There are average footballers who went on to become elite managers, and there are magnificent players that ended up being underwhelming coaches. Such is the cycle of football, as it has shown that being a good player doesn't make you a good manager and vice versa.
However, there is an exclusive select list of individuals who thrived both as a player and manager. Frank Rijkaard is one of them, who excelled in both roles.
The former legendary Dutch midfielder is regarded as one of the greatest players in his position, and his transition into management saw the Dutchman lead Barcelona to a historic 2 La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League.
We will be looking at Frank Rijkaard the player here, as we rewind back to his days as a footballer.
The golden Ajax years
Born in Amsterdam, a young Frank Rijkaard grew up playing football. By the time he was 17, Ajax manager Leo Beenhakker gave him his senior debut on 23th August 1980. It was a dream debut for the player, as he scored a goal in Ajax's 4-2 victory over Go Ahead Eagles. This was the beginning of his breakthrough, as Rijkaard went on to make 23 appearances over the season. Ajax ended up winning that season's league title as well.
Rijkaard was a part of Ajax for the next 7 and a half seasons, during which he won 3 League titles (82-83, 83-84, 85-86) and 3 Dutch Cups (82-83, 85-86,86-87). The 1987-88 campaign in particular was special for both Ajax and Rijkaard, as they achieved European glory by beating Lokomotiv Leipzig in the Cup Winners' Cup final.
The 1987-1988 season was one to forget for Rijkaard, as he stormed off the training field and vowed never to play under then manager Johan Cruyff. This led to Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon signing the player, but the deal was eventually called off after the signing was done late. Rijkaard was then sent on loan to Spanish side Real Zaragoza, before ultimately sealing a move to Italian giants AC Milan.
From Holland to Italy
Rijkaard's next chapter in football took him to Italy, as his next 5 seasons were at AC Milan. Milan's legendary manager Arrigo Sacchi saw Rijkaard as an instrumental piece of his side and transformed the central defender into a world class holding midfielder. The Dutchman's aggressive and firm style was key to his excellence in the role, and it even went on to influence the likes of Patrick Vieira who was a master in that role.
Playing at Milan also gave Rijkaard the opportunity to linkup with his Dutch compatriots Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit. Rijkaard's time at Milan was a massive success in terms of silverware, as he won two Serie A titles (1991–92,1992-93) 2 European Cups (1989, 1990), a Supercoppa Italiana (1988), 2 European Super Cups (1989, 1990), and 2 Intercontinental Cups (1989, 1990).
His most memorable moment at Milan came in one of those historic European nights, as it was his sole goal in the 1990 European Cup final that helped Milan overcome Benfica. The Dutchman eventually bid farewell to the Italian club in 1993.
The homecoming
Rijkaard eventually returned to his very own boyhood club in 1993, with Louis van Gaal being the Ajax manager at the time. Van Gaal used Rijkaard and Danny Blind as the team's core defensive midfield duo, who were instrumental to their success at the time.
In addition to adding a few more domestic accolades in his second run with Ajax, Rijkaard went on to lift the UEFA Champions League with Ajax in 1995. It was his final game as well, and it coincidentally came against his former side Milan. That was the end of the Dutch maestro's time as a footballer.
