Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Stephan Kluivert (born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch football coach and former striker who played for Ajax, Barcelona, and the Netherlands national team.

He emerged from Ajax’s celebrated 1990s youth system and, at 18, scored the winning goal in the 1995 UEFA Champions League final. Over six seasons at Barcelona, he netted 124 goals in 249 appearances, formed a productive attacking partnership with Rivaldo, and won the 1999 La Liga title. For the Netherlands, he earned 79 caps and scored 40 goals between 1994 and 2004, making him the country’s fourth-highest all-time scorer. He appeared at three European Championships and the 1998 World Cup, and was joint top scorer at Euro 2000 with five goals. In 2004, Pelé named him to the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living footballers.

After retiring, Kluivert worked as an assistant coach at AZ, NEC, and Brisbane Roar, then managed Jong Twente to a Dutch reserves league title. He served as Louis van Gaal’s assistant when the Netherlands finished third at the 2014 World Cup. In 2015, he became head coach of the Curaçao national team, later held roles as sporting director at Paris Saint-Germain, coached Ajax’s under-19 side in 2016, and assisted Clarence Seedorf with Cameroon in 2018. After leaving Cameroon in July 2019, he became Barcelona’s academy director until briefly returning as Curaçao’s interim coach in May 2021. He managed Turkish club Adana Demirspor in 2023 and took charge of the Indonesia national team in 2025.

Kluivert was born on 1 July 1976 in Amsterdam. His father, Kenneth Kluivert, was a professional footballer from Suriname, and his mother was from Curaçao. He learned football on the street, spent a year at club Schellingwoude, and joined the Ajax Youth Academy at age seven. As a youth, he played several positions, including defender, and was praised for his technique, intelligence, and speed but considered too impulsive. He represented the Netherlands at under-15, under-16, and under-17 levels.

He debuted for Ajax’s senior team on 21 August 1994 in the Dutch Supercup against Feyenoord, scoring his first goal. In the 1994–95 season, he led the Eredivisie with 18 goals in 25 appearances as Louis van Gaal’s team won the league unbeaten. That same season, he came off the bench to score the 85th-minute winner in the 1995 Champions League final against AC Milan, becoming the youngest scorer in a final at 18 years, 10 months, and 23 days. He was Ajax’s top scorer again in 1995–96 with 15 goals in 28 appearances, as the club won five trophies, including the Eredivisie.

He scored the extra-time winner in the Dutch Supercup against Feyenoord and the away goal in the 5–1 aggregate win over Real Zaragoza in the 1995 UEFA Super Cup. In the 1995 Intercontinental Cup, he was the only Ajax player to miss his penalty in a 4–3 shootout win over Grêmio. He scored in away Champions League wins at Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund but missed most of the 1996 final against Juventus due to a knee injury. After an injury-hit 1996–97 season with only 17 league appearances, he left Ajax on a Bosman transfer to AC Milan, having scored 39 goals in 70 Eredivisie matches.

At Milan, he scored a notable goal against Juventus in the Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi but managed only six goals in 27 Serie A matches as the club finished tenth. On 28 August 1998, an hour before the transfer deadline, he signed for Barcelona for £8.75 million, reuniting with Van Gaal. He scored 16 league goals in 1998–99, partnering Rivaldo to help Barça defend the La Liga title. The next season, though Barcelona failed to win a third straight league title, Kluivert was the club’s top scorer with 15 league goals. He was top scorer twice more over the next four seasons, but the team went five years without a major trophy after 1999. In summer 2004, he was one of four Dutch players released by Barcelona, leaving with 124 goals in 249 appearances.

He joined Newcastle United on a free transfer in July 2004, citing the overwhelming fan reaction during a preseason friendly against Barcelona and the chance to play alongside stars like Alan Shearer. He scored important goals, including winners against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.