John Bosman

Johannes "John" Jacobus Bosman (born 1 February 1965) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward. Over a 19-year career, he was a prolific scorer for both club and country, notably surpassing 100 goals each during two separate five-season stints with Ajax and Anderlecht. Nicknamed Bossie, he helped the Netherlands win Euro 1988 and was part of their 1994 World Cup squad.

Bosman made his Eredivisie debut for Ajax on 20 November 1983 at age 18, scoring in a 5–2 home win over Roda JC, and finished his first season with four goals in 14 games. From 1984 to 1987, he and fellow youth product Marco van Basten combined for 138 league goals (48 for Bosman), as Ajax won the 1985 league title and two KNVB Cups. After van Basten left for AC Milan in summer 1987, Bosman scored 25 goals in 32 league games as Ajax finished second to PSV Eindhoven; he also helped the club reach the 1988 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, losing 1–0 to Mechelen, having been the competition's top scorer the previous year when Ajax won it.

Bosman joined Mechelen in the 1988 off-season, reuniting with former Ajax manager Aad de Mos. He scored twice against PSV in a 3–0 home win in the first leg of the 1988 European Super Cup (a 3–1 aggregate victory). He netted in double digits in both seasons there, including 18 goals in his first as Mechelen won the Belgian league after a 41-year wait.

After one year back in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven—where he replaced Wim Kieft and served mainly as a target man for Romário but felt uncomfortable and faced competition from youngster Twan Scheepers—Bosman returned to Belgium to join Anderlecht. There he reunited with former Mechelen teammates Graeme Rutjes and Bruno Versavel (and later de Mos), earning the nickname "The Giraffe." Under new manager Johan Boskamp in 1996, he was relegated to the bench, but he contributed solidly to three consecutive league titles and the 1993–94 Belgian Cup, with his lowest league output being six goals in 1994–95.

At age 31, Bosman returned to the Netherlands with Twente, scoring 20 goals in his first season as the club finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup. He remained a regular for the rest of his spell there. He then played three more years with AZ as a free agent, finishing his professional career at 37 with totals of 522 league games and 241 goals. After a brief stint with amateurs Amsterdam FC, he retired and later worked as a striker coach for Ajax.

Bosman made his international debut on 14 May 1986 in a 3–1 friendly loss in West Germany, earning 30 caps. Selected by Rinus Michels for Euro 1988, he started as the top scorer in qualifying but lost his place after a 1–0 group-stage loss to the Soviet Union; his former Ajax teammate van Basten took over and became the tournament's top scorer as the Netherlands won. Bosman was also chosen for the 1994 World Cup squad after Ruud Gullit refused to play, but he did not appear in any matches.

Bosman scored nine of his 17 international goals against Cyprus across three matches. In a Euro 1988 qualifier on 28 October 1987 in Rotterdam, a homemade bomb or firework exploded near Cypriot goalkeeper Andreas Charitou early in the game. Charitou was stretchered off, and the Cypriot players left the field in protest, refusing to continue. Under pressure from the Dutch side, Luxembourg referee Roger Philippi decided the match could proceed.

It ended 8–0, with Bosman setting a national-team record of five goals, but UEFA declared the match invalid and awarded Cyprus a 3–0 victory, giving Greece a chance to qualify. The Dutch appealed, risking exclusion, and Dr. Greep stated Charitou was not actually injured, leading to a replay in Amsterdam. On 9 December 1987, the Netherlands won 4–0, and Bosman scored a hat-trick to send his team to the finals in West Germany. Greece protested the decision, accusing UEFA's West German chairman of favoring the Dutch for larger crowds, and subsequently moved their last group match to a small stadium in Rhodes and fielded a weakened team; the Netherlands also won that game 3–0. The bomb was hidden in a tennis ball, and the thrower, 21-year-old John Staal from Oss, was arrested immediately.

In October 2001, Bosman's five-year-old son Devin died in a traffic accident.

Bosman's club honors include the Eredivisie (1984–85), KNVB Cup (1985–86, 1986–87), and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1986–87) with Ajax; the Belgian First Division (1988–89) and UEFA Super Cup (1988) with Mechelen; the Eredivisie (1990–91) with PSV; and the Belgian First Division (1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95), Belgian Cup (1993–94), and Belgian Super Cup (1993, 1995) with Anderlecht. With the Netherlands, he won the UEFA European Championship in 1988.