Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Kluivert

Personal information
Full name	Patrick Steven Kluivert
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	PSV Eindhoven
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 September 2006

Patrick Steven Kluivert (born July 1, 1976 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch international football striker of Surinamese descent. He currently plays for PSV Eindhoven for whom he signed a one-year deal.

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. Interestingly, he was born on the same day as fellow countryman and FIFA 100 member Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Ajax

Kluivert joined the renowned Ajax youth academy after he was spotted playing for Schellingwoude, a football club in the northern suburbs of Amsterdam. He made his debut in the senior team of Ajax on August 21, 1994 at the age of 18 in the Dutch Supercup win against arch rivals Feyenoord in which he scored his first goal. He went on to make his mark in Europe scoring an 85th minute winner in the 1994/95 Champions League Final against AC Milan in Vienna. Kluivert also helped Ajax win several other pieces of silverware (see below) before leaving for AC Milan on a Bosman transfer in 1997.

A.C. Milan

His career at A.C. Milan started well when he scored a sensational goal against Juventus in a friendly match. However at this time Kluivert's personal life began to cause problems: He was charged with manslaughter following his involvement in a fatal car accident, to which he received community service and a driving ban. He was also charged with rape on a separate occasion, but he was to be later acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Barcelona

After scoring only six goals in Italy he left for FC Barcelona where he was reunited with Louis Van Gaal, a mentor from his days at Ajax. Kluivert formed a successful partnership with Rivaldo which enabled Barça to defend the Spanish La Liga in 1998/99. He was released from Barça in the summer of 2004.

Newcastle United

He joined Newcastle United on 21 July 2004 to team up with Alan Shearer. However, Kluivert decided not to take up the second year on his contract so he could return to Spain, and he was released, even though he scored 13 goals in all competitions. Kluivert started off brightly in the Premier League, but, due to constant knee injuries, failed to impress in the second part of the season.

Valencia

He decided to return to Spain to play for Valencia CF. Reportedly, the club included a special clause in his contract that allowed for Kluivert to be sacked if he lacked discipline off the pitch. Kluivert was given permisson to look for a new club in July 2006 after just one season and 202 minutes played, as he spent most of the season injured.

PSV

Kluivert returned to the Eredivisie, signing a one-year deal with PSV Eindhoven in 2006. He made his debut against Feyenoord (2-1 win) as a sub. Since then, he has had two injuries during the first half of the season, which meant he hasn't played a full match for PSV yet.

Dutch National Team

Kluivert's international career has perhaps not gone as well as he would have liked. He missed most of Euro 96 with a knee injury. During the final group game, from a Dennis Bergkamp assist, he did score against England which enabled the Netherlands to qualify for the knockout round over Scotland on goal difference. There, they lost in a penalty shootout to France.

At the 1998 FIFA World Cup he was sent off against Belgium by referee Pierluigi Collina after elbowing an opponent. He made amends when selected to play against Argentina in the quarter-finals of the same tournament where he scored the opening goal. He also impressed in later matches, scoring a late equalizing goal from a header to draw his team level with Brazil in the semi-final, though the latter prevailed in the penalty shootout.

At Euro 2000, Kluivert scored a hat trick in the quarterfinals against Yugoslavia. He missed a penalty in the semi-final loss to Italy but he still wound up as joint top scorer of the tournament, with Savo Milošević who both got 5 goals.

During Euro 2004, Kluivert didn't play a single minute, while his team reached the semi-finals again.

Kluivert was left out of the 2006 World Cup squad by coach Marco van Basten. In fact, Kluivert was not called up to play in any of the qualifying games leading up to the World Cup. This was partly due to the fact that he suffered persistent injuries which prevented him from playing for his club during the 05-06 season.

The international career of Patrick Kluivert seems all but over now that Marco van Basten will continue to be the national team coach until Euro 2008. Kluivert is currently the all-time leading goalscorer for the Dutch national team with 40 goals (as of 2006).

Statistics

Career Stats

Club	Season	Appearances (Domestic)	Goals (Domestic	Appearances (Europe)	Goals (Europe)
Ajax	1994/95	25	18	10	2
Ajax	1995/96	28	15	8	5
Ajax	1996/97	17	6	4	2
AC Milan	1997/98	27	6	-	-
FC Barcelona	1998/99	35	15	-	-
FC Barcelona	1999/00	26	19	14	7
FC Barcelona	2000/01	31	17	12	5
FC Barcelona	2001/02	33	18	16	7
FC Barcelona	2002/03	36	17	15	5
FC Barcelona	2003/04	22	8	3	2
Newcastle United	2004/05	25	6	6	5
Valencia	2005/06	10	1	1	1
PSV Eindhoven	2006/07	5	1

Honours

Ajax

• Dutch Supercup 1994, 1995
• Dutch Championships 1994/95, 1995/96
• UEFA Champions League Winner 1994/95
• European Super Cup 1995
• Intercontinental Cup 1995

FC Barcelona

• Spanish First Division Champion 1998/99

Netherlands

• Euro 2000 - Joint top scorer
• All-time leading goal scorer (40 goals as of May 1, 2004)

External links

• Patrick Kluivert.com
• FootballDatabase provides Patrick Kluivert's profile and stats
• Patrick Kluivert Official Personal Website at icons.com