Alessandro (6 August 2009). "Da Wilkes a Esajas – Gli orange "speciali"" [From Wilkes to Esajas – The "special" orange]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  4. "Brocchi e rigore di Tomasson: il Milan saluta il Palermo" [Brocchi and Tomasson penalty: Milan salute Palermo]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 13 January 2005. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  5. Heffernan, Conor (14 October 2014). "The strange story of Harvey Esajas". Pundit Arena. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  6. López, José David (6 April 2012). "Milan: Harvey Esajas, el torpe más afortunado" [Milan: Harvey Esajas, the luckiest of the inept] (in Spanish). Fútbol Primera. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. "Harvey Esajas". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
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