Richard Peter Witschge (born 20 September 1969) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder. He was known for his technique and passing ability.
In an 18-year professional career he played mainly for Ajax, but also represented, amongst other clubs, Barcelona. In 11 seasons in the Eredivisie, he amassed totals of 226 matches and 15 goals.
Witschge was born in Amsterdam, North Holland. A product of local club AFC Ajax's prolific youth ranks under Johan Cruyff, he first appeared in the Eredivisie on 26 October 1986 at the age of 17, and scored his first league goal approximately a year later. His older brother Rob was already playing for the club.
Barcelona
After becoming established in the first team, Witschge signed for Cruyff's FC Barcelona in 1991. The manager later admitted to deliberately overpaying for him, as a favour to Ajax's incoming board of directors headed by his associate Michael van Praag.[2]
Witschge featured sparingly during his tenure, as the Catalans won back-to-back La Liga championships.[3][4][5] He made his debut in the competition on 14 September 1991, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home win against Real Zaragoza.[6] He faced intense competition for playing time as the three allotted slots for foreign players were usually taken up by Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov and his compatriot Ronald Koeman, and an injury ruled him out of the 1992 European Cup Final.[7]
Bordeaux
Witschge's frustration with this state of affairs at the Camp Nou led him to take a substantial pay cut in joining FC Girondins de Bordeaux for 18 million francs, in 1993. Initially the move was unsuccessful as he was unhappy with his accommodation and clashed with his coaches over their tactics. Amidst ineffectual performances he was booed by his own supporters and eventually dropped from the squad.[8]
Upon his return to Bordeaux, Witschge found conditions under new coach Slavoljub Muslin much more congenial, resulting in a sharp upturn in his form. He scored seven league goals and figured prominently in the team which reached the final of the UEFA Cup, after qualifying for the competition through the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.[8]
Later years
In May 1996, Witschge agreed a return to Ajax, who wanted his experience to bolster the team which had begun to break up in the aftermath of their 1995 European Cup win. In his second spell he played more than 150 matches, helping the club win two leagues and consecutive domestic cups. After falling into dispute with veteran coach Co Adriaanse, who preferred young Rafael van der Vaart in his role, he was loaned to Spanish top-flight side Deportivo Alavés for the 2001–02 season.[10]
After leaving Ajax for a second time in 2003, Witschge had short spells with amateurs ADO '20 in Heemskerk and Oita Trinita in Japan. After a failed trial at Rangers, he retired in June 2004 at nearly 35 years of age.[11]
An injury sustained with Barcelona ruled him out of UEFA Euro 1992 and he did not make another major tournament until Euro 1996, held in England. During this time, his place in the national team was taken by his older brother.[13]
Witschge's initial spell in the national team yielded 19 appearances and one goal, between February 1990 and March 1992. As he subsequently dropped out of contention there was a perception that he had failed to fulfill his early talent, with Beenhakker attributing laziness and immaturity when he bracketed the player alongside contemporaries including Bryan Roy in the 'Patat Generatie' (English: French Fries Generation), the implication being that they ate junk food instead of focusing on improvement.[14]
After an upturn in his fortunes at club level, Witschge was recalled in September 1995 during the nation's faltering Euro 1996 qualifying campaign.[15] He attended the play-off tie against the Republic of Ireland in Liverpool, but was not ultimately selected. In the finals, he was preferred over Edgar Davids by Guus Hiddink, contributing to his teammate's frustration and eventual expulsion from the squad.[16]
In September 2000, Witschge returned to the national team after a three-year absence, due to an injury crisis.[17] He won his final cap in a 2–2 home draw to Ireland, which dented the Netherlands' qualification prospects for the 2002 World Cup.
Personal life
Witschge's older brother, Rob, was also a footballer and a midfielder.[18]
^ abcd"Richard Witschge: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
^Cruyff, Johan. My Turn: The Autobiography. Pan Macmillan. p. 137.
^"Treinta y siete días laborales y uno festivo" [Thirty-seven working days and one festive]. ABC (in Spanish). 8 June 1992. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
^Serra, Josep María (27 November 1992). "Witschge o Salinas es la duda" [Doubting between Witschge and Salinas] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 February 2016.
^"El Barcelona, campeón de Liga" [Barcelona, League champions]. ABC (in Spanish). 21 June 1993. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
^Astruells, Andrés (15 September 1991). "El Barça sólo respira al final" [Barça can only breathe in the end]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^"El holandés que no estuvo en Wembley" [The Dutchman who did not go to Wembley] (in Spanish). En Un Momento Dado. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
^ abVillepreux, Olivier (2 April 1996). "Witschge, enfant gâté et gâché de la balle – Le Néerlandais trouve à Bordeaux un standing qu'il avait cru atteindre trop tôt" [Witschge, spoiled kid and wasted talent – Dutchman found at Bordeaux status he thought he had reached too soon]. Libération. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^Farrell, Ian (November 2002). "Richard Witschge". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^Besa, Ramón (17 August 2001). "Un '10' en toda regla" [A '10' like no other]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2018.
^"Witschge extends Gers trial". BBC Sport. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ [Youth coaches overview] (in Dutch). AFC Ajax. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
^Serné, Marc (26 May 1992). "Feyenoorder Rob Witschge neemt plaats in van geblesseerde broer Richard; Oranje zoekt scherpte in oefencampagne" [Feyenoord man Rob Witschge takes the place of injured brother Richard; Orange seek sharpness in practice campaign]. NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^Van der Linden, Frenk (13 June 1992). "Ik schop, ik word gemener, ik groei'; Het chagrijn van Richard Witschge" ['I kick, I become meaner, I grow'; Richard Witschge's misery]. NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^Verkammen, Matty (6 September 1995). "Als je faalt in Oranje, dan is de volgende aan de beurt" [If you fail in Orange, it's the next guy's turn]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^Verkammen, Matty (18 June 1996). "'Van de coach kun je het toch nooit winnen'" [One can never win against the coach]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^"Van Gaal prepara Holanda possível" [Van Gaal prepares possible Netherlands]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 September 2000. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^Lang, Jack (3 December 2015). "Football's best brothers: As the Nevilles are reunited, we rank 30 of soccer's most celebrated sets of siblings". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
^"Richard Witschge". European Football. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
^Galindo, Jesús (11 February 1993). "El Barça encarrila otro euro-título" [Barça all but win another euro-title]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2018.
^"Bordeaux 2–2 Karlsruhe". UEFA. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
^ ab"Season 1997–98". AFC Ajax. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
^"Season 1998–99". AFC Ajax. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Witschge.
richard, witschge, richard, peter, witschge, born, september, 1969, dutch, former, footballer, played, midfielder, known, technique, passing, ability, witschge, 2013personal, informationfull, namerichard, peter, witschge, date, birth, 1969, september, 1969, pl. Richard Peter Witschge born 20 September 1969 is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder He was known for his technique and passing ability Richard WitschgeWitschge in 2013Personal informationFull nameRichard Peter Witschge 1 Date of birth 1969 09 20 20 September 1969 age 53 1 Place of birthAmsterdam Netherlands 1 Height1 82 m 6 ft 0 in 1 Position s MidfielderYouth careerSDWAjaxSenior career YearsTeamApps Gls 1986 1991Ajax87 3 1991 1993Barcelona40 2 1993 1996Bordeaux77 9 1995 Blackburn Rovers loan 1 0 1996 2003Ajax139 12 2001 2002 Alaves loan 26 1 2003ADO 202004Oita Trinita9 0 Total379 27 International career1990 2000Netherlands31 1 Club domestic league appearances and goalsIn an 18 year professional career he played mainly for Ajax but also represented amongst other clubs Barcelona In 11 seasons in the Eredivisie he amassed totals of 226 matches and 15 goals Witschge represented the Netherlands in the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996 Contents 1 Club career 1 1 Ajax 1 2 Barcelona 1 3 Bordeaux 1 4 Later years 2 International career 3 Personal life 4 Career statistics 4 1 Club 4 2 International 5 Honours 6 References 7 External linksClub career EditAjax Edit Witschge was born in Amsterdam North Holland A product of local club AFC Ajax s prolific youth ranks under Johan Cruyff he first appeared in the Eredivisie on 26 October 1986 at the age of 17 and scored his first league goal approximately a year later His older brother Rob was already playing for the club Barcelona Edit After becoming established in the first team Witschge signed for Cruyff s FC Barcelona in 1991 The manager later admitted to deliberately overpaying for him as a favour to Ajax s incoming board of directors headed by his associate Michael van Praag 2 Witschge featured sparingly during his tenure as the Catalans won back to back La Liga championships 3 4 5 He made his debut in the competition on 14 September 1991 playing the full 90 minutes in a 3 1 home win against Real Zaragoza 6 He faced intense competition for playing time as the three allotted slots for foreign players were usually taken up by Michael Laudrup Hristo Stoichkov and his compatriot Ronald Koeman and an injury ruled him out of the 1992 European Cup Final 7 Bordeaux Edit Witschge s frustration with this state of affairs at the Camp Nou led him to take a substantial pay cut in joining FC Girondins de Bordeaux for 18 million francs in 1993 Initially the move was unsuccessful as he was unhappy with his accommodation and clashed with his coaches over their tactics Amidst ineffectual performances he was booed by his own supporters and eventually dropped from the squad 8 Witschge moved to Blackburn Rovers on loan just ahead of the transfer deadline in March 1995 featuring against West Ham United as his team won the Premier League title He had been intended as a replacement for injured left winger Jason Wilcox but manager Kenny Dalglish preferred the more conservative option of pushing left back Graeme Le Saux forward bringing Jeff Kenna into the defence An unimpressed Witschge later made an outspoken attack on Blackburn branding the Lancashire town and its inhabitants poor and ugly 9 Upon his return to Bordeaux Witschge found conditions under new coach Slavoljub Muslin much more congenial resulting in a sharp upturn in his form He scored seven league goals and figured prominently in the team which reached the final of the UEFA Cup after qualifying for the competition through the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup 8 Later years Edit In May 1996 Witschge agreed a return to Ajax who wanted his experience to bolster the team which had begun to break up in the aftermath of their 1995 European Cup win In his second spell he played more than 150 matches helping the club win two leagues and consecutive domestic cups After falling into dispute with veteran coach Co Adriaanse who preferred young Rafael van der Vaart in his role he was loaned to Spanish top flight side Deportivo Alaves for the 2001 02 season 10 After leaving Ajax for a second time in 2003 Witschge had short spells with amateurs ADO 20 in Heemskerk and Oita Trinita in Japan After a failed trial at Rangers he retired in June 2004 at nearly 35 years of age 11 Witschge returned to the Amsterdam Arena as a youth coach in 2013 12 International career EditWitschge earned 31 caps for the Netherlands in which he scored one goal He made his debut on 21 February 1990 in a 0 0 friendly draw against Italy and was picked for the 1990 FIFA World Cup under manager Leo Beenhakker An injury sustained with Barcelona ruled him out of UEFA Euro 1992 and he did not make another major tournament until Euro 1996 held in England During this time his place in the national team was taken by his older brother 13 Witschge s initial spell in the national team yielded 19 appearances and one goal between February 1990 and March 1992 As he subsequently dropped out of contention there was a perception that he had failed to fulfill his early talent with Beenhakker attributing laziness and immaturity when he bracketed the player alongside contemporaries including Bryan Roy in the Patat Generatie English French Fries Generation the implication being that they ate junk food instead of focusing on improvement 14 After an upturn in his fortunes at club level Witschge was recalled in September 1995 during the nation s faltering Euro 1996 qualifying campaign 15 He attended the play off tie against the Republic of Ireland in Liverpool but was not ultimately selected In the finals he was preferred over Edgar Davids by Guus Hiddink contributing to his teammate s frustration and eventual expulsion from the squad 16 In September 2000 Witschge returned to the national team after a three year absence due to an injury crisis 17 He won his final cap in a 2 2 home draw to Ireland which dented the Netherlands qualification prospects for the 2002 World Cup Personal life EditWitschge s older brother Rob was also a footballer and a midfielder 18 Career statistics EditClub Edit Source 19 Appearances and goals by club season and competition Club Season LeagueDivision Apps GoalsAjax 1986 87 Eredivisie 2 01987 88 10 11988 89 14 01989 90 28 21990 91 33 0Total 87 3Barcelona 1991 92 La Liga 23 01992 93 17 2Total 40 2Bordeaux 1993 94 Ligue 1 27 11994 95 17 11995 96 33 7Total 77 9Blackburn Rovers loan 1994 95 Premier League 1 0Ajax 1996 97 Eredivisie 21 31997 98 29 21998 99 32 21999 2000 20 22000 01 15 22002 03 22 1Total 139 12Alaves loan 2001 02 La Liga 26 1ADO 20 2003 04 Topklasse Oita Trinita 2004 J1 League 9 0Career total 379 27International Edit Source 20 NetherlandsYear Apps Goals1990 11 01991 6 11992 2 01993 0 01994 0 01995 3 01996 7 01997 1 01998 0 01999 0 02000 1 0Total 31 1Honours EditBarcelona La Liga 1991 92 1992 93 European Cup 1991 92 European Super Cup 1992 21 Bordeaux UEFA Intertoto Cup 1995 22 Ajax Eredivisie 1989 90 1997 98 23 KNVB Cup 1997 98 23 1998 99 24 References Edit a b c d Richard Witschge Profile worldfootball net HEIM SPIEL Retrieved 27 January 2023 Cruyff Johan My Turn The Autobiography Pan Macmillan p 137 Treinta y siete dias laborales y uno festivo Thirty seven working days and one festive ABC in Spanish 8 June 1992 Retrieved 23 October 2018 Serra Josep Maria 27 November 1992 Witschge o Salinas es la duda Doubting between Witschge and Salinas PDF Mundo Deportivo in Spanish Retrieved 9 February 2016 El Barcelona campeon de Liga Barcelona League champions ABC in Spanish 21 June 1993 Retrieved 23 October 2018 Astruells Andres 15 September 1991 El Barca solo respira al final Barca can only breathe in the end Mundo Deportivo in Spanish Retrieved 3 October 2019 El holandes que no estuvo en Wembley The Dutchman who did not go to Wembley in Spanish En Un Momento Dado 26 April 2016 Retrieved 23 October 2018 a b Villepreux Olivier 2 April 1996 Witschge enfant gate et gache de la balle Le Neerlandais trouve a Bordeaux un standing qu il avait cru atteindre trop tot Witschge spoiled kid and wasted talent Dutchman found at Bordeaux status he thought he had reached too soon Liberation Retrieved 5 October 2018 Farrell Ian November 2002 Richard Witschge When Saturday Comes Retrieved 5 October 2018 Besa Ramon 17 August 2001 Un 10 en toda regla A 10 like no other El Pais in Spanish Retrieved 23 October 2018 Witschge extends Gers trial BBC Sport 20 August 2004 Retrieved 5 October 2018 Overzicht trainers jeugdopleiding Youth coaches overview in Dutch AFC Ajax 23 May 2013 Archived from the original on 9 June 2013 Retrieved 31 July 2013 Serne Marc 26 May 1992 Feyenoorder Rob Witschge neemt plaats in van geblesseerde broer Richard Oranje zoekt scherpte in oefencampagne Feyenoord man Rob Witschge takes the place of injured brother Richard Orange seek sharpness in practice campaign NRC Handelsblad in Dutch Retrieved 5 October 2018 Van der Linden Frenk 13 June 1992 Ik schop ik word gemener ik groei Het chagrijn van Richard Witschge I kick I become meaner I grow Richard Witschge s misery NRC Handelsblad in Dutch Retrieved 5 October 2018 Verkammen Matty 6 September 1995 Als je faalt in Oranje dan is de volgende aan de beurt If you fail in Orange it s the next guy s turn Trouw in Dutch Retrieved 5 October 2018 Verkammen Matty 18 June 1996 Van de coach kun je het toch nooit winnen One can never win against the coach Trouw in Dutch Retrieved 5 October 2018 Van Gaal prepara Holanda possivel Van Gaal prepares possible Netherlands Record in Portuguese 2 September 2000 Retrieved 5 October 2018 Lang Jack 3 December 2015 Football s best brothers As the Nevilles are reunited we rank 30 of soccer s most celebrated sets of siblings Daily Mirror Retrieved 9 February 2016 Richard Witschge at FootballDatabase eu Richard Witschge European Football Retrieved 18 September 2015 Galindo Jesus 11 February 1993 El Barca encarrila otro euro titulo Barca all but win another euro title Mundo Deportivo in Spanish Retrieved 18 October 2018 Bordeaux 2 2 Karlsruhe UEFA Retrieved 4 September 2019 a b Season 1997 98 AFC Ajax Retrieved 18 October 2018 Season 1998 99 AFC Ajax Retrieved 18 October 2018 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Witschge Stats at Voetbal International in Dutch Richard Witschge at Wereld van Oranje in Dutch Richard Witschge at BDFutbol Richard Witschge at Soccerbase Richard Witschge at National Football Teams com Richard Witschge FIFA competition record archived Richard Witschge at J League archive in Japanese Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard Witschge amp oldid 1156083890, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
