Michael Reiziger

Michael Reiziger

Reiziger in 2013
Personal information
Full nameMichael John Reiziger
Date of birth3 May 1973
Place of birthAmstelveen, Netherlands
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing positionDefender
Youth career
Sint Martinus
1985–1990Ajax
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1990–1996Ajax83(1)
1992–1993→ Volendam (loan)10(2)
1993–1994→ Groningen (loan)34(6)
1996–1997Milan10(0)
1997–2004Barcelona173(0)
2004–2005Middlesbrough22(1)
2005–2007PSV24(1)
Total356(11)
National team
1994–2004Netherlands72(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Michael John Reiziger (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑi̯kəl ˈd͡ʒɔn ˈrɛi̯zəɣər], born 3 May 1973) is a retired Dutch footballer who played mainly as a right back.

After making a name for himself at Ajax, with whom he won one Champions League, he went on to represent four teams in four different countries, most notably Barcelona for which he played in 249 official games in seven years.

Reiziger played one full decade with the Dutch national team, representing the nation in three European Championships and the 1998 World Cup, finishing fourth in the latter tournament.

Club career

Born in Amstelveen, North Holland, Reiziger started his career with hometown's AFC Ajax, making his first-team debuts at the age of 17 then serving two consecutive loan spells, with FC Volendam and FC Groningen: with the latter, in the 1993–94 season, he scored a career-best six goals, while operating also as a midfielder.

Upon his return to Ajax, Reiziger established himself as a renowned defensive element, helping the club to, among other conquests, the 1994–95 Champions League. In 1996 he signed for A.C. Milan, but after an injury-hit season, he departed for FC Barcelona, where he spent the following seven years, arriving at the same time as countrymen and former Ajax boss Louis van Gaal: almost never an undisputed starter, he did manage to feature heavily for the Catalans, amassing more than 200 overall appearances and helping the club to back-to-back La Liga titles.

In 2004, Reiziger moved to Middlesbrough on a Bosman transfer. He scored once in the league for Boro, against Aston Villa in December 2004.[1] However, after another campaign dealing with several injuries, he left and returned to the Netherlands, playing his final two years at PSV Eindhoven (in his second, he won the league, and was also reunited with Ajax, Barça and national team mate Patrick Kluivert, although the two rarely ever played).[2]

After retiring, Reiziger settled in Barcelona. He later went on to coach Sparta Rotterdam at youth level.

International career

Reiziger made his debut for the Dutch national team on 12 October 1994 against Norway. He played for his country at the UEFA Euro 1996, 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004, retiring from international play after the latter.[3]

Shortly after he signed for PSV, Reiziger said he would consider playing for the Netherlands again if the opportunity arose, but he was never recalled again, totalling 72 internationals in ten years.[4]

International goal

Scores and results list Reiziger's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 18 November 1998 Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen, Germany  Germany 1–0 1–1 Friendly

Statistics

Club

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
1990–91AjaxEredivisie10
1991–9210
1992–9310
1992–93Volendam102
1993–94Groningen346
1994–95Ajax340
1995–96261
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1996–97MilanSerie A100
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa de España Europe Total
1997–98BarcelonaLa Liga290
1998–99260
1999–2000290
2000–01250
2001–02130
2002–03210
2003–04300
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2004–05MiddlesbroughPremier League181
2005–0640
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
2005–06PSVEredivisie130
2006–07121
Total Netherlands 13210
Italy 100
Spain 1730
England 221
Career total 33711

International

Netherlands
YearAppsGoals
199410
199550
199690
199770
1998111
199950
200080
200150
200260
200380
200470
Total721

Honours

Ajax

Barcelona

PSV

References

  1. ↑ "Middlesbrough 3–0 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 18 December 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  2. ↑ PSV release Kluivert and Reiziger; UEFA.com, 11 May 2007
  3. ↑ Reiziger retires from Dutch cause; UEFA.com, 2 August 2004
  4. ↑ "Michael Reiziger – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

External links