5 greatest Dutch footballers of all time

#4 Frank Rijkaard

Frank Rijkaard

Rijkaard was a sweeper with consummate ball-skills and a powerful physique. His match-reading was exceptional, and commitment was second to none. He was an asset for any team he was a part of, and had a brilliant career with the likes of Ajax and AC Milan.

Rijkaard came through the youth ranks of Ajax, and played for the senior team from 1980 to 1987. He then joined AC Milan in 1988, and went on to spend 6 memorable seasons there. He won 2 European Cups and 2 Serie A titles under the tutelage of Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello at Milan, and also found compatriots Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit as his allies there. He also scored the only goal in the 1990-91 European Cup final against Benfica.

He could play both as a sweeper and a defensive midfielder. It was a pity that he sometimes pushed Ronald Koeman, another legendary Dutch sweeper, to the bench while playing for the national team, when the reality was that Koeman could walk into any other national team at that time.

Rijkaard won the Euro 1988 with the Dutch national team. However, he was not very successful at World Cups, and was sent off in the Netherlands’ 1-2 loss to West Germany in the 1990 World Cup. He scored 83 goals in 473 matches in his club career and 10 goals from 73 matches for the national team.