The Forgotten: Ronald Koeman the Footballer

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When it comes to top-quality ball-playing centre-halves, the legend of Ronald Koeman certainly ranks right up there as one of the best. The Dutchman excelled at his job wherever he went, whether it was at home for Groningen, Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord or his most fruitful stint in Spain with Barcelona under the guidance of Johan Cruyff.

Now a manager with Merseyside-based Everton after two very successful years with Southampton, the legend of Koeman still lives on, particularly amongst the Blaugrana and Oranje faithful.

Koeman would always look up to Johan Neeskens – who himself was an attacking defender – and wanted to replicate Neesken’s style in his own game, which, it’s safe to say, he managed to do successfully.

It was at the tender age of 17 that he made his senior debut for the side. He started to gain an exciting reputation at the club after impressing as a sweeper. A defender with a puissant spirit going forward, Koeman’s three seasons at Groningen saw several goals – 35 in 98 appearances to be accurate – which earned him the recognition of several clubs domestically and around Europe, following which he ended up moving South to Amsterdam to feature for Ajax – Netherlands’ most prestigious club.

Ajax were the Eredivisie champions at the time they signed Koeman with high expectations. Unfortunately, he failed to settle into the side in his first season despite playing over 30 games for the club. Ajax failed to retain their league title as they finished at third place, failing to win any silverware.

The second season, however, bore more fruit for Koeman and Ajax. They won the league title back from Feyenoord with Marco van Basten being in top form for the large part of the season. Koeman himself scored 13 times – just two short of his season best.

The legendary Johan Cruyff then took over de Godenzonen in the 1985-86 season, which, despite winning the KNVB Cup, ended in failure as Ajax lost the Eredivisie title to PSV Eindhoven. That very summer, Koeman controversially moved to PSV. At just 23 years of age, having scored 30 goals in more than 110 appearances for Ajax, Koeman would now provide his services to the Eindhoven club.

Koeman’s offensive capabilities were put into full use at PSV. His tenacious spirit and fearlessness while being on the other half of the pitch earned him and PSV a lot of success. Under the management of Hans Kraay and Guus Hiddink, PSV won their first and only European Cup title in 1988. This was with three successive Eredivisie titles between 1986 and 1989 as well as the KNVB Cup in 1988, making it the most glorious stint at a single club in Ronald Koeman’s career.

130 games and 63 goals later Koeman earned his first ever move outside the Netherlands. At the peak of his career and at the right age of 26, Barcelona, managed by Johan Cruyff, swooped in for the sweeper. He was a member of Cruyff’s dream team which included the likes of Pep Guardiola, Hristo Stoichkov, and Michael Laudrup. With him at the core, this side seemed unstoppable.

They won four successive league titles between 1991 and 1994, achieving complete domination in Spain over rivals Real Madrid. Success on the European front was also gained by this indomitable team. The night in London against Sampdoria in the European Cup was Koeman’s greatest time on a football pitch. One that puts him in high regard amongst the Barcelona support. One that still earns him the greatest respect in Spain.

Wembley was the scene for one side to earn their greatest honor on the European scene. Neither of Barcelona or Sampdoria had ever won the European Cup before. A Sampdoria side consisting of the great Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini were confident they could win the title having won Serie A the year prior. Barcelona meanwhile were in a class of their own after their exploits in Spain.

A dire 90 minutes saw few chances come by and the tie was heading into extra time. A moment of brilliance from Ronald Koeman in the second half of extra time was the difference in the end. A powerful free-kick sent right through the wall with venom from the right boot of Koeman baffled Gianluca Pagliuca in the Sampdoria goal and pinned right into the bottom corner. Koeman’s jubilant celebrations soon after that showed how much that goal meant to him. It was the greatest moment in Barcelona’s history, and it was the epitome of Johan Cruyff’s legendary career. His work, his creations, his ideology, all put into the right practice.

“Was it lucky? No, because I did it hour after hour after hour in training sessions.” – Ronald Koeman

Barcelona reached the final again two years later, this time it was called the Champions League, and Koeman was the joint top scorer that season. The result wasn’t the same. AC Milan’s great side managed by Fabio Capello were highly unfancied due to the fact that they were missing the likes of Marco van Basten and Jean-Pierre Papin. They still ran out 4-0 winners, which proved to be a grand humiliation for a Barcelona side that had won the trophy just two years prior.

Koeman left Spain a year later to head back home to Netherlands with Feyenoord for the twilight of his career. Over 200 hundred appearances in Blaugrana greatness and over 85 goals gives Koeman the highest honor in Catalonia. Koeman was now ready for the final chapter of his playing career.

A mere 79 appearances as captain of the Rotterdam side over two years saw Feyenoord finish 2nd and 3rd in the Eredivisie and fail to win any major trophies. Koeman does have the honor of being able to represent the ‘Big Three’ of Dutch football having featured for Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord over the course of his career.

On the international stage, Koeman was as good as he was for his domestic teams. Earning his first cap in1983 and his last in 1994, Koeman was part of the Dutch side that famously won the European Championships in West Germany. A tournament largely remembered for Marco van Basten’s stunning winning goal in the final, Koeman himself had a huge role to play, having scored a crucial penalty in the semi-final against hosts West Germany. He had his antics after the game, embarassing West Germany’s Olaf Thon in front of his home crowd. He was later named in the team of the tournament for his stellar performances for Rinus Michels’ team.

239 goals in 685 club games along with 14 in 78 appearances for Netherlands makes Koeman one of the greatest defenders of all time. His esteemed career is now continuing in management with Everton having previously managed the likes of Ajax, Valencia and more recently, Southampton. His contributions in football have earned him a heroic status in football, one that will be hard to replicate in any era.