Marcel "Marco" van Basten[2] (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈmɑrkoːvɑmˈbɑstə(n)]ⓘ; born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch formerfootballmanager andplayer who played as astriker forAjax andAC Milan, as well as theNetherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he scored 300 goals in a high-profile career, but played hislast match in 1993, at the age of 28, due to a recurring ankle injury which forced him to announce his retirement two years later.[3][2] He was later the head coach of Ajax and the Netherlands national team.
In 1998, Van Basten was ranked sixth in theFIFA Player of the Century internet poll, tenth in the European player of the Century election held by theIFFHS and 12th in the IFFHS'World Player of the Century election.[7][8] He was also voted eighth in a poll organised by the French magazineFrance Football, consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century.[9] In 2004, he was named byPelé in theFIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[10] In 2004, a poll for the100 greatest Dutch people was held in the Netherlands: Van Basten ranked number 25, the second highest for a football player, behindJohan Cruyff. In 2007,Sky Sports ranked Van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short.[11]
Van Basten celebrates his goal for Ajax to give the team a 2–0 lead in an eventual 8–2 win againstFeyenoord in September 1983, followingGerald Vanenburg's corner.Edo Ophof (Ajax),Felix Gasselich (Ajax),André Hoekstra (Feyenoord) and goalkeeperJoop Hiele (Feyenoord) are the other players in the picture. The average age of the Ajax team at the time was roughly22+1⁄2 years.[12]
Marco van Basten was born on 31 October 1964 inUtrecht and grew up in theOog In Al neighborhood. He began playing for a local team, EDO, when he was six years old. A year later, he moved toUVV Utrecht. After nine years there, he briefly played for another club from Utrecht,Elinkwijk.
Ajax signed 16-year-old Marco for the1981–82 season. He played his first match for Ajax on 3 April 1982, coming on as a substitute for Johan Cruyff, and scoring a debut goal in the team's 5–0 victory overNEC.[13][14]
In the1982–83 season, he competed with theEuropean top scorer and first choice Holland internationalWim Kieft for the position of centre forward, and scored nine goals in 20 league matches. Ajax chose to sell Kieft to ItalianSerie A clubPisa the following season, and 18 year old Van Basten solidified his position as his team's main attacker similarly in the national team.
He was the top scorer in the league for four consecutive seasons, from 1983–84 to 1986–87, scoring 118 goals in 112 matches. In the 1985–86 season, he scored 37 goals in 26 league matches, including six goals againstSparta Rotterdam and five againstHeracles Almelo, and won the European Golden Boot. He also scored the winning goal in theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup final againstLokomotive Leipzig in 1987. In total he scored 128 goals in 133 league matches for Ajax.[2] In November 1986 he scored his most famous goal in an Ajax jersey, a spectacularoverhead kick againstFC Den Bosch.[15]
In 1987,Milan presidentSilvio Berlusconi signed Van Basten, along with fellow countrymanRuud Gullit. In 1988, the Dutch legion got completed whenFrank Rijkaard joined the club (at the time only three non-Italians were allowed). In his first season, Milan won their firstScudetto in eight years, but Van Basten played only 11 matches and was constantly troubled by an ankle injury.[2][16] In1988–89, Van Basten won theBallon d'Or as Europe's top footballer.[2] He scored 19 goals inSerie A and 32 goals in all competitions that year, including two goals in thefinal of theEuropean Cup, as Milan triumphed againstSteaua București.[2] In1989–90, he becameCapocannoniere again (Serie A's leading goal scorer); Milan also successfully defended the European Cup after beatingBenfica 1–0 in thefinal match,[2] during which Van Basten provided the assist for Rijkaard's match-winning goal.[17]
Milan struggled in the1990–91 season, asSampdoria won theScudetto. After Van Basten fell out withArrigo Sacchi, Berlusconi sacked the manager.Fabio Capello took over the following season, and Milan went undefeated in the league to win anotherScudetto. Van Basten scored 25 league goals, and becameCapocannoniere again;[2] his tally from the1991–92 season was the highest number of goals that a player had scored in a single Serie A season sinceLuís Vinício achieved the same tally during the1965–66 season.[18]
"Marco was the greatest striker I ever coached. His early retirement was a mortal misfortune for him, for football, and for Milan."
—Former Milan managerFabio Capello in 2010 on working with Van Basten and his premature retirement.[19]
His troublesome ankle injury[20] recurred in a game againstAncona, forcing him to endure another six-month layoff, and undergo a series of surgeries. He returned for the last few matches in the season, before Milan lost 1–0 toMarseille in theChampions League final. The match was Van Basten's final match for the Italian club.[2] He came off in the 86th minute forStefano Eranio, after a hard tackle behind fromBasile Boli condemned Van Basten to the third ankle surgery of his career.[21]
Van Basten had been hopeful of playing for his country at the1994World Cup as well as for his club in the 1994–95 season after spending the whole 1993–94 season out of action (missing Milan'svictory in theEuropean Cup as well as their Serie A title glory),[22] but his club ordered him not to take part in the World Cup amid fear of ruining his rehabilitation.[23] He finally conceded defeat in his battle to recover on 17 August 1995, when he announced his retirement as a player after two whole years on the sidelines. Van Basten made a farewell appearance to thank the Milan fans before a home game at theSan Siro, with an emotional Milan coachFabio Capello breaking down in tears.[24]
AtUEFA Euro 1988, Van Basten played a pivotal role in the Dutch team's victorious campaign. He scored a total of five goals, including a hat-trick againstEngland in the first round, the winning goal in the semi-final againstWest Germany,[26] and a spectacularvolley from an acute angle in the 2–0final against theSoviet Union,[27] during which he also provided the assist for Gullit's opening goal.[28] He finished the competition as the top scorer and was named player of the tournament. He was also included in team of the tournament.[2] In a 2002 UK poll, Van Basten's volley against the Soviet Union was ranked #21 in the list of the100 Greatest Sporting Moments.[29]
The Dutch national team exited the1990 World Cup early, losing 2–1 to eventual champions West Germany in the second round.[30] Van Basten never scored in the World Cup finals. AtUEFA Euro 1992, the Netherlands defeated reigning World Champions Germany 3–1 in the first round to top their group and reach the semi-finals, where they surprisingly lost to the eventual championsDenmark in apenalty shoot-out, withPeter Schmeichel saving a penalty shot from Van Basten.[2] Although he went scoreless throughout the tournament, he was included in team of the tournament for the second time in 1992.[31]
Although he was mainly known as a traditional attacker who operated in the penalty area as acentre-forward throughout his career,[32][33] Van Basten also possessed excellent vision and distribution, in addition to his goalscoring ability, which enabled him to play in deeper, more creative positions, as asecond striker, for example, and which allowed him to participate in the build-up of attacking plays and provide assists to his teammates in addition to scoring goals himself;[34][35][36][37][38][39] one of his most notable assists was the one he provided to Frank Rijkaard for Milan's winning goal in the 1990 European Cup final against Benfica.[17] Despite his large stature, Van Basten possessed excellent technical skills and ball control, as well as good balance and a notable elegance on the ball, which inspired his nickname.[40] As such, his strong physique, combined with his close control, also enabled him to hold up the ball for teammates when playing with his back to goal.[32]
Despite his ability, Van Basten's career was severely affected by many grave injuries, which eventually forced him to retire from football prematurely at the age of 28.[40][41] Lack of protection from referees and inadequate football rules against rugged defending and tackles from behind were identified as the source of the injuries which ultimately led to his career's demise; consequently, Van Basten's early retirement due to his injuries led to widespread debate in the football world over whether rash challenges from behind should be rendered illegal in football, in order to protect talented players more effectively.[42][43] During the 1994 World Cup, an automatic red was also shown for tackles from behind or with studs showing.[44] In 1998, prior to theWorld Cup that year, FIFA completely outlawed the tackle from behind;[45] this ruling came to be known colloquially as the "Van Basten law" in the media.[46] Although Van Basten was known for often being on the receiving end of hard challenges from his opponents throughout his career, former referee Daniele Tombolini described Van Basten as a player who was known for his physical play himself, and who utilised his strength and committed a lot of fouls during matches.[47]
Considered by pundits to be one of the greatest and most complete players of all time,[48] in 1998, Van Basten was ranked sixth in theFIFA Player of the Century internet poll, tenth in the European player of the Century election held by theIFFHS, and 12th in the IFFHS World Player of the Century election.[7][8] He was also ranked eighth in a poll to determineFrance Football's "Football Player of the Century."[9] In 1999, Van Basten was named the ninth greatest player of the twentieth Century byWorld Soccer magazine.[49] In 2004, he was named by Pelé in theFIFA 100, his list of the world's 125 greatest living players,[10] and also placed fourth in theUEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, celebrating the best European footballers of the past fifty years.[50] He was also ranked 25th in a poll for the100 greatest Dutch people. In 2007,Sky Sports ranked Van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short.[11] In 2016 Van Basten was included in UEFA's All-time Euro XI,[51] while in 2017, he was named the 13th greatest player of all time byFourFourTwo.[33]
Numerous players, managers, and other footballing figures have also lauded Van Basten as one of the greatest players of all time. In 1994, defenderPietro Vierchowod described Van Basten as "the absolute number one" and as a "superstar," also adding that "he is strong with his head, good with either foot, capable of changing the face of a game with a single play or, [even] when he is not at his best, of becoming the best assist-provider for his teammates."[34] Former defenderJürgen Kohler, who often faced Van Basten throughout his career, described him as "a player with exceptional abilities. He was a big personality not only as a sportsman, but also as a private person. I benefited from him. It is as simple as this. He was a big milestone in my career and for me he is one of the players who are the most outstanding personalities of the last century. Not only in sports, also as a human being." When asked of their duels, he commented: "the duels between us were simply tough with everything football offers. He stood and I delivered and then I stood and he delivered."[53]
Former Arsenal playerTony Adams described Van Basten as the toughest and most difficult opponent he had ever faced in 2006, stating: "He’s the quickest 6 ft 3 in centre-forward I’ve ever seen! Just awesome. He was as quick asIan Wright, as good in the air asJoe Jordan and he held the ball up better thanAlan Smith. I put him in front of Maradona. Technically, Maradona was brilliant and he had amazing feet, but [V]an Basten could head, volley – he had power and strength."[54] Fellow former defenderGiuseppe Bergomi also described Van Basten as the strongest player he ever faced in 2018, commenting: "The best player of all time for me [...] is Maradona, but the strongest player I ever faced was [V]an Basten because at least I could beat Maradona to the ball with my head."[55][56]
In 2017, two of Van Basten's former Milan teammates,Demetrio Albertini andMarco Simone, labelled the Dutchman as the best player they had ever played with, with the former stating, "The best player I have ever played with is Van Basten, the best overall. He had elegance and strength. He stopped playing at only 28 years of age, which is truly young."[57][58] That same year, another one of his fellow former Milan teammates,Paolo Maldini, labelled Van Basten as the most complete player with whom he had ever played.[59] Another former Milan teammate of Van Basten,Giovanni Cornacchini, described the Dutch striker as the greatest player of all time in 2019.[60] Former MilanVice-Chairman andCEOAdriano Galliani instead described Van Basten as Milan's greatest player ever in 2018.[61] In 2017,Roberto Baggio named Van Basten as the player with whom he would have most liked to have played, commenting: "I'd have liked to play with him. He's the player that I exchanged shirts with most willingly."[62]
In 2019, former Milan coach Fabio Capello described Van Basten andRonaldo as the best players he ever coached.[63] His predecessor at Milan, Arrigo Sacchi, described Van Basten as the best striker of all time in 2014, commenting: "Marco van Basten remains for me the best striker of all time. No other forward has worked as hard for the team as Marco did at Milan. I above all remember him for his elegance, his grace and his incredible quality."[64] WhenHernán Crespo was asked in 2015 who was the greatest centre-forward of all time, he echoed Sacchi's views, responding: "Marco van Basten. He did everything:dribbling, shooting, headers, acrobatics. And he played with his team and for his team."[65] In 2019,Antonio Cassano described Van Basten and Ronaldo as the best forwards in the history of the game.[66]
Van Basten officially left Milan in 1995 and retired from football, stating he would never try management. However, he changed his mind and took a course with theRoyal Dutch Football Association (KNVB). His first stint as a manager was as an assistant to his former teammateJohn van 't Schip with the second team of Ajax in 2003–04.
On 29 July 2004, Van Basten was named the new manager of theNetherlands national team, with Van 't Schip as his assistant.[67] Van Basten's appointment as manager of the Netherlands sparked a little controversy at the time, since he only just started his managerial career and the media argued that he did not have a lot of experience yet.[67]
The Netherlands were widely tipped to do well at the 2006 World Cup, having achieved the highest points average of any team in qualification, as well as breaking their reputation for in-fighting, and having a short journey to the finals in Germany.[70] The team were inGroup C, considered theGroup of death by international media for also containingArgentina,Ivory Coast andSerbia & Montenegro, the last of whom conceded only one goal in qualification.[73] The Netherlands were eliminated in a1–0 loss toPortugal in the Round of 16, with both teams receiving two red cards each.[74]
Van Basten (left) withKlaas-Jan Huntelaar during training prior to Euro 2008.
In November 2006, Van Basten recalled Seedorf for a friendly againstEngland at theAmsterdam Arena. He denied allegations that he had caved in to media pressure to name Seedorf in place of the injuredWesley Sneijder.[75] In May 2007, Van Basten announced the end of his long-running dispute with Van Nistelrooy, who had previously declared never to play for a Dutch national squad with Van Basten as its manager.[76]
Van Basten had a contract with the KNVB for managing the Dutch national side until 2008. The KNVB had expressed its wishes to extend his contract to include the World Cup qualification route to2010 World Cup in South Africa. On 22 February 2008, Van Basten signed a four-year contract with Ajax, starting from 1 July.[77] HisUEFA Euro 2008 selection was marred by Seedorf refusing to join the 30-man provisional squad unless Van Basten resigned, with Van Bommel having already made the same ultimatum.[78]
At the tournament in Austria and Switzerland, the Netherlands beatworld champions Italy 3–0 in their first match,[79] followed by a 4–1 win overWorld Cup runners-upFrance.[80] In their third match, having already qualified for the next round, Van Basten selected non-regulars such asMaarten Stekelenburg,Wilfred Bouma andIbrahim Afellay for the starting lineup againstRomania, a match theOranje won 2–0.[81] In the quarter-finals, Van Basten faced fellow DutchmanGuus Hiddink'sRussia. With the score at 1–1 after 90 minutes, Hiddink and Russia went on to win the match 3–1 in extra-time.[82] He finished his reign with a record of 35 wins, 11 draws and six losses in 52 matches.[83]
Van Basten became manager of Ajax after Euro 2008 but resigned on 6 May 2009 after his team failed to qualify for theChampions League.[84] Van Basten started the season well, having spent millions on players such asMiralem Sulejmani,Ismaïl Aissati,Darío Cvitanich,Evander Sno,Eyong Enoh andOleguer. However, in the second half of the season, strikerKlaas-Jan Huntelaar left forReal Madrid, and Van Basten started switching around his lineups. When Ajax lost 11 points in four matches, theEredivisie title was out of sight. However, Ajax still had the chance to finish in second place, which would have ensured a place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Two important losses against PSV (6–2) and Sparta Rotterdam (4–0), however, ensured that Van Basten's Ajax could only finish third in the league. Van Basten decided to resign as Ajax manager at the end of the2008–09 season. Van Basten subsequently became a pundit forSport1, but was still planning to return as a manager. He finished his reign with a record of 26 wins, 8 draws and 11 losses in 45 matches.[83]
On 13 February 2012, it was announced that Van Basten would become the manager of Eredivisie clubHeerenveen in the2012–13 season.[85] Van Basten led Heerenveen to an eighth-place finish in the 2012–13 year campaign. He then led them to a fifth-place finish the following season, during the2013–14 campaign. He finished his reign with a record of 27 wins, 18 draws and 27 losses in 72 matches.[83]
AZ Alkmaar announced on 18 April 2014 that Van Basten would replaceDick Advocaat at the start of the2014–15 season.[86] On 28 August 2014, Van Basten took a leave of absence for the following match againstDordrecht, with multiple Dutch news outlets reporting he was suffering of stress-related heart palpitations, and was replaced by assistant coachesAlex Pastoor and Dennis Haar.[87][88][89] Later, on 3 September, AZ confirmed that Van Basten was given an extended leave of absence until 14 September.[88][89] On 16 September 2014, parties agreed Van Basten would relinquish his role as manager in order to sign a new contract as assistant coach until 2016; this was motivated by Van Basten himself, who stated the stress caused by his full-time role as head coach was causing him physical and mental issues.[90] He finished his stint with two wins and three losses in five matches.[83]
After a year at AZ, Van Basten decided to take up the vacant post of assistant coach under the new head coach of the Netherlands national team,Danny Blind.[91] Van Basten would work together with fellow assistant coachRuud van Nistelrooy, whom Van Basten had initially sent away when he was head coach of the Netherlands. In August 2016, Van Basten announced he would be leaving the role to take up a position atFIFA as technical director.[91]
In March 2018, Van Basten travelled to Iran with FIFA presidentGianni Infantino to mark 100 years of theIran Football Federation. After meeting Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani they were welcomed by the president of Iranian Football FederationMehdi Taj at the Tehran Olympic Hotel. Attending theTehran Derby, Van Basten called for the ban on women entering sports venues to be lifted.[92]
Van Basten as FIFA technical director meeting withVladimir Putin in Moscow, July 2018
Van Basten played in theDemetrio Albertini testimonial match at theSan Siro in March 2006, and headed in a goal before being substituted early in the first half. On 22 July 2006, he also returned for the testimonial match to celebrate the 11-yearArsenal career ofDennis Bergkamp, in what was the first match played at the newEmirates Stadium. He played in the second half for the Ajax legends team. He entered the match as part of a double substitution that also introducedJohan Cruyff. He took part inTyskie's (a Polish beer company) advertising campaign withLuís Figo andZbigniew Boniek.
Van Basten features inEA Sports'FIFA video game series, and was named in the Ultimate Team Legends inFIFA 14.[93] Throughout his playing career, Van Basten was sponsored by Italian sportswear companyDiadora. One of the most marketable players in the world, in the late 1980s Diadora launched his own personalized football boots, the San Siro Van Basten, earning him two million dollars over 5 years.[94]
After his retirement from coaching, Van Basten became an analyst, and was described byESPN in 2016 as a "rather cerebral" analyst who "ponders the problems of FIFA and suggests changes to the offside rule."[95] On 23 November 2019, while Van Basten was working as an analyst for theDutch edition of theFox Sports network, he said "Sieg Heil" (meaning "Hail victory" in German), a verbal salutation associated with theNazi salute, during a live broadcast. Van Basten stated that he believed his microphone was off when he made the remark, and that it was in response to his colleague Hans Kraay's interview with Heracles's German manager,Frank Wormuth, following the team's 4–1 loss to Ajax. Van Basten said: "It wasn't my intention to shock people, I apologise. I just wanted to make a comment about Hans' German. It was an ill-placed joke." His use of the term attracted particular controversy as it occurred on a weekend during which Dutch football clubs were observing a minute of silence prior to matches in protest against discrimination.[96][97][98] Following the incident, the network described Van Basten's comment as "stupid and inappropriate," and suspended him until 7 December.[99]Electronic Arts also announced that Van Basten's cards inFIFA Ultimate Team would no longer be available inFIFA 20 stating the company has "an expectation that our commitment to quality and diversity is upheld."[100] However he has returned toFIFA 21.[101]
^Roberto Di Maggio; Igor Kramarsic; Alberto Novello (11 June 2015)."Italy - Serie A Top Scorers".RSSSF.Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved18 June 2018.
^"CHE TESORO, QUEL VAN BASTEN".repubblica.it (in Italian). La Repubblica. 23 January 1990.Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved9 December 2014.
^"MARCO VAN BASTEN" (in Italian). www.pianetamilan.it.Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved3 November 2019.
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