Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Stephan Kluivert is a former Dutch international footballer player who used to feature prominently during the 1990s and 2000s. He played as a striker and is the all time leading goalscorer for the Dutch national team. Kluivert was named by Pele in March 2004 as one of the 125 greatest living footballers.

Patrick Kluivert’s father is from Suriname. He developed at the youth academy of Dutch powerhouse Ajax and made his debut for the first team on August 21,1990 against Feyenoord in the Dutch Supercup at the age of 22. He bloomed into a top class player during the 1994-1995 season and scored the winner in the UEFA Champions League final in 1995 against AC Milan after coming off the bench in the 85th minute.

In 1997 Patrick Kluivert was signed by AC Milan on a free transfer but he lasted only one season in Italy, scoring only 6 goals in 27 league appearances for Milan. He moved to FC Barcelona in 1998 and it was at Camp Nou that he reached worldwide acclaim. He scored 90 goals in 182 La Liga matches between 1998 and 2002. He won the Spanish league title in 1999.

Patrick Kluivert was released by Barcelona in the summer of 2004 and he signed for Premier League club Newcastle United. After one season, he moved back to Spain, this time to Valencia and subsequently played for Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven and French club Lille, retiring from football at Lille in 1998.

Patrick Kluivert made his international debut for the Netherlands in 1994 and went onto feature in 79 international matches for his nation, scoring 40 goals. He featured at the 1998 World Cup finals, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.

In July 2008 Patrick Kluivert was reported to have signed for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar as a member of the backroom coaching staff.