Patrick Kluivert

The striker who scored 40 goals in 79 appearances for the Netherlands, joint top scorer at Euro 2000.

Patrick Kluivert played for the Netherlands national team from 1994 to 2004. With 40 goals in 79 appearances, he is the fourth highest goalscorer for the Oranje. He played in three European Championships and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and was joint top scorer at Euro 2000, where he scored five goals. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary observances.

Quick Facts

Full name: Patrick Stephan Kluivert
Born: 1 July 1976
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height: 1.91 m / 6 ft 3 in
Position: Striker
Total caps: 343
Total goals: 149

Lore & Background

Kluivert made his full international debut on 16 November 1994 in a European qualifier against the Czech Republic, replacing Youri Mulder after 13 minutes of a 0–0 draw in Rotterdam. In his second match, on 29 March 1995, he replaced Ronald de Boer after 77 minutes, and seven minutes later scored his first international goal to wrap up a 4–0 home qualifying win over Malta. In December 1995, Kluivert scored both goals in the Netherlands' 2–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying play-off win over the Republic of Ireland at Anfield, to qualify the Oranje for UEFA Euro 1996. Kluivert missed most of the tournament with a knee injury, but he scored against the host nation England, enabling the Netherlands to qualify for the knock-out round over Scotland on goals scored. There, they lost in a penalty shootout to France after a 0–0 draw.

Reader's Guide

He made his debut on 16 November 1994 against the Czech Republic. He scored 40 goals in 79 appearances, making him the fourth highest goalscorer for the Oranje. He played in three European Championships (1996, 2000, 2004) and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. At Euro 2000, he was joint top scorer with five goals, including a hat-trick against Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals. He was sent off against Belgium at the 1998 World Cup, but scored against Argentina in the quarter-finals and equalised against Brazil in the semi-final. He was named in the FIFA 100 in 2004. Kluivert was not called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup squad by coach Marco van Basten, partly due to persistent injuries during the 2005–06 season.

Did You Know?

He was joint top scorer at Euro 2000 with five goals, sharing the Golden Boot with Savo Milošević.
He was sent off against Belgium at the 1998 FIFA World Cup by referee Pierluigi Collina for elbowing Lorenzo Staelens.