Marco van Basten

In this Dutch name, the surname is Van Basten, not Basten.

Marco van Basten
Van Basten in 2006
Personal information
Full name Marcel van Basten
Date of birth (1964-10-31) 31 October 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth Utrecht, Netherlands
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1970–1971 EDO
1971–1980 UVV
1980–1981 Elinkwijk
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1987 Ajax 132 (127)
1987–1995 Milan 147 (91)
Total 280 (218)
International career
1981–1983 Netherlands U21 15 (13)
1983–1992 Netherlands 58 (24)
Managerial career
2003–2004 Jong Ajax (assistant)
2004–2008 Netherlands
2008–2009 Ajax
2012–2014 Heerenveen
2014 AZ
2014–2015 AZ (assistant)
2015–2016 Netherlands (assistant)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
UEFA European Championship
Winner 1988 West Germany
Third place 1992 Sweden
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marcel "Marco" van Basten[2] (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑrkoː vɑm ˈbɑstə(n)] ⓘ; born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch former football manager and player who played for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he scored 300 goals in a high-profile career, but played his last match in 1993, at the age of 28, due to recurring ankle injury which forced him to announce his retirement two years later.[3][2] He was later the head coach of Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

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, in 1988, 1989 and 1992.[2] At club level, he won three Eredivisie titles and the Cup Winners' Cup with Ajax, and four Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan. With the Netherlands, Van Basten won UEFA Euro 1988 where he earned the Golden Boot, scoring five goals, including a memorable volley in the final against the Soviet Union,[2][4] considered one of the best ever.[5][6]

In 1998, Van Basten was ranked sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, tenth in the European player of the Century election held by the IFFHS and 12th in the IFFHS' World Player of the Century election.[7][8] He was also voted eighth in a poll organised by the French magazine France Football, consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century.[9] In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[10] In 2004, a poll for the 100 greatest Dutch people was held in the Netherlands: Van Basten ranked number 25, the second highest for a football player, behind Johan Cruyff. In 2007, Sky Sports ranked Van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short.[11]

  1. ^ "Marco van Basten - Player Profile". eurosport.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Van Basten, a Dutch goal machine". FIFA.com. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  3. ^ Sommers, A.L. (2010). Great National Soccer Teams. Rosen Central. p. 43. ISBN 978-1435891388.
  4. ^ "10 Greatest Goals in the European Championships". FourFourTwo. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  5. ^ "🎥 It's exactly 31 years since the greatest volley of them all". OneFootball. 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  6. ^ Spencer, Jamie (8 June 2021). "The best goals in European Championship history". 90min.com. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  7. ^ "IFFHS Century Elections". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  8. ^ "FIFA Player of the Century" Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. FIFA. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  9. ^ "The Best x Players of the Century/All-Time". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  10. ^ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Top Ten: Careers Cut Short". Sky Sportzine. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2009.