Frank de Boer facts for kids
De Boer as manager of Ajax in 2011
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franciscus de Boer | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 May 1970 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hoorn, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, left-back | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1988 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1999 | Ajax | 328 | (30) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Barcelona | 144 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Galatasaray | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Rangers | 15 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Al-Rayyan | 16 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Al-Shamal | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 519 | (43) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2004 | Netherlands | 112 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | Ajax (youth) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2016 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Inter Milan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Crystal Palace | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Atlanta United | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Al Jazira | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Frank de Boer (born 15 May 1970) is a famous Dutch former footballer and current manager. He was a defender who played most of his career for Ajax. With Ajax, he won many important titles, including five Eredivisie titles (the top Dutch league) and the UEFA Champions League.
He also played for Barcelona for five years, where he won the 1998–99 La Liga title in Spain. Later, he had short spells with other clubs like Galatasaray and Rangers before he retired.
De Boer is one of the most capped players for the Netherlands national team, playing 112 times. He was the captain of the Dutch team that reached the semi-finals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Frank de Boer has a twin brother, Ronald de Boer, who was also a professional footballer. They played together at Ajax, Barcelona, Rangers, and for the Netherlands national team.
After his playing career, Frank de Boer became a manager. He coached the Ajax youth team and was an assistant for the Netherlands national team. In December 2010, he became the manager of Ajax and won the Eredivisie title in his first season. He later became the first manager to win four Eredivisie titles in a row. He also managed Inter Milan in Italy, Crystal Palace in England, and Atlanta United in the USA. From 2020 to 2021, he was the head coach of the Netherlands national team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Ajax
Frank de Boer started his career at Ajax as a left-back. He later became a strong centre-back, a position he played for many years. While at Ajax, he won the 1991–92 UEFA Cup and the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League. He also helped Ajax win five Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups.
After a long time at Ajax, he and his twin brother Ronald decided to leave the club in 1999.
Moving to Barcelona
In January 1999, Frank and Ronald de Boer joined the Spanish club Barcelona. They reunited with their former Ajax manager, Louis van Gaal, at the Camp Nou stadium. In their first season, they won the 1998–99 La Liga title.
In 2001, Frank de Boer faced a challenge when he tested positive for a banned substance. He was suspended for a short time but was allowed to play again after a successful appeal.
Later Career Clubs
After Barcelona, De Boer briefly played for Galatasaray in Turkey in 2003. In January 2004, he joined his brother Ronald at Rangers in Scotland. He played 17 games for Rangers and scored two goals.
After UEFA Euro 2004, both De Boer brothers moved to Qatar to play for Al-Rayyan. Frank de Boer retired from playing football in April 2006.
International Career for the Netherlands
Frank de Boer played for the Netherlands national team 112 times. This made him one of the most capped players in Dutch history for a long time. He made his debut for the Netherlands in September 1990 against Italy.
He played for the Netherlands in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. He also played in the 1992, 2000, and 2004 UEFA European Championships. He is famous for a long pass he made in the 1998 World Cup. This pass helped Dennis Bergkamp score a last-minute goal that knocked Argentina out of the tournament.
At Euro 2000, which was held in the Netherlands and Belgium, De Boer and his team reached the semi-finals. On 29 March 2003, Frank de Boer became the first Dutch male footballer to play 100 games for his country. He ended his international career after an injury at Euro 2004.
Playing Style
Frank de Boer was a very skilled and complete defender. Besides being good at defending, he was also great with the ball. He had excellent technical ability, could take free kicks well, and passed the ball accurately. He was a leader on the field.
He could bring the ball out of defence and start attacks with long passes. His main weakness was his speed, but he made up for it by being very good at anticipating what opponents would do and reading the game. He was a smart and elegant left-footed defender. He could play as a left-back or in the centre of defence. He was also known for his accurate bending free kicks.
Managerial Career
In 2007, De Boer started coaching at his old club, Ajax, where he worked with the youth teams. During the 2010 World Cup, he was an assistant coach for the Netherlands national team. The Dutch team reached the final of that tournament.
Managing Ajax
.jpg)
On 6 December 2010, Frank de Boer became the temporary manager of Ajax. His first game was a Champions League match against Milan, which Ajax won 2–0. De Boer then led Ajax to win the Eredivisie title in his first season as manager. This was a great start to his coaching career.
During his time as manager at Ajax, De Boer won three more championships, making it four Eredivisie titles in a row. This was a record, as no other manager had achieved this in the Dutch league before. In 2013, he won the Rinus Michels Award for the best manager in the Netherlands. He resigned from Ajax on 11 May 2016 after a disappointing season where they lost the league title on the final day.
Managing Inter Milan
On 9 August 2016, De Boer signed a three-year contract to manage Internazionale in Italy. His first competitive match was a 2–0 loss. Inter had some good wins under him, including against Juventus. However, they also struggled in the UEFA Europa League.
After a series of losses, De Boer was sacked on 1 November 2016, after only 85 days in charge. He felt he needed more time to make a difference at the club.
Managing Crystal Palace
On 26 June 2017, De Boer became the new manager of Premier League team Crystal Palace in England. He signed a three-year deal. However, he was sacked just ten weeks later. Crystal Palace lost their first four league matches without scoring any goals, which was a very rare and poor start to a season.
De Boer's only win with Crystal Palace was a 2–1 victory against Ipswich Town in the EFL Cup. He tried to make the team play a style of football based on keeping possession of the ball, but he felt the players did not adapt well.
Managing Atlanta United
On 23 December 2018, De Boer was announced as the head coach of MLS team Atlanta United in the United States. In his first season, the team won both the U.S. Open Cup and the Campeones Cup. They also finished second in their conference in MLS.
On 24 July 2020, Atlanta United and De Boer decided to part ways after the team was eliminated from the MLS is Back Tournament.
Managing the Netherlands National Team
On 23 September 2020, Frank de Boer became the new manager of the Netherlands national team. He signed a contract until the end of 2022. He managed the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2020. Although they won their group, they lost 2–0 to the Czech Republic in the round of 16 and were knocked out. Because of this disappointing performance, the KNVB (Dutch football association) announced on 29 June 2021 that they had parted ways with De Boer.
Managing Al Jazira
On 5 June 2023, De Boer was appointed head coach of UAE Pro League club Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates. He signed a two-year contract. However, on 11 December 2023, he was sacked from this role.
Honours
Player
Ajax
- Eredivisie (5): 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
- KNVB Cup (2): 1992–93, 1997–98
- Johan Cruijff Shield (3): 1993, 1994, 1995
- UEFA Champions League: 1994–95
- UEFA Cup: 1991–92
- UEFA Super Cup: 1995
- Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Barcelona
- La Liga: 1998–99
Al Rayyan
- Emir of Qatar Cup: 2005
Netherlands
- FIFA World Cup fourth place: 1998
Individual Awards
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1998
- UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 2000
- Golden Foot: 2016, as a football legend
Manager
.jpg)
Ajax
- Eredivisie (4): 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2013
Atlanta United
- Campeones Cup: 2019
- U.S. Open Cup: 2019
Individual Awards
- Rinus Michels Award (2): 2013, 2014
See also
In Spanish: Frank de Boer para niños
