Frank Rijkaard facts for kids
Rijkaard in 2006
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 September 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder, Defensive midfielder, Defender | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| –1973 | SC Buitenveldert | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1976 | Blauw-Wit Amsterdam | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1979 | DWS | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1980 | Ajax | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1987 | Ajax | 205 | (47) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Sporting CP | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | → Real Zaragoza (loan) | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1993 | AC Milan | 142 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Ajax | 56 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 414 | (75) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1994 | Netherlands | 73 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Sparta Rotterdam | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2008 | Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Galatasaray | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Saudi Arabia | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard (born 30 September 1962) is a famous Dutch former footballer and manager. He played as a defensive midfielder, a position that helps protect the defense. Many people consider him one of the best midfielders in football history. He was known for his stylish play and excellent skills.
Rijkaard played for top clubs like Ajax, Real Zaragoza, and AC Milan. With Ajax, he won five Eredivisie (Dutch league) titles and the 1994–1995 Champions League. At AC Milan, he won two Serie A (Italian league) titles and two European Cup titles in 1988–89 and 1989–90.
He also played 73 games for the Netherlands national team. He was a key player when the team won the 1988 European Championship. He also played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.
After retiring as a player, Rijkaard became a manager. He is most famous for his five years at Barcelona. There, he led the team to win the 2004–05 and 2005–06 La Liga (Spanish league) titles. He also won the 2005–06 Champions League with Barcelona. He also managed the Netherlands national team, Sparta Rotterdam, Galatasaray, and the Saudi Arabia national team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Ajax
Frank Rijkaard was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His father, Herman, was also a footballer. Frank grew up playing football with Ruud Gullit, who would become another famous Dutch player.
Rijkaard was only 17 years old when he made his first team debut for Ajax on 23 August 1980. He scored a goal in his very first league match! In his first season, he played 24 games and scored 4 goals. He quickly became a key player for Ajax, helping them win their first league championship in the 1981–82 season. They won the title again the next year.
Rijkaard played for Ajax for seven and a half seasons. During this time, he won the Dutch league three times and the Dutch Cup three times. In the 1986–87 season, he also won the Cup Winners' Cup with Ajax. In 1987, he had a disagreement with his coach, Johan Cruyff, and decided to leave the club. He then moved to Sporting CP and was loaned to Real Zaragoza before joining AC Milan.
Success with AC Milan
Rijkaard spent five successful seasons playing for AC Milan in Italy. He played alongside his Dutch teammates Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit. Together, they formed a very strong team.
With Milan, Rijkaard won the European Cup twice, in 1989 and 1990. He also helped Milan win the Italian league title (Serie A) twice. In the 1990 European Cup Final, he scored the only goal, which won the cup for Milan.
Returning to Ajax
After his time in Italy, Rijkaard returned to Ajax in 1993. Under coach Louis van Gaal, Rijkaard and Danny Blind were experienced leaders in the team's defense. Ajax became champions of the Netherlands without losing a single game in the 1994–95 season.
In his very last game as a player, Rijkaard won the UEFA Champions League again! Ajax beat his former club, AC Milan, 1–0 in the 1995 final. It was a perfect way to end his playing career.
International Career for the Netherlands
Frank Rijkaard first played for the Netherlands national football team in 1981. He was a key player in the Dutch team that won the UEFA Euro 1988 tournament. They beat the Soviet Union 2–0 in the final, with Rijkaard playing as a central defender.
At UEFA Euro 1992, Rijkaard helped set up goals and scored one himself against Germany. The Netherlands reached the semi-finals but lost to Denmark in a penalty shootout, even though Rijkaard scored his penalty. His last game for the Netherlands was in the quarter-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup against Brazil.
A Memorable Incident
During the 1990 FIFA World Cup, in a match between West Germany and the Netherlands, an unusual incident happened involving Rijkaard and German player Rudi Völler. After a tackle, both players were involved in a heated moment. The referee decided to send both Rijkaard and Völler off the field. Rijkaard later apologized for his actions, and Völler accepted the apology.
Managerial Career
Coaching the Netherlands
After he stopped playing, Rijkaard became an assistant coach for the Netherlands national football team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. This was his first experience as a coach. The Netherlands reached the semi-finals but lost on penalties.
After the World Cup, Rijkaard became the head coach of the national team. The Netherlands were one of the hosts for UEFA Euro 2000, so they didn't have to play in the qualifying matches. At Euro 2000, the Dutch team played very well, winning all their group games. They even won a quarter-final match 6-1, which was a record for the biggest win at a European Championship. However, they lost their semi-final match to Italy on penalties, and Rijkaard resigned right after.
Managing Sparta Rotterdam
In the 2001–02 season, Rijkaard became the manager of Sparta Rotterdam, one of the oldest professional teams in the Netherlands. The club was not doing well financially. Under his leadership, Sparta ended up at the bottom of the league and was moved down to the second division for the first time in its history. Rijkaard resigned after this.
Leading Barcelona to Glory
Early Years at Barcelona
Less than a year after leaving Sparta, Rijkaard was appointed manager of Barcelona for the 2003–04 season. Barcelona had a new president, Joan Laporta, and fans were not happy because a big star, David Beckham, chose not to join the club. The team Rijkaard took over had many players who weren't performing well.
Rijkaard's start at Barcelona was tough, and some fans wanted him to leave. However, he stayed strong. From 2004 onwards, things changed a lot. Barcelona started to play much better. Rijkaard brought in new star players like Ronaldinho, Deco, Samuel Eto'o, and Rafael Márquez. He also helped young players from the club's youth teams, like Víctor Valdés, Lionel Messi, and Andrés Iniesta, become part of the main team. With strong support from the president, Rijkaard managed to turn the club's fortunes around. They won the Spanish league title (La Liga) in both 2004–05 and 2005–06.
Winning the Champions League
Rijkaard became the first Barcelona coach to win twice at Real Madrid's home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. This was a big achievement. His calm approach and the exciting football played by his team earned him a lot of praise. In 2005, he was nominated as one of the top five coaches for UEFA's Team of the Year.
Rijkaard also achieved great success in Europe. He won the 2005–06 Champions League with Barcelona. They beat Arsenal 2–1 in the final. Barcelona was losing 1–0 for most of the match, but Rijkaard made some smart substitutions, bringing on Henrik Larsson and Juliano Belletti. These changes directly led to Barcelona's two goals and their victory.
Winning the Champions League as both a player and a manager is a rare feat. Rijkaard became only the fifth person to do this, joining legends like Miguel Muñoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Johan Cruyff, and Carlo Ancelotti.
After not winning any major trophies for two seasons, Rijkaard left Barcelona in May 2008. The club president, Joan Laporta, announced that Rijkaard would no longer be the coach. Laporta praised Rijkaard for his achievements, saying he "made history" at the club. Pep Guardiola took over as manager.
Coaching Galatasaray
On 5 June 2009, Rijkaard signed a two-year contract to manage Galatasaray, a Turkish football team. However, he was sacked on 19 October 2010.
Managing Saudi Arabia
On 28 June 2011, Rijkaard became the head coach of the Saudi Arabia national football team. Saudi Arabia was eliminated in the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification for the 2014 World Cup. They also exited the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup at the group stage. On 16 January 2013, Rijkaard was dismissed from his role.
Later Career
In 2013, Rijkaard took on a role as an advisor for player development at Montverde Academy, a school in Florida. In December 2016, he announced that he would no longer seek a position as a manager.
Coaching Style
As a coach, Frank Rijkaard believed in playing attacking football. He wanted his teams to play together as a unit, aiming to win games and entertain the fans. This idea comes from famous Dutch coaches like Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff, who both coached Rijkaard during his playing days.
Rijkaard was known for being calm and stable, even during intense matches. He rarely caused controversy in the media. At Barcelona, he often used a 4-3-3 formation, which allowed creative players like Ronaldinho to shine. His teams focused on keeping possession of the ball in the opponent's half and putting pressure on them to make mistakes.
Personal Life
Frank Rijkaard comes from a family of footballers. His father, Herman Rijkaard, was also a footballer who played in Suriname and the Netherlands. Frank's older brother, Herman Rijkaard Jr., is a FIFA-certified agent for players. Frank Rijkaard is married to Stephanie and has four children.
Media Appearances
Rijkaard is featured in the FIFA video game series by EA Sports. He has appeared as an "Ultimate Team Legend" or "ICON player" in several versions of the game, including FIFA 14 through FIFA 23.
Images for kids
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Frank Rijkaard and Carmen Sandries getting married on 10 October 1985
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From left: Rijkaard with Ronald Koeman, Erwin Koeman and Ruud Gullit in the Dutch national team in 1983
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Rijkaard with Van Basten and Cruyff with Ajax in 1986.
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Rijkaard, Van Basten, Gullit and Michels with Queen Beatrix in 1988.
See also
In Spanish: Frank Rijkaard para niños
