Atteveld is one of seven Dutchmen to have played for Everton, the others being Andy van der Meyde, Sander Westerveld, Johnny Heitinga, Royston Drenthe, Davy Klaassen and Maarten Stekelenburg.

Atteveld was one of the first foreigners to get a regular first-team place in the Everton squad although he struggled to make a name of himself in the English game.

The tough-tackling holding midfielder joined ambitious Vitesse in summer 1995 from high-flying Roda JC,[2] only to move to FC Groningen a year later.

Atteveld managed to keep ADO Den Haag in the Dutch Premier league with scoring 12 goals in the last 4 games of that season.

At the beginning of the season 2016-2017 Atteveld was offered the role of Head Coach of FC Kairat Almaty B team, operating in Div.

A call from Maccabi Tel Aviv FC in Israel to strengthen their setup ended this private academy adventure early on.

In Israel, at the biggest club, Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, Atteveld arrived in September 2016 to take charge of the football development of the older Academy coaches and players for the U16, U17, and U19 teams.

The club, named Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam, is operating in the 1st division and is presently the youngest team in this league (average age 20yrs).

With 2 games to go before the regular season ends, Atteveld and Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam are in a perfect position to reach the promotion play-offs.

During the winter break some players did move to the IPL, with more on the cards for the next season.[2] After his successful spell at Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam, Atteveld was asked to lead Israeli Premier League team FC Maccabi Netanya as a Head Coach/Manager.

In the 2022-2023 season, Atteveld joined Ukrainian PL team FC Zorya Luhansk as an assistant coach, working with his long-time colleague Patrick van Leeuwen.

To the surprise of many, Zorya Luhansk finished third in the Ukrainian Premier League and qualified for the EU Conference Group Stage.

In the league, FCSD was 3rd with one game in hand, which, if won, would bring them to the top of the table, while in the cup, the Ukrainian giants reached the 1/4 finals.