Mario Melchiot (born November 4, 1976 in Amsterdam, Netherlands)
is a Dutch football player who currently plays for Birmingham
City F.C. as a defender.
Having been part of the youth system at Ajax Amsterdam, it was
Chelsea F.C. who initially bought the player under the terms of
the Bosman ruling, as they were rewarded with strong displays in
all competitions by the player.
Melchiot played one game for the Netherlands in 2000 in a World
Cup qualifier, a 2-0 defeat against Portugal on October 11.
The player still managed to pick up medals for Chelsea,
including a runner-up medal in the FA Cup, however, when Glen
Johnson was purchased on July 15, 2003, Melchiot's place looked
under threat. This wasn't to prove so until the summer of the
following year, 2004, when José Mourinho released Melchiot to
Birmingham in order to bring in Paulo Ferreira.
He signed for Birmingham on a two-year contract in July 2004,
and made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth F.C. |
