Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Kluivert (born July 1, 1976 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch international football striker from Surinamese descent who is currently a free agent.

Ajax

Kluivert joined the renowned Ajax youth academy after he was spotted playing for Schellingwoude, he went on to make his debut in the senior team on August 21, 1994 at the age of 17 in the Dutch Supercup win against arch rivals Feyenoord in which he scored his first goal. He went on to make his mark in Europe scoring an 83rd minute winner in the Champions League Final of 1994/95 against AC Milan in Vienna. He also helped Ajax to win several pieces of silverware (see below) before leaving for AC Milan on a Bosman transfer in 1997.

AC Milan

His career at Milan started well when he scored a sensational goal against Juventus in a friendly match. However at this time Kluivert's personal life began to cause problems: He was charged with manslaughter following his involvement in a fatal car accident, to which he received community service and a driving ban. He was also charged with rape on a separate occasion, but he was to be later acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Barcelona

After scoring only six goals in Italy he left for FC Barcelona where he was reunited with Louis Van Gaal, a mentor from his days at Ajax. Kluivert formed a strong partnership with Rivaldo which enabled Barça to win the Spanish La Liga in 1998/99. He was released from Barça in the summer of 2004 along with fellow Dutch national teammates Michael Reiziger and Marc Overmars.

Newcastle United

He joined Newcastle United on 21 July 2004 to team up with Alan Shearer. However, Newcastle decided not to take up the second year on his contract, and he was released, even though he scored 13 goals in all competitions.

Valencia

He decided to return to Spain to play for Valencia. Reportedly, the club included a special clause in his contract that allowed for Kluivert to be sacked if he is lacking in discipline off the pitch. Kluivert was released by Valencia in July 2006 after just one season and 202 minutes played.

Dutch National Team

Kluivert's international career has perhaps not gone as well as he would have liked. He missed most of (edit conflict × 96) with a knee injury but he did manage to score a brilliant goal against England. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup he was sent off against Belgium by referee Pierluigi Collina after elbowing an opponent, although he made amends when selected to play against Argentina in the quarter-finals of the same tournament where he scored the opening goal. He also impressed in later matches, although the Dutch national team did not win the tournament despite being amongst the favourites. At Template:Ec2, after scoring a hat trick in the quarterfinals, Kluivert missed a penalty in the semi-final loss to Italy.

Kluivert is currently the all-time leading goalscorer for the Dutch national team with 40 goals (as of 2005). In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary observances. Interestingly, he was born on the same day as fellow countryman and FIFA 100 member Ruud van Nistelrooy. During Template:Ec2, Kluivert didn't play a single minute, while his team reached the semi-finals again.

As regards 2006 FIFA World Cup, Kluivert, as well as other veterans like Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf, were ignored by the new coach Marco Van Basten. Some have cited Holland's second-round loss against Portugal in the World Cup 2006 as lacking experienced players like Davids, Seedorf, and Kluivert among the youngsters.

Statistics

Career Stats

Club	Season	Appearances (Domestic)	Goals (Domestic	Appearances (Europe)	Goals (Europe)
Ajax	1994/95	25	18	10	2
Ajax	1995/96	28	15	8	5
Ajax	1996/97	17	6	4	2
AC Milan	1997/98	27	6	-	-
FC Barcelona	1998/99	35	15	-	-
FC Barcelona	1999/00	26	19	14	7
FC Barcelona	2000/01	31	17	12	5
FC Barcelona	2001/02	33	18	16	7
FC Barcelona	2002/03	36	17	15	5
FC Barcelona	2003/04	22	8	3	2
Newcastle United	2004/05	25	6	6	5
Valencia	2005/06	10	1	1	1