Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard (Dutch pronunciation: [frɑŋk ˈɛtmundoː ˈrɛikaːrt] ⓘ; born 30 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and former manager who played as a defensive midfielder. Regarded as one of the best midfielders in footballing history, Rijkaard was described by British broadsheet The Daily Telegraph as having been "a stylish player of faultless pedigree".
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Rijkaard in 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 September 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder, central defender | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| –1973 | SC Buitenveldert | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1976 | Blauw-Wit Amsterdam | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1979 | DWS | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1980 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1987 | Ajax | 205 | (47) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Sporting CP | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | → Real Zaragoza (loan) | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1993 | AC Milan | 142 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Ajax | 56 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 414 | (75) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1994 | Netherlands | 73 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Netherlands (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Sparta Rotterdam | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2008 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Galatasaray | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Saudi Arabia | |||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rijkaard played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and AC Milan. With Ajax, he won five Eredivisie titles and the 1994–1995 Champions League. With AC Milan, he won Serie A titles, as well as the 1988–89 and 1989–90 European Cup (Champions League) titles.
He earned 73 caps for the Netherlands national team. He was part of the team that won the 1988 Euro and finished third in the 1992 Euro. He also played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.
In his managerial career, he is most well known for his five-year tenure at Barcelona where he won the 2004–05 and 2005–06 La Liga titles, as well as the 2005–06 Champions League. He has also managed the Netherlands national team, Sparta Rotterdam, Galatasaray and the Saudi Arabia national team.