Richard Witschge facts for kids
Witschge in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Peter Witschge | ||
| Date of birth | 20 September 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1990–2000 | Netherlands | 31 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and 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 known for his great ball control and passing skills.
He played for 18 years as a professional footballer. Most of his career was spent with Ajax in the Netherlands. He also played for famous clubs like Barcelona in Spain. In total, he played 226 matches in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands.
Witschge also played for the Netherlands. He represented his country in the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996.
Contents
Richard Witschge's Club Journey
Starting at Ajax: A Young Talent
Richard Witschge was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He grew up playing football in the famous youth academy of Ajax. This academy is known for training many talented players. Richard made his first appearance in the Eredivisie league on 26 October 1986. He was only 17 years old at the time. About a year later, he scored his first goal in the league. His older brother, Rob, was also a footballer and played for Ajax.
Playing for Barcelona: A Dream Team
After becoming a key player for Ajax, Richard Witschge joined Barcelona in 1991. The team was managed by Johan Cruyff, who had also coached him at Ajax. Richard played for Barcelona when they won the La Liga championship two times in a row.
He played his first game for Barcelona on 14 September 1991. Even though he was a good player, it was hard for him to get a lot of playing time. Barcelona could only have three foreign players on the field, and these spots were often taken by stars like Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov, and his Dutch teammate Ronald Koeman. He also missed the 1992 European Cup Final due to an injury.
Moving to Bordeaux: New Challenges
In 1993, Witschge decided to leave Barcelona and join Bordeaux in France. At first, things were tough for him. He didn't like his new home and had disagreements with his coaches about how the team should play. His performances were not great, and sometimes fans would even boo him. He was eventually left out of the team.
In March 1995, Witschge went on loan to Blackburn Rovers in England. He played one game for them. That season, Blackburn Rovers won the Premier League title. Richard was meant to replace an injured player, but the manager chose a different strategy.
When he returned to Bordeaux, things got much better for Witschge. A new coach, Slavoljub Muslin, arrived, and Richard's performance improved a lot. He scored seven goals in the league. He also played a big part in helping Bordeaux reach the final of the UEFA Cup in 1996. They had qualified for this competition through the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Later Years: Back to Ajax and Retirement
In May 1996, Richard Witschge returned to Ajax for his second time. Ajax wanted his experience to help their team, which had changed a lot since their 1995 European Cup win. In his second period at Ajax, he played over 150 matches. He helped the club win two league titles and two domestic cups.
Later, he had some disagreements with coach Co Adriaanse, who preferred a younger player named Rafael van der Vaart. Because of this, Witschge was loaned to Alavés, a Spanish team, for the 2001–02 season.
After leaving Ajax for the second time in 2003, Witschge played for a short time with amateur club ADO '20 and then for Oita Trinita in Japan. He tried out for another club, Rangers, but it didn't work out. He decided to retire 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.
Richard Witschge's International Career
Playing for the Netherlands
Richard Witschge played 31 games for the Netherlands. He scored one goal for his country. His first game was on 21 February 1990, a friendly match against Italy. He was chosen to play in the 1990 FIFA World Cup by manager Leo Beenhakker.
An injury prevented him from playing in UEFA Euro 1992. He didn't play in another major tournament until Euro 1996, which was held in England. During this time, his older brother, Rob, often played in his place for the national team.
Richard's first period with the national team included 19 games and one goal, from February 1990 to March 1992. Some people thought he hadn't reached his full potential. His coach, Leo Beenhakker, once called him and some other players the 'Patat Generatie' (which means 'French Fries Generation'). This was a playful way of saying they might have focused too much on fun things instead of improving their game.
After his football career improved at his clubs, Witschge was called back to the national team in September 1995. This was during the team's qualifying games for Euro 1996. He was part of the team for the play-off game against the Republic of Ireland. In the Euro 1996 finals, coach Guus Hiddink chose him over Edgar Davids.
In September 2000, Witschge returned to the national team after three years away. This happened because several players were injured. He played his last game for the Netherlands in a match against the Republic of Ireland. This game affected the Netherlands' chances of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.
Family Life
Richard Witschge's older brother, Rob, was also a professional footballer. They both played as midfielders.
Honours and Achievements
Richard Witschge won several important titles during his career:
Barcelona
- La Liga (Spanish League): 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): 1997–98
- KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup): 1997–98, 1998–99
See also
In Spanish: Richard Witschge para niños
