Marco Van Basten was born in Utrecht on October 31, 1964.
His youth career was spent with EDO, UVV, Elinkwijk and then from 1981 at Ajax.
He made his debut with Ajax in 1981-82 but that remained his only game under German manager Kurt Linder.
The following year he played more, 20 league games with 9 goals and 4 in the Dutch Cup with 4 goals. The manager was Aad de Mos. He played alongside Frank Rijkaard and Johan Cruijff. The "Joden" (Jews) won the domestic double.
In 1983-84 he blossomed. He played 26 league games with 28 goals, 4 games in the Dutch Cup with 1 goal and 2 games in the European Cup, still under de Mos. One of his new teammates was Ronald Koeman. Ajax finished 3rd.
In 1984-85 Ajax had five different managers, the last being Johan Cruijff but still won the league. Van Basten played 33 league games with 22 goals, 4 games in the domestic cup with 2 goals and 4 games in the UEFA Cup with 5 goals.
In 1985-86, still under Cruijff, Ajax finished 2nd but won the Dutch Cup. Van Basten played 26 league games with a record 37 goals, 1 game in the cup and 2 games in the European Cup.
The 1986-87 was his last with Ajax. The "Godenzonen" again finished 2nd under Cruijff but won both the Dutch Cup and the Cup Winners Cup (Lokomotiv Lipsia 1-0 with a Van Basten goal). He played 27 league games with 31 goals, 7 in the cup with 6 goals and 9 in the Cup Winners Cup with 6 goals. His teammates included future Lazio, Aron Winter (1992-96) and the great Dennis Bergkamp. Van Basten finished with Ajax after 172 games and a phenomenal 152 goals.
His next destination was A.C Milan. In the late 80's and early 90's Serie A was considered the best league in the world and attracted a lot of the top players: Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lotar Matthäus, just to name a few.
Van Basten joined Milan with fellow Dutchman Ruud Gullit. The manager was Arrigo Sacchi and the Rossoneri won the league. Van Basten however was unlucky and missed six months through injury, from the 5th fixture to the 25th. He played 11 league games and scored 3 goals, 5 games in Coppa Italia with 5 goals and 3 games in the UEFA Cup.
The following season he could finally show what he was made of. Milan added Frank Rijkaard to the squad and finished 3rd but won both the European Cup (Steaua Bucharest 4-0) and the Italian Supercoppa (Sampdoria 3-1). He played 33 league games with 19 goals, 4 in Coppa Italia with 3 goals and 9 in the European Cup with 10 goals (2 in final).
In 1989-90 the "Diavolo" finished 2nd but won the European Cup again (Benfica 1-0), the European Super Cup (Barcelona 2-1 on aggregate) and the Intercontinental Cup (Atlético Nacional de Medellín 1-0 a.e.t). Van Basten missed the first two months after an operation and then played 26 league games with 19 goals, 4 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal, 7 in the European Cup with 3 goals plus the Intercontinental Cup and European Supercup. His teammates included Lazio connections, Mauro Tassotti (1978-80), Diego Fuser (1992-98), Giovanni Stroppa (1991-93) and Demetrio Albertini (2003-04).
In 1990-91 Milan again finished 2nd but won the UEFA Super Cup (Sampdoria 3-1 on aggregate) and the Intercontinental Cup (Olimpia Asunción). Van Basten played 31 league games with 11 goals, 1 game in Coppa Italia, 2 games in the European Cup plus the Intercontinental Cup. It was Sacchi's last season and his relationship with Van Basten is said to have soured.
In 1991-92 Milan won the league again, under new manager Fabio Capello. Van Basten played 31 league games with 25 goals and7 games in Coppa Italia with 4 goals.
In 1992-93 Van Basten started suffering from injuries and was out for long periods, undergoing an operation in December. Milan had also bought French striker Jean-Pierre Papin and attacking midfielder Dejan "Il Genio" Savićević. The Rossoneri won Serie A and the Italian Supercoppa (Parma 2-1 with one Van Basten goal) but lost the Champions League final (Olympique Marseille 0-1). Van Basten played 15 league games with 13 goals, 1 game in Coppa Italia, 5 games in the Champions League with 6 goals plus the Supercoppa with 1 goal.
The following two seasons he stayed at Milan but never played an official game again. On June 3, 1993 he underwent another operation on his ankle but never recovered properly. He tried one last operation on July 11, 1994 but then had to give up. In August 1995 he announced his retirement, at 30.
He won 58 caps for Holland with 24 goals. He won a European Championship in 1988 scoring one of the best goals in history in the final (USSR 2-0). He also played 15 games for the U21's with 13 goals.
Since retiring he has become a coach. He started with Jong Ajax (2nd flight-2003-04). He was then manager of the national team for four years (2004-08) without any standout results for the "Oranje" (despite winning 67.3 % of the games). He then coached Ajax for a season (2008-09, 3rd place), Heerenveen for two (2012-14, 8th and 5th), was assistant at AZ Alkmaar (2014-15, 3rd place) and assistant to Gus Hiddink with Holland (2015-16).
Van Basten was a forward and is considered one of the best players of all time. His nickname, for his elegance, was "The Swan of Utrecht". He was 1.88 and 80 kilos but however managed to balance his physicality with grace and class. He could do everything, score goals and set them up. He could play in the area, outside, on the wing, all with equal efficacy. He could use both feet, had an accurate and powerful shot, was good in the air and known for his acrobatic skills. He could also take freekicks and penalties (he only missed 4 out of 55 taken). He was an intelligent player, knowing exactly when, where and how to move on the field.
The Milan team of the late 80's with Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard but also Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Carlo Ancelotti, just to name a few, is considered among the top club teams in history.
Van Basten won plenty both at team level and individually. With clubs, 3 Dutch leagues, 3 Dutch Cups, 4 Serie A titles, 4 Italian Supercoppas, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 2 European/Champions Leagues, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cups and a European Championship with Holland.
He also won 3 Ballon d'ors (1988, 1989 and 1992) and a Golden Boot (1986). He was top league scorer in Holland four times and in Italy twice. He won countless awards in his career.
He played a total of 373 club games and scored 277 goals. A phenomenal record but which still does not do Van Basten justice. A player of possibly unrepeatable class and quality.
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