When a player finishes his football career at the prime age of 28 and is still widely considered to be one of the greatest of all time, it goes on to show so many things about that individual. The extraordinary quality that the player possessed during his playing days, and the unfortunately question of how much bigger his legacy could've been if not for his retirement at such a young age. This article will be looking at the career of Marco van Basten, one of the greatest ever strikers football has ever seen.
Van Basten was simply one of the best in the world during his time, and his individual accolades are a testament to that. The player had been named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992 and also won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1988, 1989 and 1992.
His achievements at the international level were sensational as well, leading Holland to a historic UEFA Euro 1988 victory. Van Basten won the Golden Boot as well for the tournament, scoring five goals, including a memorable volley in the final against the Soviet Union.
Let us now look at his legendary club career, and how he unfortunately had to bid farewell to the game at age 28.
A magnificent stint at Ajax
After playing for the likes of EDO, Utrecht, and Elinkwijk during his youth career, Marco Van Basten signed for his first professional club in Ajax at the age of 16. At this same time, the club had rejected the chance to sign his 19 year old brother Stanley as well. Van Basten made his debut 3 April 1982, coming on as a substitute for the legendary Johan Cruyff, and scoring a debut goal in the team's 5–0 victory over NEC.
The 1982-83 season saw him competing with European top scorer and first choice Holland international Wim Kieft for the position of center forward. Van Basten ended up scoring 9 goals in 20 league games that season. Ajax decided to Sell Kieft the following season to Italian club Pisa. This made Marco Van Basten the main striker at both Ajax and the Holland national team.
The events that followed saw the birth of Europe's finest striker at the time, as Van Basten was the top scorer in the league for four consecutive seasons. From 1983–84 to 1986–87, he scored a sensational 118 goals in 112 matches.
Van Basten was simply unstoppable especially in the 1985–86 season, which saw him score 37 goals in 26 league matches and earn the European Golden Boot. His goalscoring exploits also were instrumental in Ajax winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, with Van Basten scoring the winner against Lokomotive Leipzig in the 1987 final.
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Establishing an even bigger legacy at Milan
After a 7 year stint at Ajax that saw him win 3 League titles and a European Cup Winners' Cup, Marco van Basten was signed by AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi along with countryman Ruud Gullit in 1987. The year that followed saw the signing of Frank Rijkaard, saw the Dutch trio reunite at club level. Even though Milan won the league in his first season, Van Basten's first year at the club was overshadowed by injuries and he only played in 11 matches.
The 1988-89 season saw the best of him, As he scored 19 goals in Serie A and 32 goals in all competitions that year, including two goals in the final of the European Cup, as Milan beat Steaua București to become the Champions of Europe. Van Basten also won the Ballon d'Or that season.
History repeated again the following season, with Van Basten's goal scoring exploits seeing him finish the season as league top scorer and Milan reclaiming their European title after a 1-0 win against Benfica in the final. It was Van Basten who provided the assist for Rijkaard's match-winning goal.
Milan struggled in the 1990–91 season, with Van Basten also falling out with then coach Arrigo Sacchi. This resulted in Milan president Berlusconi sacking the manager and replacing him with Fabio Capello. Milan were back to winning ways after this, as they claimed the Scudetto in dominant fashion by remaining undefeated that season. Van Basten scored 25 league goals, and was the top scorer of that season.
Van Basten's legacy in football grew even further over the months, with the player being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992 and winning his 3rd Ballon d'Or as well.
Just when everything was going well for the player and it seemed like he was destined to achieve bigger things, then came the sad downfall.
The injury that ended a legendary career
Marc Van Basten had a troublesome ankle injury that recurred in a game against Ancona, forcing him to miss another 6 months and have a series of surgeries. He later returned for the last few matches of the season, before Milan lost 1–0 to Marseille in the Champions League final. That was Van Basten's final appearance for the Italian club. A hard tackle from Basile Boli in that match saw Van Basten condemned to the third ankle surgery of his career.
Marco van Basten spent the whole 1993-94 season out of action, which saw Milan win both Serie A and the European Cup. He hoped to play in the 1994-95 season in the FIFA World as well. However, that was the end for his playing career. Marco van Basten had to admit defeat to his ankle issues, and announced his retirement as a player after two whole years on the sidelines.
Van Basten made a farewell appearance to thank the Milan fans before a home game at the San Siro, with an emotional Milan coach Fabio Capello breaking down in tears. It was the end of a legendary career that could've achieved so much more.
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