Richard Witschge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Richard Witschge

Witschge in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth	(1969-09-20) 20 September 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.82 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	SDW
	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1986–1991	Ajax	87	(3)
1991–1993	Barcelona	40	(2)
1993–1996	Bordeaux	77	(9)
1995	→ Blackburn Rovers (loan)	1	(0)
1996–2003	Ajax	139	(12)
2001–2002	→ Alavés (loan)	26	(1)
2003	ADO '20
2004	Oita Trinita	9	(0)
Total		379	(27)
National team
1990–2000	Netherlands	31	(1)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Richard Peter Witschge (born 20 September 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder, a player who helps both attack and defense. Richard was well-known for his great technique and how well he could pass the ball.

During his 18-year career, he mostly played for Ajax, a famous Dutch club. He also played for other big teams like Barcelona in Spain. In total, he played 226 matches and scored 15 goals in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands.

Witschge also played for the Netherlands in major tournaments. These included the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996.

Richard Witschge's Football Journey

Starting at Ajax

Richard Witschge was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He grew up playing football in the youth teams of Ajax. This club is famous for training many talented young players. Richard started playing in the Eredivisie when he was just 17 years old, in October 1986. About a year later, he scored his first league goal. His older brother, Rob, was also a footballer and played for Ajax at that time.

Playing for Barcelona

In 1991, Richard joined Barcelona in Spain. The team's coach was Johan Cruyff, who had also coached Richard at Ajax. Richard didn't play as much as he might have wanted at Barcelona. This was because there were rules about how many foreign players could be on the team. Famous players like Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov, and his Dutch teammate Ronald Koeman often took those spots. Even though he didn't play every game, Barcelona won the La Liga championship twice while he was there. He also missed the 1992 European Cup Final due to an injury.

Time at Bordeaux and Blackburn

In 1993, Richard moved to Bordeaux in France. At first, things were tough for him there. He didn't like his living situation and disagreed with his coaches about how the team should play. He even got booed by his own fans and was sometimes left out of the team.

In 1995, Richard went on loan to Blackburn Rovers in England. He played only one match for them. Blackburn Rovers won the Premier League title that season. Richard had been brought in to help the team, but the coach decided to use other players instead. After his loan, Richard wasn't very happy with his experience at Blackburn.

When he returned to Bordeaux, things got much better for Richard. A new coach, Slavoljub Muslin, arrived, and Richard started playing much better. He scored seven goals in the league and helped Bordeaux reach the final of the UEFA Cup in 1996.

Later Career Years

In May 1996, Richard decided to return to Ajax. The club wanted his experience to help their team, which had changed a lot since their 1995 European Cup win. In his second time at Ajax, he played over 150 matches. He helped the club win two more league titles and two national cups. Later, he had some disagreements with his coach, Co Adriaanse, who preferred younger players like Rafael van der Vaart. Because of this, Richard was loaned to Alavés in Spain for the 2001–02 season.

After leaving Ajax for the second time in 2003, Richard played for a short time with amateur club ADO '20 in the Netherlands and then for Oita Trinita in Japan. He tried out for another club, Rangers, but it didn't work out. He retired from playing football in June 2004, when he was almost 35 years old.

In 2013, Richard Witschge returned to the Amsterdam Arena, the home of Ajax, to work as a youth coach.

Playing for the Netherlands

Richard Witschge played 31 matches for the Netherlands and scored one goal. He played his first international game on 21 February 1990, in a friendly match against Italy. He was chosen to play in the 1990 FIFA World Cup by coach Leo Beenhakker.

An injury prevented him from playing in UEFA Euro 1992. He didn't play in another major tournament until Euro 1996 in England. During this time, his older brother, Rob, sometimes took his place in the national team.

Early in his international career, from 1990 to 1992, Richard played 19 games and scored one goal. Some people thought he hadn't reached his full potential. Coach Beenhakker once used the term 'Patat Generatie' (meaning 'French Fries Generation') for some players, including Richard. This was a playful way of saying they might not have been as focused on improving as they could have been.

After his football career improved at his clubs, Richard was called back to the national team in September 1995. This was during the team's efforts to qualify for Euro 1996. He was part of the squad for the play-off game against the Republic of Ireland, but he didn't play. In the Euro 1996 tournament, the coach Guus Hiddink chose Richard over another player, Edgar Davids. This decision caused some tension within the team.

In September 2000, Richard returned to the national team after three years away, because several players were injured. He played his last international match in a 2–2 draw against the Republic of Ireland. This result made it harder for the Netherlands to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

Family Life

Richard Witschge's older brother, Rob, was also a professional footballer and played as a midfielder, just like Richard.

Career Statistics

Club Matches and Goals

International Matches and Goals

Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Witschge goal.

List of international goals scored by Richard Witschge

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 October 1991	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Portugal	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying

Football Achievements

Barcelona

• La Liga (Spanish League Title): 1991–92, 1992–93
• European Cup (now UEFA Champions League): 1991–92
• European Super Cup: 1992

Bordeaux

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1995

Ajax

• Eredivisie (Dutch League Title): 1997–98
• KNVB Cup (Dutch National Cup): 1997–98, 1998–99

See also

In Spanish: Richard Witschge para niños