Marco van Basten facts for kids

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In this article, the family name is Van Basten, not Basten.

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Marco van Basten

Van Basten in 2006

Personal information

Full name

Marcel van Basten

Date of birth

31 October 1964 (age 60)

Place of birth

Utrecht, Netherlands

Height

1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)

Position(s)

Striker

Youth career

1970–1971

EDO

1971–1980

UVV

1980–1981

Elinkwijk

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1981–1987

Ajax

133

(127)

1987–1995

Milan

147

(91)

Total

280

(218)

International career

1981–1983

Netherlands U21

(13)

1983–1992

Netherlands

(24)

Managerial career

2003–2004

Jong Ajax (assistant)

2004–2008

Netherlands

2008–2009

Ajax

2012–2014

Heerenveen

2014

2014–2015

AZ (assistant)

2015–2016

Netherlands (assistant)

Medal record

Men's football

Representing Netherlands
UEFA European Championship
Winner	1988 West Germany
Third	1992 Sweden

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marcel "Marco" van Basten (born 31 October 1964) is a famous Dutch former football player and manager. He played as a striker for top clubs like Ajax and AC Milan. He also played for the Netherlands national team. Many people think he is one of the greatest players ever.

Marco van Basten scored 300 goals in his amazing career. Sadly, he had to stop playing football early, at just 28 years old. This was because of a serious ankle injury. After his playing days, he became a coach for Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

He was known for his excellent ball control and smart attacking play. He was also great at heading the ball and scoring amazing volley goals. Van Basten won the Ballon d'Or three times (1988, 1989, and 1992). He was also named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992.

With Ajax, he won three Eredivisie titles and the Cup Winners' Cup. With Milan, he won four Serie A titles and two European Cups. For the Netherlands, he helped them win UEFA Euro 1988. He was the top scorer in that tournament with five goals. One of his goals in the final against the Soviet Union was a spectacular volley, often called one of the best goals ever.

In 2004, the legendary player Pelé included Van Basten in his FIFA 100 list. This list named the world's greatest living players.

Playing Football: Early Days

van Basten celebrates his goal for Ajax in 1983.

Marco van Basten was born in Utrecht, Netherlands, on 31 October 1964. He started playing football at age six for a local team called EDO. A year later, he moved to another club, UVV Utrecht. Before joining a big club, he also played briefly for Elinkwijk.

Playing for Ajax

Van Basten lifting the 1987 KNVB Cup for Ajax.

Ajax signed Marco when he was 16 years old for the 1981–82 season. He played his first game for Ajax on 3 April 1982. He came on as a substitute for the famous Johan Cruyff. In that first match, he scored a goal in Ajax's 5–0 win.

In the 1982–83 season, he scored nine goals in 20 league games. The next season, Ajax sold their main striker, and 18-year-old Van Basten became the team's top attacker. He was the best scorer in the league for four seasons in a row (1983–84 to 1986–87). During this time, he scored 118 goals in 112 matches.

In the 1985–86 season, he scored 37 goals in 26 league games. This amazing performance helped him win the European Golden Boot award. He also scored the winning goal in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final in 1987. Overall, he scored 128 goals in 133 league games for Ajax.

Playing for AC Milan

Van Basten playing for AC Milan.

In 1987, Milan signed Van Basten. His fellow Dutch player Ruud Gullit also joined the team. Later, Frank Rijkaard completed the Dutch trio at Milan. In his first season, Milan won their first league title in eight years. However, Van Basten played only 11 matches due to an ankle injury.

In the 1988–89 season, Van Basten won the Ballon d'Or. He scored 19 goals in the Italian league and 32 goals in all games. He scored two goals in the European Cup final, helping Milan win the trophy. In the 1989–90 season, he was again the top scorer in Serie A. Milan also won the European Cup again, beating Benfica 1–0 in the final.

Milan had a tough 1990–91 season. But under new coach Fabio Capello, Milan went undefeated in the league the next season. They won another league title. Van Basten scored 25 league goals, becoming the top scorer once more.

In November 1992, he made history by scoring four goals in a Champions League match. One of these goals was a perfect bicycle kick. In December 1992, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year. Milan continued their unbeaten run into the 1992–93 season. Van Basten was amazing at the start of this season. He won the European Player of the Year award for the third time. Only Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini had done this before.

His ankle injury returned during a game against Ancona. This forced him to take six months off and have several surgeries. He tried to come back for the last few games of the season. Milan lost 1–0 to Marseille in the Champions League final. This was Van Basten's last game for Milan. His ankle injury got worse after a tough tackle.

He hoped to play in the 1994 World Cup and the next club season. But his club decided it was best for him to focus on recovery. On 17 August 1995, after two years of trying to recover, he announced his retirement. He made a final appearance at the San Siro stadium to thank the Milan fans. His coach, Fabio Capello, was very emotional.

International Football for the Netherlands

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

In 1984, Van Basten played his first game for the Netherlands national football team. This was during a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 1984.

At UEFA Euro 1988, Van Basten was a key player in the Netherlands' winning team. He scored five goals in total. This included three goals against England in the first round. He also scored the winning goal against West Germany in the semi-final. In the final against the Soviet Union, he scored a spectacular volley goal from a difficult angle. This goal is considered one of the best ever. He also helped set up Gullit's first goal in that final. He was the top scorer and best player of the tournament.

The Dutch team did not do well in the 1990 World Cup. They lost to West Germany in the second round. Van Basten never scored in a World Cup tournament. At UEFA Euro 1992, the Netherlands beat Germany 3–1. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Denmark in a penalty shoot-out. Van Basten missed his penalty kick. Even though he didn't score in this tournament, he was still named in the Team of the Tournament.

How Marco van Basten Played

Playing Style and Skills

Marco van Basten is known as one of the greatest and most complete strikers in football history. People called him the "Swan Of Utrecht" because of his elegant and smart attacking play. He was famous for scoring amazing goals, like volleys and bicycle kicks.

He was tall and strong, which made him great at heading the ball. He also had excellent technical skills and was very agile. This allowed him to perform spectacular shots. He was a fast and smart striker with quick reactions. He was good at finding loose balls near the goal. He could control difficult passes with one touch or shoot right away.

Van Basten had a powerful and accurate shot. He could score goals with either foot, from inside or outside the penalty area, and with his head. He was also very good at penalty kicks and free-kicks. He scored 53 out of 57 penalties he took, which is a very high success rate.

Even though he was mainly a goal-scorer, Van Basten also had great vision. He could pass the ball well and create chances for his teammates. He was strong and had great ball control, which helped him hold the ball for his teammates.

Injuries and Their Impact

Sadly, Van Basten's career was cut short by many serious injuries. He had to retire from football at only 28 years old. These injuries led to discussions in football about how to protect talented players. Some rules were changed to make the game safer. For example, in 1998, FIFA made it illegal to tackle a player from behind. This rule was sometimes called the "Van Basten law."

Marco van Basten as a Coach

Starting as a Coach

Van Basten officially left Milan in 1995. He said he would never become a manager. But he changed his mind and took coaching courses. His first coaching job was as an assistant for Ajax's second team in 2003–04.

Coaching the Netherlands National Team

On 29 July 2004, Van Basten became the new manager of the Netherlands national team. Some people thought he was too new to coaching for such a big job.

He brought in new, younger players and left out some older, more experienced ones. His team did not lose any of their first 16 games. The Netherlands were expected to do well at the 2006 World Cup. They were in a tough group with Argentina and Ivory Coast. They lost to Portugal in the Round of 16 and were knocked out.

In 2007, Van Basten settled a disagreement with striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Van Nistelrooy had said he would not play for the national team if Van Basten was the coach.

Van Basten's contract with the Dutch team ended in 2008. Before UEFA Euro 2008, he signed a contract to become the manager of Ajax after the tournament.

At Euro 2008, the Netherlands played very well. They beat world champions Italy 3–0 and then beat World Cup runners-up France 4–1. They won all their group matches. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Russia 3–1 in extra time. Van Basten finished his time as national team coach with 35 wins, 11 draws, and 6 losses in 52 matches.

Return to Ajax as Manager

Van Basten became Ajax's manager after Euro 2008. He spent a lot of money on new players. However, his team struggled in the second half of the season. When Ajax lost 11 points in four matches, they could no longer win the league title. They finished third, missing out on the Champions League. Van Basten decided to resign on 6 May 2009. He had 26 wins, 8 draws, and 11 losses in 45 matches.

Coaching Heerenveen and AZ

On 13 February 2012, Van Basten became the manager of Heerenveen. He led them to an eighth-place finish in his first season. The next season, they finished fifth. He left Heerenveen with 27 wins, 18 draws, and 27 losses in 72 matches.

On 18 April 2014, AZ announced that Van Basten would be their new manager. However, he took a break from coaching due to personal health reasons. On 16 September 2014, he decided to become an assistant coach instead. He said the stress of being a head coach was causing him problems. He coached AZ for five matches, winning two and losing three.

Working for FIFA

After his time at AZ, Van Basten became an assistant coach for the Netherlands national team again. He worked with Danny Blind, the new head coach. In August 2016, Van Basten announced he would leave this role. He took a new job at FIFA as a technical director.

In March 2018, Van Basten visited Iran with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He attended a football match and spoke about allowing women to enter sports stadiums.

Life After Playing and Coaching

Van Basten (middle) meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow in 2018.

Van Basten has played in special charity matches. In 2006, he played in a farewell match for Dennis Bergkamp at the new Emirates Stadium. He played for the Ajax legends team.

After he stopped coaching, Van Basten became a football analyst. He shares his thoughts on football and suggests changes to rules.