Frank Rijkaard

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Lore & Background

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 titles. He earned 73 caps for the Netherlands national team, winning UEFA Euro 1988 and finishing third at Euro 1992. He also played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. As a manager, he is best known for his five-year tenure at Barcelona, winning La Liga in 2004–05 and 2005–06, and the 2005–06 Champions League. He also managed the Netherlands national team, Sparta Rotterdam, Galatasaray, and the Saudi Arabia national team.

In Their Own Story

The bond between Rijkaard and Gullit was forged in the streets of Amsterdam Old West before they became global icons. At AC Milan, their partnership defined an era of Italian football, yet it was not without personal setbacks for the team. During the 1987–88 season, while Gullit and van Basten helped secure the Scudetto, Rijkaard missed out on that specific league title. The trio's success peaked with back-to-back European Cup victories. In the 1989 final, Milan dismantled Steaua București 4–0. Although injuries would later plague Gullit, affecting his role in future seasons, Rijkaard remained a key figure until the squad's dominance waned. The dynamic of the 'Dutch Three' was central to Milan's revival under Silvio Berlusconi, turning a stagnating club into European champions.

Reader's Guide

Rijkaard debuted for Ajax at age 17 in 1980. He won three Eredivisie titles and three Dutch Cups with Ajax, plus the 1986–87 Cup Winners' Cup. After a dispute with Johan Cruyff in 1987, he moved to Sporting CP but was loaned to Real Zaragoza, then joined AC Milan in 1988. At Milan, he won two European Cups and two Serie A titles. He returned to Ajax in 1993, winning two more Dutch titles and the 1994–95 Champions League. Internationally, he debuted in 1981, played as a centre-back at Euro 1988, and scored at Euro 1992. His final international match was the 1994 World Cup quarter-final against Brazil. He was involved in a spitting incident with Rudi Völler at the 1990 World Cup. As a manager, he led the Netherlands to the Euro 2000 semi-finals, then managed Sparta Rotterdam (relegated in 2001–02), Barcelona (two La Liga titles and a Champions League), and later Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia.

Did You Know?

• Rijkaard scored the only goal in the 1990 European Cup Final for AC Milan.
• He won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995, defeating his former club AC Milan.
• Rijkaard was nicknamed 'Llama' by the German press after spitting at Rudi Völler in the 1990 World Cup.
• He was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living footballers in 2004.