Marco van Basten facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marco van Basten

van Basten in 2006
Personal information
Date of birth	(1964-10-31) 31 October 1964 (age 59)
Place of birth	Utrecht, Netherlands
Height	1.88 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1970–1971	EDO
1971–1980	UVV
1980–1981	Elinkwijk
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1981–1987	Ajax	133	(128)
1987–1995	Milan	147	(91)
Total		281	(219)
National team
1981–1983	Netherlands U21	15	(13)
1983–1992	Netherlands	58	(24)
Teams managed
2003–2004	Jong Ajax (assistant)
2004–2008	Netherlands
2008–2009	Ajax
2012–2014	Heerenveen
2014	AZ
2014–2015	AZ (assistant)
2015–2016	Netherlands (assistant)
Honours Representing  Netherlands Men's football UEFA European Championship Winner 1988 West Germany Bronze 1992 Sweden
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Marcel "Marco" van Basten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑrkoː vɑm ˈbɑstə(n)]  ( listen); born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch former football manager and player who played for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, he scored 300 goals in a high-profile career, but played his last match in 1993, at the age of 28, due to an ankle injury which forced him to announce his retirement two years later. He was later the head coach of Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

Known for his close ball control, attacking intelligence, impeccable headers, and spectacular strikes and volleys, Van Basten was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992 and won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1988, 1989 and 1992. At club level, he won three Eredivisie titles and the Cup Winners' Cup with Ajax, and four Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan. With the Netherlands, Van Basten won UEFA Euro 1988 where he earned the Golden Boot, scoring five goals, including a memorable volley in the final against the Soviet Union, considered one of the best ever.

In 1998, Van Basten was ranked sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, tenth in the European player of the Century election held by the IFFHS and 12th in the IFFHS' World Player of the Century election. He was also voted eighth in a poll organised by the French magazine France Football, consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. In 2004, a poll for the 100 greatest Dutch people was held in the Netherlands: Van Basten ranked number 25, the second highest for a football player, behind Johan Cruyff. In 2007, Sky Sports ranked Van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short.

Playing career

Van Basten celebrates his goal for Ajax to give the team a 2–0 lead in an eventual 8–2 win against Feyenoord in September 1983, following Gerald Vanenburg's corner. Edo Ophof (Ajax), Felix Gasselich (Ajax), André Hoekstra (Feyenoord) and goalkeeper Joop Hiele (Feyenoord) are the other players in the picture. The average age of the Ajax team at the time was roughly 22+1⁄2 years.

Early years

Marco van Basten was born on 31 October 1964 in Utrecht and grew up in the Oog In Al neighborhood. He began playing for a local team, EDO, when he was six years old. A year later, he moved to UVV Utrecht. After nine years there, he briefly played for another club from Utrecht, Elinkwijk.

Ajax

Van Basten lifting the 1987 KNVB Cup for Ajax.

Ajax signed 16-year-old Marco for the 1981–82 season after his 19-year-old brother Stanley was rejected. Their father Joop had kept the younger son at another club with the hope that Ajax would take Stanley in professionally. He played his first match for Ajax on 3 April 1982, coming on as a substitute for Johan Cruyff, and scoring a debut goal in the team's 5–0 victory over NEC.

In the 1982–83 season, he competed with the European top scorer and first choice Holland international Wim Kieft for the position of centre forward, and scored nine goals in 20 league matches. Ajax chose to sell Kieft to Italian Serie A club Pisa the following season, and 18 year old Van Basten solidified his position as his team's main attacker similarly in the national team.

He was the top scorer in the league for four consecutive seasons, from 1983–84 to 1986–87, scoring 118 goals in 112 matches. In the 1985–86 season, he scored 37 goals in 26 league matches, including six goals against Sparta Rotterdam and five against Heracles Almelo, and won the European Golden Boot. He also scored the winning goal in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final against Lokomotive Leipzig in 1987. In total he scored 128 goals in 133 league matches for Ajax. In November 1986 he scored his most famous goal in an Ajax jersey, a spectacular overhead kick against FC Den Bosch.

AC Milan

Van Basten at AC Milan

In 1987, Milan president Silvio Berlusconi signed van Basten, along with fellow countryman Ruud Gullit. In 1988, the Dutch legion got completed when Frank Rijkaard joined the club (at the time only three non-Italians were allowed). In his first season, Milan won their first Scudetto in eight years, but van Basten played only 11 matches and was constantly troubled by an ankle injury. In 1988–89, Van Basten won the Ballon d'Or as Europe's top footballer. He scored 19 goals in Serie A and 32 goals in all competitions that year, including two goals in the final of the European Cup, as Milan triumphed against Steaua București. In 1989–90, he became Capocannoniere again (Serie A's leading goal scorer); Milan also successfully defended the European Cup after beating Benfica 1–0 in the final match, during which Van Basten provided the assist for Rijkaard's match-winning goal.

Milan struggled in the 1990–91 season, as Sampdoria won the Scudetto. After Van Basten fell out with Arrigo Sacchi, Berlusconi sacked the manager. Fabio Capello took over the following season, and Milan went undefeated in the league to win another Scudetto. Van Basten scored 25 league goals, and became Capocannoniere again; his tally from the 1991–92 season was the highest number of goals that a player had scored in a single Serie A season since Luís Vinício achieved the same tally during the 1965–66 season.

In November 1992, he became the first player to score four goals in a Champions League match, against IFK Göteborg, including a picture perfect bicycle kick. In December 1992, Van Basten was named FIFA World Player of the Year. Milan stretched their unbeaten run into the 1992–93 season, going 58 matches over two seasons before they lost a match. Van Basten was exceptional in the early part of the season. He was again voted the European player of the year, becoming the third player after Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini to win the award three times.

His troublesome ankle injury recurred in a game against Ancona, forcing him to endure another six-month layoff, and undergo a series of surgeries. He returned for the last few matches in the season, before Milan lost 1–0 to Marseille in the Champions League final. The match was Van Basten's final match for the Italian club. He came off in the 86th minute for Stefano Eranio, after a hard tackle behind from Basile Boli condemned Van Basten to the third ankle surgery of his career.

Van Basten had been hopeful of playing for his country at the 1994 World Cup as well as for his club in the 1994–95 season after spending the whole 1993–94 season out of action (missing Milan's victory in the European Cup as well as their Serie A title glory), but his club ordered him not to take part in the World Cup amid fear of ruining his rehabilitation. He finally conceded defeat in his battle to recover on 17 August 1995, when he announced his retirement as a player after two whole years on sidelines. Van Basten made a farewell appearance to thank the Milan fans before a home game at the San Siro, with an emotional Milan coach Fabio Capello breaking down in tears.

International career

Van Basten celebrates his hat-trick against England at Euro 88

Van Basten's talent was already noticed at a young age and he was called up for the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship. He made his senior debut for the Netherlands national team that same year. His team-mates in the national team were all teenagers themselves Ruud Gullit, Gerald Vanenburg, Ronald Koeman and Frank Rijkaard as Holland was desperate to reclaim the success of the Cruyff generation in the 1970s. At UEFA Euro 1988, Van Basten played a pivotal role in the Dutch team's victorious campaign. He scored a total of five goals, including a hat trick against England in the first round, the winning goal in the semi-final against West Germany, and a spectacular volley from an acute angle in the 2–0 final against the Soviet Union, during which he also provided the assist for Gullit's opening goal. He finished the competition as the top scorer and was named player of the tournament. He was also included in team of the tournament. In a 2002 UK poll Van Basten's volley against the Soviet Union was ranked #21 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

The Dutch national team exited the 1990 World Cup early, losing 2–1 to eventual champions West Germany in the second round. Van Basten never scored in the World Cup finals. At UEFA Euro 1992, the Netherlands defeated reigning World Champions Germany 3–1 in the first round to top their group and reach the semi-finals, where they shockingly lost to the eventual champions Denmark in a penalty shootout, with Peter Schmeichel saving a penalty shot from Van Basten. He was included in team of the tournament for the second time in 1992.

Player profile

Style of play

Regarded as one of the greatest and most complete strikers and players in the history of the sport, due to his prolific goalscoring and great skill set, Van Basten was dubbed the "Swan Of Utrecht" for his elegance and intelligent attacking play, and was known for his penchant for scoring acrobatic goals. His height and strength allowed him to excel in the air, and his technical ability and agility saw him execute spectacular strikes throughout his career, such as volleys and bicycle kicks. A fast and opportunistic striker with quick reactions and excellent movement, he often took advantage of loose balls in the penalty area due to his ability to anticipate defenders, and was capable of both controlling fast and difficult balls well with one touch, or even shooting first time. Possessing a powerful and accurate shot, and clinical, varied finishing from anywhere along the pitch, he was capable of scoring goals with either foot from inside or outside the penalty area, as well as with his head; he was also an accurate penalty kick and free-kick taker. Throughout his career, Van Basten converted 53 penalties out of the 57 he took, with a 93.0% success rate, the sixth highest in history, behind Ledio Pano (100%), Matthew Le Tissier (97.9%), Zico (97.8%), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (97.3%), and Ferenc Puskás (96.7%). Before taking penalties, Van Basten often used to perform a characteristic hop.

Although he was mainly known as a traditional attacker who operated in the penalty area as a centre-forward throughout his career, Van Basten also possessed excellent vision and distribution, in addition to his goalscoring ability, which enabled him to play in deeper, more creative positions, as a second striker, for example, and which allowed him to participate in the build-up of attacking plays and provide assists to his teammates in addition to scoring goals himself; one of his most notable assists was the one he provided to Frank Rijkaard for Milan's winning goal in the 1990 European Cup final against Benfica. Despite his large stature, Van Basten possessed excellent technical skills and ball control, as well as good balance and a notable elegance on the ball, which inspired his nickname. As such, his strong physique, combined with his close control, also enabled him to hold up the ball for teammates when playing with his back to goal.

Despite his ability, Van Basten's career was severely affected by many grave injuries, which eventually forced him to retire from football prematurely at the age of 28. Lack of protection from referees and inadequate football rules against rugged defending and tackles from behind were identified as the source of the injuries which ultimately led to his career's demise; consequently, Van Basten's early retirement due to his injuries led to widespread debate in the football world over whether rash challenges from behind should be rendered illegal in football, in order to protect talented players more effectively. During the 1994 World Cup, an automatic red was also shown for tackles from behind or with studs showing. In 1998, prior to the World Cup that year, FIFA completely outlawed the tackle from behind; this ruling came to be known colloquially as the "Van Basten law" in the media. Although Van Basten was known for often being on the receiving end of hard challenges from his opponents throughout his career, former referee Daniele Tombolini described Van Basten as a player who was known for his physical play himself, and who utilised his strength and committed a lot of fouls during matches.

Managerial career

Jong Ajax

Van Basten officially left Milan in 1995 and retired from football, stating he would never try management. However, he changed his mind and took a course with the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB). His first stint as a manager was as an assistant to his former teammate John van 't Schip with the second team of Ajax in 2003–04.

Netherlands

On 29 July 2004, Van Basten was named the new manager of the Netherlands national team, with Van 't Schip as his assistant. Van Basten's appointment as manager of the Netherlands sparked a little controversy at the time, since he only just started his managerial career and the media argued that he did not have a lot of experience yet.

Van Basten while manager of the Netherlands.

As a manager, he soon established himself as a man of strong principles. Van Basten famously dropped regulars like Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids and Roy Makaay and benched Mark van Bommel, because he believed that they were either past their prime or constantly underachieving. There were also calls for Van Basten to call up Dennis Bergkamp, who had retired from the national team six years earlier, for a final "hurrah," as he was retiring that season. Van Basten then revealed to the media that he never intended to do so, despite Bergkamp's own willingness.

For probably the first time in decades, none of the "Big Three" Clubs (Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord) provided the backbone for the national team. Instead, newcomer AZ led the way with players such as Denny Landzaat, Barry Opdam, Barry van Galen, Ron Vlaar, Jan Kromkamp and Joris Mathijsen. AZ, at the time a local small football club for Dutch standards, proved to be successful in the Dutch league and in the UEFA Cup. Other unheralded choices were Khalid Boulahrouz, Hedwiges Maduro, Ryan Babel and Romeo Castelen. Van Basten had also wanted to include Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou, but was thwarted when Kalou was denied Dutch citizenship by the immigration authorities headed by Dutch Minister of Integration Rita Verdonk. Kalou eventually accepted a call-up to play for Ivory Coast.

Under his guidance, the team were unbeaten in their World Cup qualification group and made it through the group stages at the 2006 World Cup, but were eliminated in a frenzied 1–0 loss to Portugal in the Round of 16. Van Basten was heavily criticised for dropping Ruud van Nistelrooy before this match, in favour of Dirk Kuyt, who did not score throughout the entire tournament.

Van Basten (left) with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar during training prior to Euro 2008.

In November 2006, Van Basten recalled exiled Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf for a friendly against England at the Amsterdam Arena. In May 2007, Van Basten announced the end of his long-running dispute with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had previously declared never to play for a Dutch national squad with Van Basten as its manager. Other players, such as Roy Makaay, Mark van Bommel, Boudewijn Zenden and Edgar Davids, however, remained out of favour.

Van Basten had a contract with the KNVB for managing the Dutch national side until 2008. The KNVB had expressed its wishes to extend his contract to include the World Cup qualification route to 2010 World Cup in South Africa. On 22 February 2008, Van Basten signed a four-year contract with Ajax, starting from 1 July. His last tournament thus was the UEFA Euro 2008, where the Netherlands surprised with a strong first round performance. They beat world champions Italy 3–0 in their first match, followed by a 4–1 win over World Cup runners-up France. In their third match, having already qualified for the next round, Van Basten selected non-regulars such as Maarten Stekelenburg, Wilfred Bouma and Ibrahim Afellay for the starting lineup against Romania, a match the Oranje won 2–0. In the quarter-finals, Van Basten faced fellow Dutchman Guus Hiddink's Russia. With the score at 1–1 after 90 minutes, Hiddink and Russia went on to win the match 3–1 in extra-time. He finished his reign with a record of 35 wins, 11 draws and six losses in 52 matches.

Return to Ajax

Van Basten became manager of Ajax after Euro 2008 but resigned on 6 May 2009 after his team failed to qualify for the Champions League. Van Basten started the season well, having spent millions on players such as Miralem Sulejmani, Ismaïl Aissati, Darío Cvitanich, Evander Sno, Eyong Enoh and Oleguer. However, in the second half of the season, striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar left for Real Madrid, and Van Basten started switching around his lineups. When Ajax lost 11 points in four matches, the Eredivisie title was out of sight. However, Ajax still had the chance to finish in second place, which would have ensured a place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Two important losses against PSV (6–2) and Sparta Rotterdam (4–0), however, ensured that Van Basten's Ajax could only finish third in the league. Van Basten decided to resign as Ajax manager at the end of the 2008–09 season. Van Basten subsequently became a pundit for Sport1, but was still planning to return as a manager. He finished his reign with a record of 26 wins, 8 draws and 11 losses in 45 matches.

Heerenveen

On 13 February 2012, it was announced that Van Basten would become the manager of Eredivisie club Heerenveen in the 2012–13 season. Van Basten led Heerenveen to an eighth-place finish in the 2012–13 year campaign. He then led them to a fifth-place finish the following season, during the 2013–14 campaign. He finished his reign with a record of 27 wins, 18 draws and 27 losses in 72 matches.

AZ

AZ Alkmaar announced on 18 April 2014 that Van Basten would replace Dick Advocaat at the start of the 2014–15 season. On 28 August 2014, Van Basten took a leave of absence for the following match against Dordrecht, with multiple Dutch news outlets reporting he was suffering of stress-related heart palpitations, and was replaced by assistant coaches Alex Pastoor and Dennis Haar. Later, on 3 September, AZ confirmed that Van Basten was given an extended leave of absence until 14 September. On 16 September 2014, parties agreed Van Basten would relinquish his role as manager in order to sign a new contract as assistant coach until 2016; this was motivated by Van Basten himself, who stated the stress caused by his full-time role as head coach was causing him physical and mental issues. He finished his stint with two wins and three losses in five matches.

FIFA technical director

Van Basten (middle) in Tehran, 2018

After a year at AZ, Van Basten decided to take up the vacant post of assistant coach under the new head coach of the Netherlands national team, Danny Blind. Van Basten would work together with fellow assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, whom Van Basten had initially sent away when he was head coach of the Netherlands. In August 2016, Van Basten announced he would be leaving the role to take up a position at FIFA as technical director.

In March 2018, Van Basten travelled to Iran with FIFA president Gianni Infantino to mark 100 years of the Iran Football Federation. After meeting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani they were welcomed by the president of Iranian Football Federation Mehdi Taj at the Tehran Olympic Hotel. Attending the Tehran Derby, Van Basten called for the ban on women entering sports venues to be lifted.

After retirement

Van Basten as FIFA technical director meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, July 2018

Van Basten played in the Demetrio Albertini testimonial match at the San Siro in March 2006, and headed in a goal before being substituted early in the first half. On 22 July 2006, he also returned for the testimonial match to celebrate the 11-year Arsenal career of Dennis Bergkamp, in what was the first match played at the new Emirates Stadium. He played in the second half for the Ajax legends team. He entered the match as part of a double substitution that also introduced Johan Cruyff. He took part in Tyskie's (a Polish beer company) advertising campaign with Luís Figo and Zbigniew Boniek.

Media and sponsorship

Van Basten features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, and was named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 14. Throughout his playing career, Van Basten was sponsored by Italian sportswear company Diadora. One of the most marketable players in the world, in the late 1980s Diadora launched his own personalized football boots, the San Siro Van Basten, earning him two million dollars over 5 years.

After his retirement from coaching, Van Basten became an analyst, and was described by ESPN in 2016 as a "rather cerebral" analyst who "ponders the problems of FIFA and suggests changes to the offside rule." On 23 November 2019, while Van Basten was working as an analyst for the Dutch edition of the Fox Sports network, he said "Sieg Heil" (meaning "Hail victory" in German), a verbal salutation associated with the Nazi salute, during a live broadcast. Van Basten stated that he believed his microphone was off when he made the remark, and that it was in response to his colleague Hans Kraay's interview with Heracles's German manager, Frank Wormuth, following the team's 4–1 loss to Ajax. Van Basten said: "It wasn't my intention to shock people, I apologise. I just wanted to make a comment about Hans' German. It was an ill-placed joke." His use of the term attracted particular controversy as it occurred on a weekend during which Dutch football clubs were observing a minute of silence prior to matches in protest against discrimination. Following the incident, the network described Van Basten's comment as "stupid and inappropriate," and suspended him until 7 December. Electronic Arts also announced that Van Basten's cards in FIFA Ultimate Team would no longer be available in FIFA 20 stating the company has "an expectation that our commitment to quality and diversity is upheld." However he has returned to FIFA 21.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each van Basten goal.

List of international goals scored by Marco van Basten

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	21 September 1983	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	Belgium	1–0	1–1	Friendly
2	12 October 1983	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland	Republic of Ireland	2–2	3–2	UEFA Euro 1984 qualification
3	27 February 1985	De Meer Stadion, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Cyprus	6–1	7–1	1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	12 March 1986	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, East Germany	East Germany	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	15 October 1986	Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualification
6	25 March 1987	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Greece	1–1	1–1	UEFA Euro 1988 qualification
7	15 June 1988	Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, West Germany	England	1–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 1988
8				2–1
9				3–1
10	21 June 1988	Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, West Germany	West Germany	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 1988
11	25 June 1988	Olympiastadion, Munich, West Germany	Soviet Union	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1988
12	22 March 1989	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Soviet Union	1–0	2–0	Friendly
13	26 April 1989	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	West Germany	1–1	1–1	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	30 May 1990	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	2–3	2–3	Friendly
15	3 June 1990	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Yugoslavia	Yugoslavia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
16	21 November 1990	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Greece	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1992 qualification
17	19 December 1990	National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Malta	1–0	8–0	UEFA Euro 1992 qualification
18				2–0
19				3–0
20				6–0
21				8–0
22	13 March 1991	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Malta	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1992 qualification
23	17 April 1991	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Finland	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1992 qualification
24	30 May 1992	Stadion Galgenwaard, Utrecht, Netherlands	Wales	2–0	4–0	Friendly

Managerial statistics

International matches

• Matches as manager

      Win       Draw       Loss

Honours

Van Basten won the 1986–87 European Cup Winners' Cup under manager Johan Cruijff.

Ajax

• Eredivisie: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85
• KNVB Cup: 1982–83, 1985–86, 1986–87
• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1986–87

A.C. Milan

• Serie A: 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1988, 1992
• European Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
• European Super Cup: 1989
• Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990

Netherlands

• UEFA European Championship: 1988

Individual

• Ballon d'Or: 1988, 1989, 1992
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 1992
• UEFA Best Player of the Year: 1989, 1990, 1992
• European Cup Top Scorer: 1988–89
• Serie A Golden Boot: 1989–90, 1991–92
• Eredivisie Top Scorer: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87
• European Silver Boot: 1983–84
• Dutch Footballer of the Year: 1985
• European Golden Boot: 1985–86
• World Golden Boot: 1985–86
• Bravo Award: 1987
• Onze d'Argent: 1987, 1992
• Onze d'Or: 1988, 1989
• Onze de Onze: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992
• IFFHS World's Best Player: 1988, 1989
• World Soccer Player of the Year: 1987 (3rd), 1988, 1989 (2nd), 1992
• RSSSF Player of the Year: 1992
• El País King of European Soccer: 1992
• UEFA Euro 1988: Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer with 5 goals
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1988, 1992
• Planète Foot World All-Time Team: 1996
• Planète Foot's 50 of the World's Best Players: 1996
• Venerdì's 100 Magnificent: 1997
• IFFHS Football Player of the Century 12th: 1999
• IFFHS European Player of the Century 10th: 1999
• Placar's 100 Best Players of the Century 26th: 1999
• France Football's Football Player of the Century 8th: 1999
• World Soccer Greatest Players of the 20th Century 9th: 1999
• Guerin' Sportivo's 50 Greatest Players of the Century by Adalberto Bortolotti 11th: 1999
• FIFA 100 (List of the greatest living footballers picked by Pelé): 2004
• AFS Top-100 Players of All-Time 12th: 2007
• UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: #4
• Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012
• World Hall of Fame of Soccer: 2012
• UEFA Euro All-time XI (published 2016)
• AC Milan Hall of Fame
• IFFHS Legends
• Voetbal International's World Stars by Raf Willems
• Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Bronze): 2020

See also

In Spanish: Marco van Basten para niños