Richard Witschge
Encyclopedia
Richard Peter Witschge (ˈriʃɑrt ˈʋɪtsχə; born 20 September 1969 in Amsterdam
, Noord-Holland) is a retired Dutch
footballer. He could appear as either a left
or a defensive midfielder.
In an 18-year professional career, he played mainly for Ajax, but also represented, amongst other teams, Barcelona
. His older brother, Rob
, was also a footballer.
Witschge represented Holland
in one
World Cup
and one European Championship
.
on 26 October 1986, at only 17, and scored his first league goal fairly a year after. His older brother Rob
was already playing there.
After being established in the first team, Witschge joined Johan Cruyff
's FC Barcelona
, being fairly played as the Catalonia
ns won back-to-back La Liga
championships. He made his debut in the competition on 14 September 1991, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home win against Real Zaragoza
.
Subsequently, Witschge represented FC Girondins de Bordeaux
, Blackburn Rovers
(on loan from March 1995, he played once against West Ham United
, as his team won the Premier League), Ajax (in his second spell with his main club, he added more than 150 official appearances, helping the club to two leagues and back-to-back domestic cups
; additionally, he was loaned to Spanish top flight outfit Deportivo Alavés
in 2001–02), amateurs AD0' 20 Heemskerk and Oita Trinita
from Japan
, retiring in 2004.
, in which he scored one goal. He made his debut on 21 February 1990, in a friendly
against Italy
(0–0), and was picked for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
in Italy
, under manager Leo Beenhakker
.
However, an injury playing for Barcelona ruled him out of UEFA Euro 1992 and he did not make another major tournament until Euro 1996, held in England
. During this time his place in the national team was taken by his older brother.
|1986/87||rowspan="5"|Ajax||rowspan="5"|Eredivisie
||2||0
|-
|1987/88||10||1
|-
|1988/89||14||0
|-
|1989/90||28||2
|-
|1990/91||33||0
|-
|1991/92||rowspan="2"|Barcelona
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
||23||0
|-
|1992/93||17||2
|-
|1993/94||Bordeaux
||Ligue 1
||27||1
|-
|1994/95||Blackburn Rovers
||Premier League||1||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="2"|Bordeaux
||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1
||17||1
|-
|1995/96||33||7
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="5"|Ajax||rowspan="5"|Eredivisie
||21||3
|-
|1997/98||29||2
|-
|1998/99||32||2
|-
|1999/00||20||2
|-
|2000/01||15||2
|-
|2001/02||Alavés
||La Liga
||26||1
|-
|2002/03||Ajax||Eredivisie
||22||1
|-
|2003/04||Den Haag
||Eredivisie
||0||0
|-
|2004||Oita Trinita
||J. League 1||9||0
226||15
66||3
77||9
1||0
9||0
379||27
|}
|1990||11||0
|-
|1991||6||1
|-
|1992||2||0
|-
|1993||0||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||3||0
|-
|1996||7||0
|-
|1997||1||0
|-
|1998||0||0
|-
|1999||0||0
|-
|2000||1||0
|-
!Total||31||1
|}
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Noord-Holland) is a retired Dutch
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. He could appear as either a left
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...
or a defensive midfielder.
In an 18-year professional career, he played mainly for Ajax, but also represented, amongst other teams, Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. His older brother, Rob
Rob Witschge
Robert "Rob" Witschge is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a midfielder. His younger brother, Richard, was also a footballer and a midfielder....
, was also a footballer.
Witschge represented Holland
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...
in one
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and one European Championship
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...
.
Club career
A product of local AFC Ajax's prolific youth ranks, Witschge first appeared in the EredivisieEredivisie
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....
on 26 October 1986, at only 17, and scored his first league goal fairly a year after. His older brother Rob
Rob Witschge
Robert "Rob" Witschge is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a midfielder. His younger brother, Richard, was also a footballer and a midfielder....
was already playing there.
After being established in the first team, Witschge joined Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
's 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....
, being fairly played as the Catalonia
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...
ns won 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...
championships. He made his debut in the competition on 14 September 1991, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home win against Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
.
Subsequently, Witschge represented FC Girondins de Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
, Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
(on loan from March 1995, he played once against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, as his team won the Premier League), Ajax (in his second spell with his main club, he added more than 150 official appearances, helping the club to two leagues and back-to-back domestic cups
KNVB Cup
The 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...
; additionally, he was loaned to Spanish top flight outfit Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
in 2001–02), amateurs AD0' 20 Heemskerk and Oita Trinita
Oita Trinita
is a J. League Division 2 team. The team name Trinita can be considered either a combination of the English word trinity and Ōita, or the Italian word trinità. The dual meaning expresses the will of the citizens, companies, and local governments to support the team.The team's home town is Ōita...
from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, retiring in 2004.
International career
Witschge earned 31 caps for the Netherlands national football 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...
, in which he scored one goal. He made his debut on 21 February 1990, in a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
(0–0), and was picked for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, under manager Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
.
However, an injury playing for Barcelona ruled him out of UEFA Euro 1992 and he did not make another major tournament until Euro 1996, held in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. During this time his place in the national team was taken by his older brother.
Club
|-|1986/87||rowspan="5"|Ajax||rowspan="5"|Eredivisie
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....
||2||0
|-
|1987/88||10||1
|-
|1988/89||14||0
|-
|1989/90||28||2
|-
|1990/91||33||0
|-
|1991/92||rowspan="2"|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="2"|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...
||23||0
|-
|1992/93||17||2
|-
|1993/94||Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
||Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||27||1
|-
|1994/95||Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||Premier League||1||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="2"|Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||17||1
|-
|1995/96||33||7
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="5"|Ajax||rowspan="5"|Eredivisie
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....
||21||3
|-
|1997/98||29||2
|-
|1998/99||32||2
|-
|1999/00||20||2
|-
|2000/01||15||2
|-
|2001/02||Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
||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...
||26||1
|-
|2002/03||Ajax||Eredivisie
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....
||22||1
|-
|2003/04||Den Haag
ADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
||Eredivisie
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....
||0||0
|-
|2004||Oita Trinita
Oita Trinita
is a J. League Division 2 team. The team name Trinita can be considered either a combination of the English word trinity and Ōita, or the Italian word trinità. The dual meaning expresses the will of the citizens, companies, and local governments to support the team.The team's home town is Ōita...
||J. League 1||9||0
226||15
66||3
77||9
1||0
9||0
379||27
|}
International
|-|1990||11||0
|-
|1991||6||1
|-
|1992||2||0
|-
|1993||0||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||3||0
|-
|1996||7||0
|-
|1997||1||0
|-
|1998||0||0
|-
|1999||0||0
|-
|2000||1||0
|-
!Total||31||1
|}
Honours
- European CupUEFA 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...
: 1991–92 - UEFA Super Cup: 19921992 UEFA Super CupThe 1992 UEFA Super Cup was played between FC Barcelona and Werder Bremen, with Barcelona winning 3–2 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:-External links:* * and - articles from newspapers "El Mundo Deportivo"...
- UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
: 1986–87; Runner-up 1987–88 - 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....
: 1995–96, 1997–98 - 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...
: 1985–86, 1986–87, 1997–98, 1998–99 - Dutch Supercup: 2002
- 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...
: 1991–92, 1992–93 - UEFA Cup: Runner-up 1995–96