Former Liverpool and Chelsea player may feel his biggest success in England was with Middlesbrough | OneFootball

Bolo Zenden was a key player in Middlesbrough's League Cup success

The 2003/04 season is one that will always stand out for those of a Middlesbrough persuasion as one of the most significant in the club's history.

In the league, the club secured a solid if unspectacular 11th place finish in the Premier League, while they would pick up just one win in the FA Cup before being knocked out in the fourth round.

It was though, in the League Cup where Steve McClaren's side would thrive, making it all the way to the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

There, a 2-1 win over top-flight rivals Bolton Wanderers secured the trophy for Middlesbrough, the first - and to date only - major honour the club have won.

One player who played a key role in that success for 'Boro as they lifted that trophy, was Bolo Zenden.

Chelsea loanee key to Middlesbrough League Cup victory

In the summer of 2003, Zenden moved to The Riverside Stadium on a season-long loan, having somewhat struggled for regular game time since joining Chelsea from Barcelona in 2001.

The winger, though, would thrive that year for McClaren's side, especially in helping them to the League Cup title.

After missing their first match in the competition, a 1-0 win over Brighton - who at the time were a third-tier side in the second round - Zenden played every match en-route to the final.

During that run, the Dutchman would open the scoring in the second-leg of the semi-final clash with Arsenal, putting them in control of the tie with a 2-0 aggregate lead, going onto win 3-1.

In the final itself, Zenden would make perhaps his most telling impact of all for Middlesbrough, in the most important of games.

With just two minutes on the clock, the winger's cross was tapped in by Joseph Desire Job to put 'Boro in front.

Five minutes later, the Dutchman fired home from the penalty spot after Job had been brought down in the box, to put his side 2-0 up and in control of the game.

Indeed, that would prove to be enough to secure the trophy for Middlesbrough, who would run out 2-1 winners, with Zenden being named man of the match.

While the winger would play for some other big name clubs during his time in the Premier League, there is an argument that he ought to see that League Cup win as his biggest success in England.

Bolo Zenden missed out on other honours in England

In the end, the League Cup title he won with Middlesbrough, was the one standout honour Zenden claimed while he played in England.

The winger never won a major title during his two years with Chelsea, the closest he came to that being a runners-up medal in the FA Cup in 2002.

Following the end of his loan spell at Middlesbrough, the Dutchman did return to the club on a permanent basis in the summer of 2004.

However, he would remain with the club for just one more season, before moving to another of the Premier League's big name clubs - Liverpool - in July 2005.

One of the first games he played for the club was the UEFA Super Cup win over CSKA Moscow, with the Reds qualifying for that match after winning the Champions League the season before.

Although Liverpool would go on to win the FA Cup during the 2005/06 season, Zenden played no part in that, with a serious injury ending his season before the club entered that competition.

He would at least then get to be a part of the Community Shield win at the start of the 2006/07 campaign, with the club having secured their place in that competition with the FA Cup win.

Liverpool also reached the Champions League final that campaign, but were beaten by AC Milan in a rematch from two years earlier, with Zenden playing an hour before being substituted.

The Dutchman left Anfield in the summer of 2007, and spent two years in France with Marseille, before returning to England to sign for Sunderland in 2009.

He would stay with the Black Cats for two more years as they finished mid-table in the Premier League, before bringing an end to his professional playing career in 2011.

All of that ensured that in terms of titles in England, the League Cup he won with Middlesbrough looks to be the most significant.

In comparison to that, the two titles he was a part of for Liverpool came in one-off games, that he was unable to play a part in setting up their appearances in.

On the flip side, that League Cup success was the culmination of several months worth of work and matches.

The winger also made a more significant personal contribution to that particular success, not least with his performance in the final.

With that in mind, there is a case to be made that for all the clubs he played for, when Zenden looks back on his time in England, that League Cup win with Middlesbrough may well be the high point.