Macksam's Legend: Patrick Kluivert

[Macksam]

Discuss.

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Edited August 20, 2021 by Macksam

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

My biggest memory of him would be Euro 2000.  

A great Dutch team, him, Davids, van der Sar, Bergkamp, Zenden, Overmars, etc. many who played in Serie A around then. 

His/their destruction of Yugoslavia.  

And then that game against Italy.  Zambrotta sent off pretty early.  All Orange.  Toldo saves one penalty and then Kluivert hits the post on another in regular time.  He scores his penalty in the shootout but it didn't matter.  Totti's chip and Zoff not looking well pleased at that and Del Piero not being needed because they had already won. 

[SthMelbRed]

I was at De Kuip for Oranje's smashing of Yugoslavia. I was sat in Row 4 on about the 6-yard line where Kluivert scored 2 of his 4 goals*. What a game! What an experience being in Rotterdam that day and making our way back to Amsterdam after the game, walking down the Damrak trying to find a bar with enough space to squeeze us in for a beer!

Holland was the best team in that tournament and should have won the whole thing. However, that semi-final against Italy was one of those times when football just doesn't make any sense.

I was always a big Kluivert fan. I always wished he'd have made his way to Liverpool during his prime. Unfortunately, he peaked pretty young and his later career was pretty underwhelming.

 

*Everyone inside the stadium walked out thinking that Kluivert had scored four. It wasn't until much later that night that we found out that they'd ruled his 3rd to be an OG.

[Cheeta]

RIGHT.  Just hammered Yugoslavia in the 1/4s.  Totally forgot.  All blends together over the years. 

Remember by chance catching the Italy match in some dive populated by a bunch of leather vests who were probably still there from the night before.  LOL, day drinking with the bartender and wondering how the Hell is Holland not going to the final.  Not getting any chores done today.

Fun tournie that go around. 

[JohnnyFranchise]

'95 European Cup winning goal is probably what pops into my head first.

[Macksam]

13 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

My biggest memory of him would be Euro 2000.  

A great Dutch team, him, Davids, van der Sar, Bergkamp, Zenden, Overmars, etc. many who played in Serie A around then. 

His/their destruction of Yugoslavia.  

And then that game against Italy.  Zambrotta sent off pretty early.  All Orange.  Toldo saves one penalty and then Kluivert hits the post on another in regular time.  He scores his penalty in the shootout but it didn't matter.  Totti's chip and Zoff not looking well pleased at that and Del Piero not being needed because they had already won. 

I also have to mention that the Dutch also hit the bar in open play twice, once from Bergkamp, the second one I can't recall exactly. An absolute travesty how they lost. 

11 hours ago, SthMelbRed said:

I was at De Kuip for Oranje's smashing of Yugoslavia. I was sat in Row 4 on about the 6-yard line where Kluivert scored 2 of his 4 goals*. What a game! What an experience being in Rotterdam that day and making our way back to Amsterdam after the game, walking down the Damrak trying to find a bar with enough space to squeeze us in for a beer!

Holland was the best team in that tournament and should have won the whole thing. However, that semi-final against Italy was one of those times when football just doesn't make any sense.

I was always a big Kluivert fan. I always wished he'd have made his way to Liverpool during his prime. Unfortunately, he peaked pretty young and his later career was pretty underwhelming.

 

*Everyone inside the stadium walked out thinking that Kluivert had scored four. It wasn't until much later that night that we found out that they'd ruled his 3rd to be an OG.

I recall it was a few hours after the match they awarded his third or fourth goal an own goal. I forgot which one it was.

As for the bolded, like you said, football just doesn't make sense sometimes. Yes, he peaked early and fizzled out in his late twenties surprisingly, which is a juxtaposition to his compatriot that shares his exact same birth date. I think the fact he was playing and succeeding at the highest level so early in his career could have taken a tool on him both mentally and physically.

10 hours ago, Cheeta said:

RIGHT.  Just hammered Yugoslavia in the 1/4s.  Totally forgot.  All blends together over the years. 

Remember by chance catching the Italy match in some dive populated by a bunch of leather vests who were probably still there from the night before.  LOL, day drinking with the bartender and wondering how the Hell is Holland not going to the final.  Not getting any chores done today.

Fun tournie that go around. 

I wish I could have watched it live. I had to come home from school, grade 7 to be exact and I was so amped to watch the VHS recording my dad prepared only to realize I was inevitably going to be disappointed after witnessing numerous Italian flags on vehicles during that car ride home from school.

10 hours ago, JohnnyFranchise said:

'95 European Cup winning goal is probably what pops into my head first.

Wow, I know of that moment but never witnessed it. I had not been introduced to European football until a few years later unfortunately.

[JohnnyFranchise]

15 minutes ago, Macksam said:

Wow, I know of that moment but never witnessed it. I had not been introduced to European football until a few years later unfortunately.

Yah, cool moment. iirc Kluivert got subbed on late and made it pay off, scored in the last few minutes.

It was a pretty big upset because milan had dominated barcelona the previous year and most thought they would do the same to ajax.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

6 hours ago, Macksam said:

I wish I could have watched it live. I had to come home from school, grade 7 to be exact and I was so amped to watch the VHS recording my dad prepared only to realize I was inevitably going to be disappointed after witnessing numerous Italian flags on vehicles during that car ride home from school.

It was great for me (after getting past the England bit in the beginning of the tournament)   I had moved into the big city for university a couple years before and made some Italian-Canadian friends precisely because they liked soccer.  I was working shifting work for the summer and picked/traded ones that gave me the morning/afternoon off - being in Mountain Time. 

When I was younger I remember getting tapes, like your experience, of Premier League and tournament games from friends that had cable -  a luxury beyond us living in the country.