Marco van Basten

Marco van Basten, born on 31 October 1964, is a Dutch former football manager and player. He played as a striker for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest attacking players of all time.

Van Basten scored over 300 goals at the highest club and international levels. However, he played his last game at the age of 28 and retired early at just 30 due to a recurring ankle injury and unsuccessful treatment.

Known for his close ball control, attacking intelligence, impeccable headers, and spectacular strikes and volleys, Van Basten was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992 and won the Ballon d'Or three times. At club level, he won titles with Ajax and AC Milan, and with the Netherlands, he won UEFA Euro 1988, scoring five goals in the tournament.

Playing career

Marco van Basten was born on 31 October 1964 in Utrecht. He started playing football at six years old for a local team called EDO, then moved to UVV Utrecht a year later. At 16, he joined Ajax, where he quickly became a key player.

Van Basten played for Ajax from 1982 to 1987. He scored many goals and became the top scorer in the league for four years in a row. One of his most famous moments was scoring an amazing overhead kick against FC Den Bosch.

In 1987, he moved to AC Milan in Italy. There, he won many awards, including the Ballon d'Or for Europe's best footballer. He also helped Milan win several important trophies. However, Van Basten faced ongoing ankle problems. After many surgeries and long breaks, he had to retire from playing at the age of 30 in 1995. Despite his early retirement, he is remembered as one of football's greatest strikers.

International career

On 7 September 1983, Marco van Basten started playing for the Netherlands national football team in a game against Iceland.

At the UEFA Euro 1988, van Basten helped the Dutch team win. He scored five goals, including three in one game against England. He also scored the winning goal against West Germany in the semi-final and made an amazing goal in the final against the Soviet Union. He was chosen as the best player of the tournament. In a 2002 vote in the UK, his amazing goal was picked as one of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

The Dutch team did not go far in the 1990 World Cup, losing to West Germany. At UEFA Euro 1992, the Netherlands beat Germany but later lost to Denmark in a penalty shoot-out, where van Basten missed a penalty kick. Even though he did not score, he was again chosen as one of the best players of the tournament.

Player profile

Marco van Basten was known as a powerful forward who played near the goal. He could also see the game well and pass the ball to help teammates score. Despite his size, he was very skilled with the ball and moved gracefully.

Sadly, Van Basten faced many injuries during his career. These injuries forced him to retire early at just 28 years old. His early retirement started discussions about protecting players better in football games.

Managerial career

Van Basten decided to become a manager after retiring from playing. He first worked as an assistant coach with Ajax in 2003.

In 2004, he became the manager of the Netherlands national team. Some people thought he wasn’t ready because he didn’t have much experience yet. He led the team through several important matches and tournaments. In 2008, he became the manager of Ajax again but resigned in 2009 after the team didn’t qualify for a big competition.

Later, he managed other teams like Heerenveen and AZ Alkmaar. In 2016, he joined FIFA as a technical director, helping develop football worldwide.

After retirement

Van Basten played in a special match honoring Demetrio Albertini at the San Siro in March 2006, scoring a goal before leaving the game early. Later that year, he joined a match celebrating Dennis Bergkamp's 11 years with Arsenal at the new Emirates Stadium. He played for the Ajax legends team and shared the field with Johan Cruyff. Van Basten also appeared in an advertisement for Tyskie, a Polish beer company, with Luís Figo and Zbigniew Boniek.

Media and sponsorship

Marco van Basten appeared in the popular FIFA video game series created by EA Sports, and was chosen as a legend in FIFA 14. During his time as a player, he worked with the Italian sportswear company Diadora, which made special football boots just for him called the San Siro Van Basten.

After he stopped coaching, van Basten started working as a sports analyst. In 2016, ESPN praised him for thinking deeply about the game. However, in November 2019, while working for the Dutch edition of Fox Sports, he made an inappropriate comment during a live broadcast. He later apologized, saying it was a joke that went too far. The network suspended him for a short time, and his cards were removed from FIFA 20 but returned in FIFA 21.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Van Basten goal.

Managerial statistics

As of 16 September 2014.

International matches

• Matches as manager

  Win   Draw   Loss

Honours

Marco van Basten won many awards during his time as a player. With Ajax, he helped the team win the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup. At AC Milan, he won Serie A and the European Cup. With the Netherlands national team, he was part of the team that won the UEFA European Championship.

He also received several personal awards, including the Ballon d’Or three times and was named FIFA World Player of the Year. He was known for his amazing skills and scoring ability, earning many top scorer titles and other honors around the world.