Ronald de Boer

Ronaldus de Boer (born 15 May 1970) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a right or attacking midfielder, or as a right winger. He represented the Netherlands national team and several European clubs. He is the twin brother of Frank de Boer, and his greatest achievements came during his time at Ajax. He currently works as an assistant manager for Ajax’s A1 youth team.

De Boer began his youth career at De Zouaven in Lutjebroek before joining Ajax’s youth setup in 1983. At the professional level, he played for Ajax (1988–91 and 1993–99), Twente (1991–93), Barcelona (1999–2000), Rangers (2000–04), Al-Rayyan (2004–05), and Al-Shamal (2005–08). At both Qatari clubs, he was reunited with his brother Frank, his teammate at Ajax, Barcelona, and Rangers.

During his first Ajax spell, he won the Eredivisie title in 1989–90 under Leo Beenhakker. After two seasons at Twente, he returned to Ajax under Louis van Gaal, where he enjoyed his most successful period, winning three straight Eredivisie titles (1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96). He also won the 1995 UEFA Champions League, the 1995 Intercontinental Cup, and the 1995 UEFA Super Cup. He was a runner-up in the 1996 Champions League final, which Ajax lost to Juventus on penalties. After Van Gaal left for Barcelona in July 1997, Morten Olsen took over, and De Boer won a fifth Eredivisie title in 1997–98, along with the KNVB Cup that same season.

Controversy arose early in the 1998–99 season when Ronald and Frank signed a six-year contract extension with Ajax. They later took successful legal action to void the deal. Ajax had verbally agreed that if a lucrative offer came for one brother, he could leave provided the other stayed. However, after floating the club on the stock market, Ajax reportedly backed out of that promise, pledging to shareholders to keep both De Boers and build a team around them to win the Champions League again. This led to growing conflict between the twins and Ajax’s hierarchy, poor results, and Olsen’s dismissal. In January 1999, both brothers signed for Barcelona for £22 million, reuniting with Van Gaal.

Despite his strong form at Ajax and for the Netherlands through the 1998 World Cup, De Boer’s move to Barcelona marked a downturn. He played only 33 La Liga games and scored just one league goal. In the 2000–01 season, he joined Rangers under Dick Advocaat, alongside fellow Dutch internationals Bert Konterman, Arthur Numan, Fernando Ricksen, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. He debuted in a Scottish League Cup tie against Aberdeen on 6 September 2000 and scored his first goal in a Champions League match against Sturm Graz. He won no silverware in his first season, but in 2001–02 Rangers won the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup (De Boer missed the League Cup final through injury). The following season, 2002–03, he helped Rangers win a domestic treble. He spent four seasons at the club before moving to Al-Rayyan after 2003–04.

De Boer recovered from neck surgery and decided not to play in Al-Shamal’s final two games of the 2006–07 season. On 19 March 2008, he canceled his contract with Al-Shamal and retired.

De Boer earned 67 caps and scored 13 goals for the Netherlands. He played at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, appearing in six matches and scoring two goals. He missed a penalty in the shootout against Brazil in the 1998 semi-finals. He also played at Euro 1996 and Euro 2000. For the national team, he was used as a right-half, centre forward, or attacking midfielder. Early in his Ajax career, he played as a centre forward or attacking midfielder, later shifting to right midfield. He was never the official captain of Ajax or the national team but wore the armband on several occasions when the first-choice captain—often his brother Frank—was absent.

De Boer is currently the assistant manager of Ajax A1. He appeared on the cover of the international edition of EA Sports’ FIFA 96, alongside Jason McAteer.