Michael Reiziger
Encyclopedia
Michael John Reiziger (ˈmɑjkəl ˈdʒɔn ˈrɛi̯zəɣər) (born 3 May 1973) is a retired Dutch
footballer who played mainly as a right defender.
After making a name for himself at Ajax, with whom he won one Champions League
, he went on to represent three teams in three different countries, namely appearing for FC Barcelona
, for which he played in more than 200 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.
, 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 UEFA 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. However, after another campaign dealing with several injuries, he left and returned to Holland, 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).
After retiring, Reiziger settled in Barcelona
.
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.
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.
|1990–91||rowspan="3"|Ajax||rowspan="3"|Dutch League
||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||Volendam
||Dutch League
||10||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||Groningen||Dutch League
||34||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95||rowspan="2"|Ajax||rowspan="2"|Dutch League
||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995–96||26||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996–97||Milan
||Italian League
||10||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="7"|Barcelona
||rowspan="7"|Spanish League
||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999–00||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01||25||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||21||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||30||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="2"|Middlesbrough
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||18||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||4||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="2"|PSV||rowspan="2"|Dutch League
||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006–07||12||1||||||||||||||||
132||10||||||||||||||||
10||0||||||||||||||||
173||0||||||||||||||||
22||1||||||||||||||||
337||11||||||||||||||||
|1994||1||0
|-
|1995||5||0
|-
|1996||9||0
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||11||1
|-
|1999||5||0
|-
|2000||8||0
|-
|2001||5||0
|-
|2002||6||0
|-
|2003||8||0
|-
|2004||7||0
|-
!Total||72||1
|}
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer who played mainly as a right defender.
After making a name for himself at Ajax, with whom he won one Champions League
1995 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1995 UEFA Champions League Final was the 40th edition and took place in Vienna between AFC Ajax and A.C. Milan. It was Milan's third European Cup final in three years and they were aiming to tie Real Madrid's record of having won the European Cup six times...
, he went on to represent three teams in three different countries, namely appearing for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, for which he played in more than 200 official games in seven years.
Reiziger played one full decade with the Dutch national team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, representing the nation in three European Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
and the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, finishing fourth in the latter tournament.
Club career
Born in AmstelveenAmstelveen
' is a suburban municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the following villages and/or districts: Amstelveen, Bovenkerk, Westwijk, Bankras-Kostverloren, Groenelaan, Waardhuizen,...
, North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
, 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
FC Volendam
Football Club Volendam is a Dutch football club based in Volendam, North Holland, Edam-Volendam. Founded on June 1, 1977, as a result of a split up with RKSV . It currently plays in the Eerste Divisie, holding home games at Kras Stadion, with a 6,260-seat capacity.-History:Football Club 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
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Upon his return to Ajax, Reiziger established himself as a renowned defensive element, helping the club to, among other conquests, the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. In 1996 he signed for A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, but after an injury-hit season he departed for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, where he spent the following seven years, arriving at the same time as countrymen and former Ajax boss Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
: almost never an undisputed starter, he did manage to feature heavily for the Catalans
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, amassing more than 200 overall appearances and helping the club to back-to-back La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
titles.
In 2004, Reiziger moved to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
on a Bosman transfer
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
. He scored once in the league for Boro, against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in December 2004. However, after another campaign dealing with several injuries, he left and returned to Holland, playing his final two years at PSV Eindhoven (in his second, he won the league
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
, and was also reunited with Ajax, Barça and national team mate Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Stephan Kluivert is a former Dutch footballer, currently head coach of the youth side of FC Twente. He played as a striker for AFC Ajax, A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC. Kluivert played for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2004. He...
, although the two rarely ever played).
After retiring, Reiziger settled in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
International career
Reiziger made his debut for the Dutch national teamNetherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
on 12 October 1994 against Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
. He played for his country at the UEFA Euro 1996, 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004, retiring from international play after the latter.
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.
Club
|-|1990–91||rowspan="3"|Ajax||rowspan="3"|Dutch League
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||Volendam
FC Volendam
Football Club Volendam is a Dutch football club based in Volendam, North Holland, Edam-Volendam. Founded on June 1, 1977, as a result of a split up with RKSV . It currently plays in the Eerste Divisie, holding home games at Kras Stadion, with a 6,260-seat capacity.-History:Football Club Volendam...
||Dutch League
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||10||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||Groningen||Dutch League
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||34||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95||rowspan="2"|Ajax||rowspan="2"|Dutch League
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995–96||26||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996–97||Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
||Italian League
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||10||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="7"|Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
||rowspan="7"|Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999–00||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01||25||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||21||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||30||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="2"|Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||18||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||4||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="2"|PSV||rowspan="2"|Dutch League
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006–07||12||1||||||||||||||||
132||10||||||||||||||||
10||0||||||||||||||||
173||0||||||||||||||||
22||1||||||||||||||||
337||11||||||||||||||||
National team
|-|1994||1||0
|-
|1995||5||0
|-
|1996||9||0
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||11||1
|-
|1999||5||0
|-
|2000||8||0
|-
|2001||5||0
|-
|2002||6||0
|-
|2003||8||0
|-
|2004||7||0
|-
!Total||72||1
|}
Ajax
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1994–95 - UEFA Super Cup: 19951995 UEFA Super CupThe 1995 UEFA Super Cup was contested between the UEFA Champions League holders AFC Ajax and the Cup Winners' Cup holders Real Zaragoza. The cup was played later than usual, the two legs taking place in February 1996. The first leg was draw 1–1 at the La Romareda stadium in Zaragoza. The...
- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1991–92 - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19951995 Intercontinental CupThe 1995 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on November 28, 1995 between Ajax, winners of the 1994-95 European Cup, and Grêmio, winners of the 1995 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo... - Dutch LeagueEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 1994–95, 1995–96 - Dutch CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
: 1992–93 - Dutch Supercup: 1994, 1995
Barcelona
- UEFA Super Cup: 19971997 UEFA Super CupThe 1997 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 8 January 1998 and 11 March 1998 between Borussia Dortmund of Germany, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Champions League and Barcelona of Spain, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup...
- Spanish LeagueLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1997–98, 1998–99 - Spanish CupCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1997–981997–98 Copa del ReyThe Copa del Rey 1997–98 is the 94th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on September 3, 1997 and concluded on April 29, 1998 with the Final, held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia.-1st Round:...
PSV
- Dutch LeagueEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 2005–06, 2006–07