‘We ended up in a bad brawl’ – Chelsea legend lifts lid on difficult childhood and how football saved him
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"I was a fighter; you had to learn, you had to stand up for yourself."
These words are often attributed to combat sportsmen rather than one of the Premier League's greatest strikers.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink could have been another teenage statistic.
Instead, he became the perfect example of what can be achieved with hard work, desire and determination.
He is the epitome of a bygone era shrouded in nostalgia for fans of a certain age and when the Premier League was arguably at its most competitive.
Hasselbaink played a key role for Leeds, Chelsea, and Middlesbrough where he became a member of the Premier League's exclusive 100 club.
In all, the Dutchman netted 127 times in 288 games in England's top flight earning superstar status along the way.
Known for his power, finishing, smart link-up play and, above all else, his signature two-step penalty routine, Hasselbaink was revered in English football up until he hung up his boots in 2008.
But his route to the Premier League was far from straight forward with many life lessons learned along the way, including three months in a youth detention centre.
"I was brought up in Zaandam (Netherlands), a very tough neighbourhood," Hasselbaink recalls on the latest episode of talkSPORT's YouTube show The Line Up. "There was a lot of knuckle fighting, a lot of other bad stuff and a lot of bad friends.
"When you have that kind of combination you end up doing stupid things. I was a fighter. You had to learn, you had to stand up for yourself."
Despite a tough upbringing on what he describes as a "council neighbourhood" Hasselbaink somehow found time to put aside the ongoing social challenges to focus on developing his promising football skills.
"Around my neighbourhood you had a lot of good footballers so it was tough and to be able to hold your own there you had to be tough on that pitch," he added.
"You're learning your way on that pitch to be tough and get scouted.
"I was scouted at the age of 16 or 17 which was quite late but when I had my first contract, I was still the bad boy. I was still always late at training and sometimes not turning up."
However things changed for Hasselbaink when he was handed a trial in Portugal via a short stint in the lower leagues in the Netherlands.
His move to Portugal turned out to be a career and life defining one away from the influences of his social circles.
"I had to go back to non-league," he explained. "I was sent away to Telstar, got a chance at AZ, then I got scouted at non-league to go straight to Portugal.
“I went to Portugal, went on trial, they liked me so I stayed. I didn't have my friends around.
"I was in Portugal all by myself, all I had was football, only focusing on football and that is when I started scoring goals and playing well."
Prior to his move to Portuguese outfit Campomaiorense, Hasselbaink endured a huge life lesson which saw him spend three months in a youth detention centre for his part in a mass punch-up at a Public Enemy concert.
"We ended up in a bad brawl. We were fighting with other kids from other areas – it was bad," Hasselbaink recalls.
"But I was tough, I could hold my own… probably too much.
"I was the youngest of six (siblings). I had older brothers so I was getting bashed about by them. In a way, football saved me. I could get away, I could better my life.”
Asked whether his time in the detention centre enabled him to come to terms with the magnitude of his errors, Hasselbaink said: "To be honest, not yet because I was very young and immature. But after, especially when I was away from things, you realise you don't need those people."
The Dutchman went on to play for Boavista before Leeds offered the then 25-year-old a route into English football in a £2million deal.
He netted 41 goals in two seasons at Elland Road earning his a switch to LaLiga giants Atletico Madrid where he spent just one season.
Hasselbaink is best remembered for his time at Chelsea where he netted 87 goals in 177 games after signing for a club-record £15m fee.
However, his time at Stamford Bridge came to an end in 2004 after the arrival of Jose Mourinho who preferred to put his faith in Ivorian hitman Didier Drogba.
Speaking about his Chelsea exit, Hasselbaink said: "He (Mourinho) didn't give me any opportunities. He came to the club in 2004 and basically said Jimmy can go. Simple as that, no phone call."
Hasselbaink went on to play for Middlesbrough, Charlton and Cardiff before calling time on his career at the age of 36.
He did try his hand at being a manager with spells at Royal Antwerp, Queens Park Rangers, Northampton Town, and Burton Albion twice.
Meanwhile, he was also on Gareth Southgate’s England staff as he continues to forge a career as a coach.
