Marco Van Basten Biography

Marco Van Basten Biography – Early Career
Van Basten started playing soccer for the first time when he was just 7 years old, for local team EDO Utrecht's youth club. He moved to UW shortly, playing there for 10 years, before spending another youth season at another Utrecht team, Elinkwijk, before he was spotted by Ajax Amsterdam.

He did not go straight to Ajax's first team though, since he was just 17 when he joined the club, so he played for another season at the last youth level in Ajax's U-18 team, before being taken to the first squad in 1982.

Marco Van Basten Biography – Ajax Amsterdam
When van Basten was finally taken in Ajax's first squad, one of his childhood dreams would come true: playing alongside his greatest idol, Johan Cruiff. Actually, van Basten's debut for Ajax was in a 5-0 win against NEC Nijmegen, where the young Dutchman would replace Johan Cruiff on the pitch.

He scored his first professional goal in that match but his substitution for Cruiff was a symbol in itself, as one young brilliant soccer player would replace an aging one.

Van Basten did not get a first team spot immediately though, as he had to wait for the 1983-84 season, when Ajax's top goal scorer, Wim Kieft, was sold to Pisa. That opened up a spot for the young striker and he took the chance with both hands.

In the following 4 seasons played at Ajax, he would become one of the most productive strikers in its history, scoring 117 goals in 112 matches, a truly outstanding performance, especially considering the high level of the Dutch league.

His 1985-86 season was his best at Ajax, as he scored no less than 37 goals in 26 matches that year and was given the European Golden Boot award. But Ajax wasn't exactly the same team that won the European Cup three consecutive times during Johan Cruiff's reign and Marco Van Basten was hungry for glory, so he decided to move to a stronger team, AC Milan.

Marco Van Basten Biography

Marco Van Basten Biography – AC Milan
When van Basten moved to Milan, it was already considered one of the best teams in the world at that point. Many wondered how such a strong personality as Van Basten's would fit in the star-studded system at Milan.

It seems that the fears of him not being able to adapt at Milan were unfounded, as Van Basten was quick to regain his goal scoring appetite in the Serie A, a much more defensive league.

1988-89 was probably Van Basten's best season of his career, since he almost single-handedly took the Dutch national side through the Euro 88 final, winning the trophy. He also scored 19 goals for Milan that season and although the club lost the championship, they won the European Cup (today's Champions League), crushing Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in the final.

Marco Van Basten played 4 more seasons for AC Milan, winning a new European Cup in 1990, as well as the Intercontinental Cup that year. He won two more "Scudetto" championships in 1992 and 1993, years in which Milan also managed to win the cup each time. Unfortunately, an ankle injury that kept bugging him for a few years finally took the best of the Dutchman and in 1994, he decided to retire (at only 30 years of age) since his ankle would not allow him to play at the best of his ability.

All in all, Marco van Basten's career was full off success and trophies at both of the clubs he played and the Dutch national team, but he never managed to surpass his idol, Johan Cruyff, who remains a truly remarkable player that had a large participation in changing soccer to what it is today.