Marco van Basten: A Great Career Cut Short

Marco Van Basten: One of the Greatest Players but a Career Cut Short by Injury

Since his retirement from football in 1995, it has been claimed by many football insiders that Marco van Basten would have broken numerous records, and may well have been one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Van Basten retired from football at the age of 28, a time when many players are in the prime of their careers.

Van Basten was the type of player that could have continued well into his mid-30s, even beyond- yet a number of ankle injuries stopped that from happening.

Marco van Basten’s Success in Italy

In 1986, Silvio Berlusconi bought Italian football giants AC Milan. From the outset, Berlusconi aimed to transform the Rossoneri into a powerhouse once more.

Before the businessman-turned-football club owner purchased Milan, they had suffered a number of financial issues- including relegation in 1980 following their part in a betting scandal.

Firmly back in Serie A, Berlusconi set his sights on signing the world’s top players. The first on the list was Van Basten, who had just led Ajax to the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup trophy in 1986-87.

The Dutchman scored the final’s only goal as the Amsterdam club defeated Lokomotiv Leipzig in the final.

Although Van Basten was immensely successful at Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles and three KNVB Cups to go along with the Cup Winners’ Cup, the forward’s greatest success arguably came in Italy.

At the time of his arrival in Milan, Serie A was the world’s strongest football league, a tag it would retain until the early 2000s.

Van Basten made an immediate impact on AC Milan and Italian football despite playing just 11 league matches. He scored 3 goals in just 564 minutes of Serie A football.

An ankle injury, which required surgery, kept Van Basten on the sidelines for much of the campaign. Between late October and late March, he missed 19 matches.

Despite the long lay-off, Van Basten showed plenty of promise. Berlusconi’s more than £1 million transfer payment looked well worth it.

In 1988, Van Basten was joined by compatriot Frank Rijkaard. Dutchman Ruud Gillit had already arrived at the San Siro, giving coach Arrigo Sacchi one of the strongest sides ever assembled in Italian football.

Milan were the Galacticos long before Real Madrid dreamed of signing the best players in the world. The following years were spectacular, with Van Basten at the heart of everything for the Rossoneri.

Marco Van Basten: Top 10 Goals

Van Basten’s Records and Awards

Although the Scudetto would elude AC Milan until 1991-92, Van Basten and company won the 1989-90 European Cup, the first of three.

The final of the 1991-92 European Cup saw Van Basten score two goals as Milan defeated Steaua Bucharest.

As the goals piled up for Van Basten, the records began to fall. The Dutchman was the first player to score four goals in a single European Cup match. Van Basten was breaking records and winning trophies.

He lifted three Ballon d’Or awards between 1988 and 1992 as well as a FIFA World Player of the Year gong. The 1991-92 Serie A season was Van Basten’s best in the final third. He scored 25 goals in 31 games.

This season was the pinnacle of Van Basten’s career. He had dominated the world’s strongest league, but injuries in the following campaign limited Van Basten’s participation and he suffered yet another ankle injury.

Marco van Basten’s Injuries

The final season of Van Basten’s career started so differently than it ended. He began the 1992-93 campaign with 12 goals in his first 13 games. In December, Van Basten went on the sidelines and remained out until late April.

His return was brief, just three games, before returning to the trainer’s room and undergoing another ankle surgery. Although he attempted to come back over the next two years, Van Basten’s career was finished.

He was in the prime of his career when injuries forced him to retire. Imagine Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, both now in their mid-30s, retiring six, seven, or eight years ago. Their legacies wouldn’t be as strong as they are today.

Unfortunately for Van Basten, unless fans lived through his greatness, he is an unknown legend for modern fans. If Van Basten had been able to play into the late 1990s, he may be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.

Van Basten wasn’t just great at club level. He led the Netherlands to the Euro 1988 trophy and claimed the Golden Boot. If Van Basten had been available for the World Cup in 1994 as hoped, the Dutch may have lifted their first Jules Rimet trophy.

The Effect of Early Retirement on Van Basten

According to Van Basten, retirement at 28 led to a “dark time” in his life. Speaking to the Guardian in an interview, the Dutchman said,

“It was very difficult because I went from the highest level in football down to the lowest level of personal unhappiness.

“It was a very big fall and a really dark time. I was at the maximum of my career, and things that followed were nice and beautiful. But, all of a sudden, in 1993, I played my last game in the same stadium. Everything went down. There was a lot of pain and problems. You could say that in those five years I had my whole international career.

“After a lot of problems with operations, I was limping. I couldn’t do anything without pain. I was really handicapped and the doctors couldn’t help me. I was a little afraid. It had gone from bad to worse. After many operations, and seeing doctors from all over the world, I had tried everything, but we couldn’t find the solution.”

In 1996, Van Basten’s career officially ended after the decision was made to fuse his ankle as it was the only way to stop the pain. It was a decision that put any hopes of a return to football to bed.

His premature departure from the game ended one of the great careers, yet it was a life in football that never reached its full capacity.

Read more articles on our football blog