Marco van Basten/import

Marcel "Marco" van Basten (born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played for Ajax and A.C. Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team, in the 1980s and early 1990s. He is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and has scored 277 goals in a high-profile career, but played his last game in 1993 at the age of 28 due to an injury which caused his retirement two years later. He was later the head coach of Ajax and the Netherlands national team.
Playing for the Netherlands, Van Basten won Euro 1988 where he was the player of the tournament, scoring five goals, including a memorable volley in the final against the Soviet Union. At club level he won three Eredivisie titles and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup with Ajax, and three Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan.
Known for his strength on the ball, tactical awareness and spectacular strikes and volleys, Van Basten was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992, and European Footballer of the Year three times (1988, 1989 and 1992). In 1999, Van Basten was ranked sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, tenth in the European player of the Century election held by the IFFHS, and he was voted twelfth in the IFFHS' World Player of the Century election. He was also voted eighth in a poll organised by the French magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. In 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers at a FIFA awards ceremony. In 2004, a nationwide poll in the Netherlands was held for the 100 greatest Dutch people (De Grootste Nederlander) and Van Basten was number 25, the second highest for a football player, behind Johan Cruyff. In 2007, Sky Sports ranked Van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short.
==External links==
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*Marco van Basten extensive profile at AC Milan Online
Category:1964 births
Category:Players
Category:Dutch footballers
Category:Netherlands international footballers
Category:AFC Ajax players
Category:A.C. Milan players
Category:Serie A footballers
Category:Eredivisie players
Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players
Category:UEFA Euro 1988 players
Category:UEFA Euro 1992 players
Category:UEFA European Championship-winning players
Category:AFC Ajax non-playing staff
Category:Dutch football managers
Category:Netherlands national football team managers
Category:2006 FIFA World Cup managers
Category:UEFA Euro 2008 managers
Category:AFC Ajax managers
Category:Eredivisie managers