Mario Melchiot
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Deno Patrik Melchiot | ||
| Date of birth | 4 November 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1999 | Ajax | 73 | (1) |
| 1999–2004 | Chelsea | 130 | (4) |
| 2004–2006 | Birmingham City | 56 | (2) |
| 2006–2007 | Rennes | 30 | (2) |
| 2007–2010 | Wigan Athletic | 97 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Umm Salal | 20 | (0) |
| Total | 406 | (9) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1994–1995 | Netherlands U19 | 11 | (1) |
| 1996–1998 | Netherlands U21 | 13 | (0) |
| 2000–2008 | Netherlands | 22 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:48, 30 May 2010 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:33, 8 November 2013 (UTC) |
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Mario Deno Patrik Melchiot (born 4 November 1976 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch footballer. He played as a right-back and a central defender, and also occasionally played in midfield.
Melchiot was born and raised in Amsterdam, living with his two brothers and two sisters. He enjoyed a close relationship with his eldest brother, Winston, who acted as Mario's mentor after their parents split up. When Winston died of a heart attack at the age of 25, Melchiot considered giving up football.
Melchiot started his career in the youth system at Ajax, and made his debut in the 1996–97 season. He scored his first goal for the club in the semi-final of the Champions League in a 4–1 defeat against Juventus. Melchiot spent three seasons at the club, winning the Eredivisie in 1998 and the KNVB Cup in 1998 and 1999. In the summer of 1999, he signed a three-year contract with Chelsea under the Bosman ruling.
For most of his first season at the club, Melchiot did not feature in the first-team due to injuries. However, on 22 April 2000, following an injury to Albert Ferrer, he finally made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Middlesbrough. A month later he played in the FA Cup final against Aston Villa where he played a major role in helping Chelsea win the match.
At the start of the 2000–01 season, Melchiot scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 2–0 win against Manchester United in the Charity Shield. His second goal was also against Manchester United, as he helped his team to a memorable 3-0 win at Old Trafford in the 2001–02 season. Under the management of Claudio Ranieri, He quickly established himself as the club's first choice right-back, and was soon rewarded with a contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2004.
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