Frank de Boer

Dutch defender and manager, third-most capped outfield player for the Netherlands, won four consecutive Eredivisie titles as Ajax manager.

Franciscus de Boer (born 15 May 1970) is a Dutch former professional footballer and current manager. A former defender, De Boer spent most of his playing career with Ajax, winning five Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups, three Super Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Champions League, and one Intercontinental Cup. He later spent five years at Barcelona, where he won the 1998–99 La Liga title, followed by short spells at Galatasaray, Rangers, Al-Rayyan and Al-Shamal before retiring. De Boer is the third-most capped outfield player in the history of the Netherlands national team, with 112 caps. He captained Oranje to the semi-finals of both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. He is the twin brother of Ronald de Boer, with whom he was a teammate at Ajax, Barcelona, Rangers, Al-Rayyan, Al-Shamal and the Netherlands national team.

Quick Facts

Full name: Franciscus de Boer
Born: 15 May 1970
Birthplace: Hoorn, Netherlands
Height: 1.79 m / 5 ft 10 in
Position: Centre-back, left-back
Total caps: 519
Total goals: 43

Lore & Background

De Boer grew up in Grootebroek and started playing football with his brother Ronald at local club De Zouaven, where his father Kees was their coach. He began his career as a left-back at Ajax before switching to centre-back. He won the 1991–92 UEFA Cup and 1994–95 UEFA Champions League while at Ajax. In January 1999, Frank and Ronald de Boer signed for Barcelona for £22 million. After winning the 1998–99 La Liga title, they were unable to repeat their earlier triumphs. De Boer briefly moved to Galatasaray in summer 2003 before joining his brother at Rangers in January 2004. He made a total of 17 appearances for Rangers, scoring two goals. The De Boer brothers left Rangers after UEFA Euro 2004 to play in Qatar with Al-Rayyan. De Boer announced his retirement in April 2006.

Reader's Guide

De Boer made his debut for the Netherlands in September 1990 against Italy. He played in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, and the 1992, 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships; he missed Euro 1996 due to injury. He is remembered for the 60-yard pass that set up Dennis Bergkamp's winning goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup quarter-final. During Euro 2000, he missed a penalty in the semi-final against Italy and another in the shootout, leading to elimination. On 29 March 2003, he became the first Dutch male footballer to gain 100 caps. He ended his international career after an injury forced him to be replaced in a quarter-final match with Sweden at Euro 2004. The injury ruled him out from the semi-final against Portugal, which the Netherlands lost 2–1.

Did You Know?

He won the Rinus Michels Award for manager of the year in the Netherlands in 2013 after leading Ajax to their third successive Eredivisie title.
De Boer became the first manager to win four consecutive Eredivisie titles with Ajax in 2014.
He tested positive for nandrolone while at Barcelona but was reinstated after a successful appeal.