PSV As his career developed at PSV, Zenden made the
left wing position his own, displacing
Peter Hoekstra and finally becoming a firm member of the starting line-up after the departure of Dutch national team player
Jan Wouters. Zenden was an important part of the PSV team that won the
Eredivisie championship in
1996–97, where he also received the 1997 Dutch Talent of the Year award. Zenden helped Barcelona win the
1998–99 La Liga championship, and in the
1999–2000 season, he scored his only three goals for the club. After Van Gaal's resignation as coach in 2000, however, first team appearances became more scarce for Zenden. At the end of the
2000–01 season, English club
Chelsea bought him for
£7.5 million. He was deployed in a
central midfield position, where he played 36 of 38 league games, scoring five goals in the process, and was voted the Middlesbrough fans' 2005 Player of the Year. However, it would be his last for Middlesbrough, as he left in the summer of 2005 when his contract ran out.
Liverpool Zenden joined newly crowned
UEFA Champions League champions
Liverpool on 4 July 2005. He started his Liverpool career being used regularly as a left midfielder, and was in the starting line-up as Liverpool won the
2005 UEFA Super Cup. However, he suffered a serious
cruciate ligament injury in his right knee in December 2005, which ruled him out for the rest of the season. Zenden suffered a further knee injury playing against
Manchester City on 25 November 2006, for which he underwent corrective surgery. Zenden played in both legs of Liverpool's Champions League semi-final against former club Chelsea, scoring Liverpool's first penalty in the
penalty shootout at the end of the second leg, which Liverpool won 4–1. He went on to start in the
final, which Liverpool lost to
Milan. Zenden scored twice during his spell at Liverpool with goals against
West Ham United and
Portsmouth in the
Premier League.
Marseille On 24 May 2007, it was announced by Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez that Zenden's contract would not be renewed and that he was allowed to talk to other clubs, and on 6 July 2007, Zenden signed a two-year contract with
Marseille. He made his competitive debut for Marseille on 11 August 2007, starting and eventually being substituted in a 0–0 stalemate with
Rennes. At Marseille, Zenden struggled for regular football. In the
2008–09 Ligue 1 season, he featured 13 times (predominately as a substitute) scoring three goals. After being released, Zenden revealed that he wanted to end his career in England, with
Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth interested in the player. In October 2009, he went to
Sunderland on trial. He signed after impressing Sunderland manager
Steve Bruce.
Sunderland in 2010 In October 2009, Zenden signed a contract with Sunderland which tied him down until the end of the
2009–10 season. Zenden signed in time to make his debut against former club Liverpool and he did an excellent job helping Sunderland to retain their one-goal lead after coming on as a substitute for the injured
Lee Cattermole. His Sunderland career often saw him play as a substitute without starting any matches and he had suffered an injury in between, but after recovery he was named in the squad to face his old club Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge on 16 January 2010, and within less than ten minutes of coming on as a second-half substitute he scored his first goal for the club, a fine half-volley to reduce his team's deficit to 5–1, having been 4–0 down at half-time.
The Black Cats eventually succumbed to a 7–2 defeat. On 3 April 2010, Zenden scored his second goal for Sunderland, a left-footed volley in a 3–1 win against
Tottenham Hotspur at the
Stadium of Light. On 17 May 2010, Zenden signed a new one-year contract at the club. Zenden's first start of the season came in Sunderland's 0–0 draw with
Manchester United, where he hit the post. Zenden became a
YouTube hit after celebrating a goal with
Asamoah Gyan in Sunderland's 3–0 victory at Chelsea. Zenden notched his first of the season against Bolton in a 2–1 away win, on 7 May, which he dedicated to his ill father. Following the match, manager Steve Bruce confirmed Zenden would be offered a new contract at the club. Zenden, however, revealed he would quit the club at the end of the season to prolong his career. On 22 May 2011, his last game for Sunderland, he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win over already-relegated West Ham on the final day of the
2010–11 Premier League season. ==International career==