| NETHERLANDS | |
| 1982-1993 | |
| Ajax Amsterdam (1982-1987) AC Milan (1987-1993) | |
His career was cut short by injuries, but what a career it was! Van Basten had an incredible goals-to-games ratio for both club and country. He found the net 218 times in 280 league appearances in both the Netherlands and Italy, and he scored 24 times in 58 appearances for the national team. In all, he scored 301 goals in 428 total appearances for club and country.
His main attribute was his strength on the ball, which allowed him to score in crowded areas. Indeed, he was so big and strong that he seemed to invite hard challenges from defenders, leading to his career-ending injury. Despite his size and strength, he was extremely agile and skilled, capable of scoring off bicycle kicks and overhead kicks. He was also known for his thunderous shot, which allowed him to score from distance as well.
He won three Eredivisie titles, three Dutch Cups, and one UEFA Cup during his time at Ajax, and added three Serie A titles, three Italian Supercups, and back-to-back European Cups (1988 and 1989). Along the way, he racked up a slew of individual honors, including the Golden Boot for the 1985-1986 season when he scored 37 goals in 26 league appearances for Ajax. He won the Ballon d’Or three times (1988, 1989, 1992), World Soccer Player of the Year twice (1988, 1992), FIFA World Player of the Year once (1992), and UEFA Player of the Year three times (1989, 1990, 1992). More amazingly, he led the Eredivisie in scoring every single season he played at Ajax, except for his rookie season, and was the top scorer in Serie A twice (1989-1990, 1991-1992).
He won Euro 88, scoring 5 goals, including a hat trick against England and their legendary goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the group stage. He also led the Netherlands to the semi-finals of Euro 1992, where they lost to Denmark in a shootout. Van Basten only played in one World Cup, which was in 1990. His Netherlands team lost to eventual champions West Germany in the Round of 16.
Van Basten eventually retired because of a serious ankle injury. His career may have been cut short, but his brilliance was unquestionable.
