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EURO 2008: Van Basten looking to leave yet another mark on the European championships

Netherlands coach Marco van Basten watches his team during a friendly international match against Ukraine in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on May 24. PHOTO: EPA

As the author of arguably the most spectacular goal in the competition's history, Marco van Basten has already left his mark on the European championships.

It’s the 1988 Euro final at Munich’s Olympic Stadium.

In the 32nd minute of the Euro final, Dutch master van Basten heads to the unmarked Ruud Gullit, who in turn heads past Rinat Dassaev. Netherlands 1, Soviet Union 0.

In the 54th minute, from a seemingly impossibly acute angle on the right, van Basten unleashes a mesmerizing top spin volley over Dassaev’s head and just inside the far post.

Netherlands 2, Soviet Union 0, and the Dutch, thanks in no small part to one of the best strikers of his generation, were crowned champions of Europe.

Now, two decades on, and despite saying he was not interested in pursuing a managerial career after he hung up his boots in 1995, van Basten is back in the Euro mix, this time as manager of a new generation of Dutch players.

The two time Champions League winner with AC Milan was an outside choice to succeed Dick Advocaat after Euro 2004 given his previous coaching experience, which amounted to little more than working with Ajax’s youth team.

Yet, just as Jurgen Klinsmann proved so successfully with Germany, the gamble has paid off, with van Basten slipping into his new role with aplomb.

The Dutch, under the command of the three time European Footballer of the Year and FIFA Player of the Year in 1992, went on a 15-match unbeaten run after his appointment.

They sailed through 2006 World Cup qualifying, but crashed out to Portugal in the second round in Germany in a brutal, ill-tempered affair which produced a record four red and 16 yellow cards.

Van Basten’s tenure as Dutch coach has not been without incident.

The father of three controversially dropped Ruud van Nistelrooy for that World Cup game against Portugal, favoring instead Dirk Kuyt. That provoked a major falling out between the two men, with van Nistelrooy declaring he would not play for van Basten ever again.

The pair eventually made their peace in May last year.

Marc van Bommel is another who is refusing to play while he is in charge and veteran Clarence Seedorf has asked not to be considered for selection at Euro 2008 despite being included in the provisional squad.

The charismatic 43-year-old, born in Utrecht, came under fire after the World Cup for what was perceived as his unduly rigid style of management and has since then adopted a more relaxed style, which has met with approval from, among others, van Nistelrooy.

“The players are the first to be happy with this new approach,” the striker said.

He also cut his ties with his spiritual father — Johann Cruyff.

Van Basten is moving on after the Euro finals to coach Ajax, a club he knows well having scored 128 goals for them, including the winner in the 1987 Cup Winners Cup final.

Whether he will be leaving for Amsterdam with plaudits or brickbats will largely depend on how he and his men cope with Group C, with Italy and France waiting to upset the Orange cart.
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