Patrick Kluivert is widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers of his generation. The Dutch wizard was the Netherlands all time top goal scorer for ten years and came fifth place in the Ballon d’Or in 1995, meaning that he truly was one of the best players in the world throughout the late 90’s. From a team perspective the footballing genius won the Dutch Eredivisie twice and the Champions League once with Ajax, then went on to win La Liga with European giant Barcelona. Outside of his glittering playing career, Kluivert has acted as former director of La Masia academy at FC Barcelona and former director of football for Paris Saint-Germain in France.
The talent was part of Ajax’s superb Golden Generation of the 1990s at the tender age of 18, even scoring the winner in the 1995 UEFA Champions League Final. Competing at such a high level at such a young age meant that the super clubs of Europe started to take notice. Kluivert went on to spend six years with footballing institution – Barcelona, where he formed a lethal partnership with Ballon d’Or winner Rivaldo. He won the Spanish La Liga Championship in 1999 and Kluivert scored 124 goals from 249 appearances in all of his games for the Catalan giants. Kluivert played for the Netherlands from 1994-2004. With 40 goals in 79 appearances, he is considered to be a national team hero.
Perched on his rightful place at the top of the footballing pyramid, Kluivert is a household name. His likeable personality has meant that he is still in high demand, whether this on TV or in the world of football.