Marco van Basten facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marco van Basten

Personal information
Full name	Marcel van Basten
Date of birth	31 October 1964 (1964-10-31)
Place of birth	Utrecht, Netherlands
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Striker (retired)
Youth career
1981-1982	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1982-1987 1987-1993	Ajax Milan	133 147	(128 90)
National team
1983-1992	Netherlands	58	(24)
Teams managed
2003-2004 2004-2008 2008-2009 2012-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016	Jong Ajax Netherlands Ajax Heerenveen AZ Netherlands
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Marcel "Marco" van Basten (born October 31, 1964 in Utrecht, Netherlands) is a former Dutch footballer. He was most recently the manager of the Netherlands national football team. He had to quit playing football early because of an injury that kept him from playing for more than a year.

Van Basten was known for his strength on the ball, his tactical awareness and spectacular strikes and volleys.

Awards

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. He was named "UEFA best Player of the Year" three times (1989, 1990 and 1992) and "FIFA World Player of the Year" in 1992. In a French magazine named France Football, he was voted as one of the eight best Football Players of the Century. In 1999, he was ranked sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll.

Club career statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		Europe		Total
1981/82	Ajax	Eredivisie	1	1	1	0	-		2	1
1982/83			20	9	5	4	-		25	13
1983/84			26	28	4	1	2	0	32	29
1984/85			33	22	4	2	4	5	41	29
1985/86			26	37	1	0	2	0	29	37
1986/87			27	31	7	6	9	6	43	43
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		Europe		Total
1987/88	Milan	Serie A	11	3	5	5	3	0	19	8
1988/89			33	19	4	3	9	10	46	32
1989/90			26	19	4	1	7	3	37	23
1990/91			31	11	1	0	2	0	34	11
1991/92			31	25	7	4	-		38	29
1992/93			15	13	1	0	5	6	21	19
Country	Netherlands		133	128	22	13	17	11	172	152
	Italy		147	90	22	13	26	19	195	122
Total			280	218	44	26	43	30	367	274

International career statistics

Netherlands national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1983	3	2
1984	3	0
1985	4	1
1986	4	2
1987	4	1
1988	9	5
1989	5	2
1990	11	8
1991	5	2
1992	10	1
Total	58	24

Honours

Club

• Ajax:
  • UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1987.
  • Dutch Championship: 1982, 1983, 1985.
  • Dutch Cup: 1983, 1986, 1987.
• Milan:
  • European Cup: 1989, 1990 (now called: UEFA Champions League).
  • Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990.
  • European Supercup: 1989, 1990.
  • Italian Championship: 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994.
  • Italian Super Cup: 1988, 1992, 1993.

International

• • UEFA European Championship: 1988
  • Nasazzi's Baton: 1985

Individual

• 1984
  • Dutch League Top Scorer: (28 goals)
  • European Silver Boot: (28 goals)
• 1985
  • Dutch Footballer of the Year
  • Dutch League Top Scorer: (22 goals)
• 1986
  • European Golden Boot: (37 goals)
  • Dutch League Top Scorer: (37 goals)
• 1987
  • Onze d'Argent
  • Dutch League Top Scorer: (31 goals)
  • Bravo Award: 1987
• 1988
  • European Championship 1988 Top Scorer and Best Player: (5 goals).
  • Onze d'Or
  • World Soccer Player of the Year
  • European Footballer of the Year France Football
• 1989
  • European Cup Top Scorer: (10 goals)
  • European Footballer of the Year France Football
  • Italian League Silver Top Scorer: (19 goals)
  • Onze d'Or
  • Best Player of the Year UEFA
• 1990
  • Italian League Top Scorer: (19 goals)
  • Best Player of the Year UEFA
  • Best Player World of the Year IFFHS: 1988, 1989
• 1992
  • World Soccer Player of the Year
  • Onze d'Argent
  • European Footballer of the Year France Football
  • Italian League Top Scorer: (25 goals)
  • Best Player of the Year UEFA
  • FIFA World Player of the Year
• 1993
  • European Silver Boot: (6 goals)
• 2004
  • Named in FIFA 100 by Pelé

Images for kids

• 

  Van Basten celebrates his goal for Ajax against Feyenoord in 1983.

• 

  Van Basten lifting the 1987 KNVB Cup for Ajax.

• 

  Van Basten celebrates his hat-trick against England at Euro 88

• 

  Van Basten as FIFA technical director meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, July 2018

• 

  Van Basten in his Diadora football boots at A.C. Milan

• 

  Van Basten while manager of the Netherlands.

• 

  Klaas-Jan Huntelaar couldn't reach the heights of his coach in Euro 2008.

• 

  Van Basten (middle) in Tehran, 2018