Frank Rijkaard is a former footballer and manager linked with a return to Spanish side Barcelona, find out more about him and his wife and net worth
Frank Rijkaard is often regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders to have ever played the game.
Who is ex-footballer and manager Frank Rijkaard, bio, age, height, wife, kit number, profile and net worth
🚨🧐🇳🇱 FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta has reached out to Frank Rijkaard for replacing Xavi.
– (@David74Sanchez via @RadioMARCA) pic.twitter.com/UjT34w078A
— Bᴀʀᴄ̧ᴀVᴇʀsᴇ (@BarcaVerse_) January 31, 2024
During his time as a professional footballer, he was part of the infamous Dutch team that was full of stars.
Frank Rijkaard bio and age
Frank Rijkaard is a retired Dutch professional footballer and manager who was born on September 30, 1962, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He is currently 61 years old as of February 2024. He was born to his Dutch Surinamese immigrant father, Herman Rijkaard, and his Dutch wife, Neel Van Der Meulen. Rijkaard’s father was also a professional footballer who played for the SV Robinhood Surinamese club and FC Bauw-Wit.
He has a net worth of $20 million.
Squad number history in the national team ; 88/89, Netherlands, 5 ; 88/89, Netherlands, 8
Height and weight
Frank Rijkaard stands at a height of 190 cm and roughly weighs around 86 kg.
Wife, kids, and marriage
Frank Rijkaard married Carmen Sanders way back in 1985, and the couple together have a daughter named Lindsay. However, the couple divorced, following which Frank got married to his second wife, Monique Olgers. The pair had a son named Mitchel. Notably, he divorced his second wife as well, and he is now married to Stefanie Rucker. He shares a pair of twins, Santi and Ceejay, with Stefanie.
Net worth
According to various reports, Frank Rijkaard has an estimated net worth of around €50 million.
Style of play
Frank Rijkaard was widely considered one of the greatest players in his position during his time as a professional. As a player, he was fast, strong, and very complete, with exceptional physical and athletic characteristics. Rijkaard possessed excellent work rate, positioning, acute tactical intelligence, and great decision-making skills. He primarily played as a defensive midfielder while also being able to play as a central or box-to-box midfielder.
Despite being renowned as a strong tackler, Rijkaard was surprisingly elegant for a player of his size and stature. Moreover, he possessed good technique, passing ability, link-up play, and vision, which all helped him to play as a deep-lying playmaker. Aside from his technical abilities, Rijkaard’s height and physical strength helped him excel in the air and possess a powerful shot.
Frank Rijkaard professional career
Frank Rijkaard started out his professional career back in 1980, when he played his first league game for Ajax. He scored a goal during his debut game against the Go-Ahead Eagles. He won his first major trophy with Ajax in 1987, when the side won the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Following the end of the 1987–88 season, Rijkaard moved to Sporting Club de Portugal after a training ground disagreement with Cruyff. However, he did not register to play in Portugal and eventually got loaned out to Real Zaragoza in Spain. In fact, he never lined up for his parent club in Portugal, as the club sold him to A.C. Mila in 1988.
In his first season at Milan, Rijkaard played 47 times and led the side to a European Cup victory. Rijkaard also won his first Serie A championship with Milan in 1992. Rijkaard won the title again in 1993, and he returned to Ajax that same year. In his first year back, Rijkaard won a fourth Dutch league title and helped Ajax go undefeated in the domestic league season the following year. That season, Ajax won the title as well as the 1995 Champions League. Rijkaard played his last professional game as a player during that final game before retirement. Throughout his career, he played about five hundred and forty club games and scored ninety-eight goals.
Rijkaard made his debut for the Netherlands in 1981 as a part of the side that won UEFA Euro 1988. Throughout his career, he earned 73 caps and scored 10 goals. Rijkaard also played for the Netherlands during the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups and at Euro 1992. He made his last appearance for the Netherlands during a 3-2 loss against eventual winners Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 1994 World Cup. Following a successful player career, he shifted his career to becoming a manager. Before that, he was already working as an assistant under Guus Hiddink, even while playing for the Dutch national team. He first took up the role as the Dutch manager in 1998 and led his side to four Euro 2000 victories. After his time with the team, he managed his first club, Sparta Rotterdam, but the club got relegated and got sacked.
Rijkaard eventually took over Barcelona in 2003 and built a strong squad around Ronaldinho. By the 2004–05 season, he finally led the club to a La Liga win, helping the side secure their first major trophy in six years. The following season, they won La Liga again and the Champions League. However, by the end of the 2007–08 season, Rijkaard failed to win another big trophy and resigned. He then went on to manage Turkish club Galatasaray in 2009 but got sacked after a year in charge. Rijkaard then oversaw the Saudi Arabian national team in 2011 but struggled to qualify for any major tournament.
Frank Rijkaard awards and achievements
Given below is a list of Frank Rijkaard’s individual and team awards and achievements:
Player:
Ajax
| Title | Year |
| Eredivisie | 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1993–94, 1994–95 |
| KNVB Cup | 1982–83, 1985–86, 1986–87 |
| Super Cup | 1993, 1994 |
| UEFA Champions League | 1994–95 |
| European Cup Winners’ Cup | 1986–87 |
Milan
| Title | Year |
| Serie A | 1991–92, 1992–93 |
| Supercoppa Italiana | 1988, 1992 |
| European Cup | 1988–89, 1989–90 |
| European Super Cup | 1989, 1990 |
| Intercontinental Cup | 1989, 1990 |
Netherlands
| Title | Year |
| UEFA European Championship | 1988 |
Individual awards
| Title | Year |
| Dutch Golden Shoe | 1985, 1987 |
| UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament | 1988 |
| Ballon d’Or – Third place | 1988, 1989 |
| Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player of the Match Award | 1990 |
| Serie A Best foreign player | 1992 |
| Serie A Footballer of the Year | 1992 |
| ESM Team of the Year | 1994–95 |
| UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll | under 21 |
| UEFA President’s Award | 2005 |
| World Soccer | The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time |
| Ballon d’Or Dream Team (Silver) | 2020 |
Manager:
Barcelona
| Title | Year |
| La Liga | 2004–05, 2005–06 |
| Supercopa de España | 2005, 2006 |
| UEFA Champions League | 2005–06 |
Individual
| Title | Year |
| Don Balón Coach of the Year | 2004–05, 2005–06 |
| UEFA Manager of the Year | 2005–06 |
| UEFA Team of the Year for Best Coach of the Year | 2006 |
| IFFHS World’s Best Club Coach | 2006 |
| European Coach of the Year—Alf Ramsey Award | 2006 |
| Onze d’Or Coach of the Year | 2006 |