Where are they now? Netherlands triumphant Euro 88 squad.

We love to romanticize the past and it doesn’t get any better than the summer of 1988 when the Oranje finally ended the Netherlands ’ long wait for glory at the international stage. 32 years ago, the Oranje tasted success after defeating the Soviet Union in the Euro 88 Final. We look back at the starting eleven of the Euro 88 Final and see where are they now.

The General, Rinus Michels, was back as the Netherlands manager. At his disposal was a collection of superb players such as Milan’s Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, Real Zaragoza’s Frank Rijkaard, and PSV Eindhoven’s Hans van Breukelen, Ronald Koeman, Berry van Aerle and Gerald Vanenburg who had just won the European Cup a few weeks before Euro 88 kicked off along with Ajax players such as Jan Wouters, John van ‘t Schip and Arnold Mühren. Without further ado, we look back at the starting eleven of the Euro 88 Finals Oranje side.

Hans van Breukelen

Berry van Aerle – Frank Rijkaard – Ronald Koeman – Adri van Tiggelen

Gerald Vanenburg – Jan Wouters – Arnold Mühren – Erwin Koeman

Ruud Gullit  – Marco van Basten

Hans van Breukelen – GK

Hans van Breukelen was the imposing goalkeeper for the Oranje during the 80s. He made his debut in 1980 while with FC Utrecht. He had just won the European Cup with PSV Eindhoven before joining up the Oranje for Euro 88 where he pulled off a memorable penalty save in the final to keep it 2-0. He would continue to represent the national team until after Euro 92 before retiring from football in 1994 after a stint with Nottingham Forest. He later became a technical director at Utrecht and was a  motivational speaker. In June 2016, van Breukelen was appointed technical director of the Dutch FA before he returned to PSV in July 2019 as one of their Board of Directors.

Berry van Aerle – RB – @BVanaerle

Right-back Berry van Aerle made his debut for the Oranje in 1987 while with PSV. He was also another PSV player who had won the European Cup prior to Euro 88. He would go on Was on the national team for Euro 92 (on the bench during the Denmark game) and his final Oranje appearance was against Poland in October 1992 for WC 94 QWF. He retired from football in 1995 after leaving PSV for Helmond Sport before retiring from the game. He is currently a scout for PSV and was also recently involved in a campaign sponsored by Philips, visiting elderly homes and standing outside their windows with the European Cup.

Frank Rijkaard – CB –

Frank Rijkaard lined up in the heart of the defense for the Oranje during Euro 88. He made his debut in 1981 while with Ajax Amsterdam. However, he was on loan with Real Zaragoza after a falling out with Ajax manager Johan Cruyff. Rijkaard would then move to Milan to join his Oranje teammates, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit before retiring from the Oranje after World Cup 1994. He returned to Ajax and helped them win the 1995 Champions League with the Final being his last match. He managed the Oranje for Euro 2000 and managed Barça to two league titles and the Champions League in 2006. He had coaching stints with Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia later on. He was hired by the Florida prep school, Montverde Academy, as their advisor of player development but in December 2016, Rijkaard announced he would no longer pursue a position as manager. On March 5, 2020, Rijkaard and Gullit opened their own Cruyff Court in Amsterdam

Ronald Koeman – CB – @RonaldKoeman

Ronaldo Koeman was the dynamic defender who was a terror to opposing goalkeepers thanks to his powerful long-range strikes. Koeman made his debut in 1983 while with Groningen. He was also one of the PSV stars who just hoisted the European Cup and would win it again with Cruyff’s Barça. Koeman retired from the Oranje after World Cup 1994 and retired in 1997 with Feyenoord. He went on to manage Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica, PSV, Valencia, Feyenoord, Southampton, and Everton. He is currently the Oranje manager and was recently hospitalized with heart problems.

Adri van Tiggelen – LB – @adri34246926

Adri van Tiggelenwas the other Oranje fullback for the Euro 88 Oranje team while with Anderlecht. He made his debut in 1983 while with Groningen and retired from the Oranje in 1994as a PSV player. He retired from football in 1995 after leaving PSV for Dordrecht’90 for one season before retiring from the game. He had stints with Sparta Rotterdam as an assistant and interim manager and also managed VV Zuidland in the lower Dutch leagues. He returned to Sparta Rotterdam as a scout back in April 2018 and has an account on twitter which he hasn’t used since 2013.

Gerald Vanenburg – RM –

Gerald Vanenburg operated on the right side of the Oranje midfield during Euro 88. Gerald made his debut for the Oranje in 1982 while with Ajax and his final Oranje appearance was against Poland in October 1992 in a 1994 World Cup qualifier. He would go on to have spells with PSV, Júbilo Iwata, Utrecht, Cannes before retiring in 2000 with 1860 Munich. He quickly took up coaching as an assistant manager and manager with 1860 Munich, PSV U-19 team, Helmond Sport and FC Eindhoven. His final coaching job was that of assistant manager of Willem II Tilburg until June 2009 and since then, he has been out of the spotlight with the occasional interview.

Jan Wouters – CM –

Jan Wouters one of the two central midfielders for the Oranje who made his debut in 1982 while with Utrecht.  He retired from the Oranje after the 1994 World Cup. He would go on to play for Ajax, Bayern Munich before retiring with PSV in 1996. He wasted no time getting into coaching soon afterward with stints as an assistant, caretaker, and manager with Utrecht, Ajax, Rangers, PSV, and Kasımpaşa. He was an assistant coach at Feyenoord until 2018.

Arnold Mühren – CM –

Arnold Mühren was Wouters’ partner in the central midfield of the Oranje. He made his debut for the Oranje in 1978 while with Ipswich Town and retired from the Oranje after Euro 88, with his cross to Marco van Basten being his final assist for the Dutch; what a proper way to end your national team career. Arnold played for Volendam, Ajax, Twente, Ipswich Town, Manchester United before retiring from the game in 1989 with Ajax. Unlike his other teammates, Arnold did not venture into coaching but still is available for the occasional media appearances with interviews here and there.

Erwin Koeman – LM –

Erwin Koeman, the brother of Ronald Koeman, was in charge of the left midfield of the 1988 Oranje side and made his Oranje debut in 1983 while with Groningen and his final Oranje appearance was in January 1994. He would go on to play for PSV and Mechelen before retiring in 1998 with Groningen. He too would follow in his brother’s footsteps and get into coaching with stints, at both club level and international level, with RKC Waalwijk, Feyenoord, Hungary, Utrecht, Eindhoven, RKC Waalwijk, and Fenerbahçe. He was fired as Oman’s national team manager back in December 2019 and he and his brother along with other Oranje players were part of the campaign to support their former club Groningen by buying season tickets to offset club financial losses suffered during the pandemic.

Ruud Gullit  – CF – @GullitR

The Captain of Oranje during Euro 88, Ruud Gullit played upfront with Marco van Basten and scored the opening goal in the first half of the Final, courtesy of a van Basten cross. Ruud made his debut in 1981 while with HFC Haarlem and his final Oranje appearance came right before he abruptly retired prior to World Cup 1994 after falling out with manager Dick Advocaat. His magnificent career saw him also play for Feyenoord, PSV, AC Milan, Sampdoria, and Chelsea where his final days as a player was as a player-manager with Chelsea before he was sacked in 1998. He went on to manage Newcastle, Feyenoord, LA Galaxy, Terek Grozny and oddly enough, he was an assistant coach of the Oranje when Dick Advocaat was in charge back in May 2017 until Ronald Koeman was hired as the new Oranje manager in February 2018 and Gullit wasn’t retained. Nevertheless, Gullit has established himself as a pundit for BBC, Sky, ESPN, and other TV networks and as stated earlier, he and Frank Rijkaard opened their own Cruyff Court in Amsterdam on March 5, 2020.

Marco van Basten – CF –

Marco van Basten, the final member of the starting eleven of the magnificent Oranje eleven, and Ruud Gullit’s partner up front who scored the second goal in the Final that many consider one of the greatest, goals of all-time. The “Swan Of Utrecht” made his Oranje debut in 1982 with Ajax and retired from the Oranje after Euro 1992. Van Basten’s legendary career saw him shine with Milan while winning the Ballon d’Or three times. However, injuries took their toll on Marco as he stopped playing football at the age of 29.  Marco would also go into management by starting off with Jong Ajax, and then Ajax before taking the Oranje to World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008. He would then go on to manage Heerenveen, AZ before stepping down to become an assistant coach because of stress issues. He would return to the Oranje as an assistant coach under Danny Blind. In August 2016, Marco became a technical director for FIFA and works for Fox Sports as an analyst.

Oranje Heartbreaks – UEFA Euro 1992.

Ever since I witnessed Holland win their first ever international title in 1988, being a fan of the Oranje has been nothing but heartbreaks and bitter disappointments. With the Oranje not being part of the 24 teams playing this summer in France for the European Championship, let’s revisit their previous disappointments in this tournament since 1988, starting with Euro 1992. 

The Lead-Up:

After their disappointing performance and early elimination from World Cup 1990 by eventual World Cup champions Germany, Leo Beenhakker was out as Oranje manager and Rinus Michels, the man who coached them to glory in 1988, was back at the helm. Holland qualified to defend their title in Sweden as European champions. They battled Portugal to win their group which also consisted of Greece, Finland and Malta with Marco van Basten leading the way with 8 goals. This tournament also saw Holland switch from Adidas to Lotto as their kit maker.

Sweden were the host for the 1992 edition. Back then, only eight teams qualified. Holland’s opponents in Group B were Scotland, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) who were the Soviet Union when they qualified but were going through their “Wind of Change”, and none other than the defending World Cup champions, and Holland’s arch enemy, Germany.

The core of the successful 1988 team was part of this 1992 team. We got to witness the fantastic trio of van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard together again along with the outstanding Ronald Koeman in the back and Hans van Breukelen in goal. This was also the tournament debut for the future stars of the Oranje such as Dennis Bergkamp, and Frank de Boer.

Holland kicked off their Group B with a 1-0 win over Scotland with Bergkamp scoring and introducing himself to the world. Holland then faced CIS and played to a scoreless draw. Holland ended the group stage with a memorable 3-1 win over Germany with Rijkaard and Rob Witschge giving the Oranje a 2-0 lead after 15 minutes before Jürgen Klinsmann scored one for the Germans in the second half. However, Bergkamp scored the insurance goal in the second half to ensure the Oranje finished as group leader while the Germans finished second.

Germany would meet host Sweden in the Semi-Finals and defeat them 3-2 to qualify for the final, while Oranje would face Denmark in the other Semi-Final. Denmark did not qualify for this tournament after finishing second to Yugoslavia in their qualifying group. However, Yugoslavia were suspended from the tournament just 10 days before it started because of UN sanctions stemming from the Yugoslav wars. Denmark’s players arrived from their vacation and finished second behind Sweden and ahead of France and England in their group.

The Heartbreak:

It did not matter if some thought Denmark did not belong; the Danes were now in the Semi-Finals and came to play. They were dangerous from the opening whistle as both sides exchanged dangerous counter attacks with van Breukelen coming to his team’s rescue while Peter Schmeichel faced a tame shot from Bryon Roy. Denmark surprised everyone when they scored in the 5th minute. Brian Laudrup got past Koeman and then whipped in a cross, over van Breukelen who couldn’t intercept the ball, for the unmarked Henrik Larsen who headed the ball into the goal and past the sprawling Bergkamp attempting a goal line block. Denmark could have added a quick second goal but Laudrup’s long range effort struck the side netting.

Both sides were dangerous on the counter attack and Bergkamp managed a superb dash to the goal, eluding a few players on his way before he was fouled. Koeman would take the free kick but would blast it a bit high over the bar. Holland though would equalize in the 23rd minute after Gullit headed down a cross inside the box for Bergkamp who would score a wonderful volley from right outside the box and past Schmeichel. Ten minutes later, Denmark would take the lead again after successive headers from Wim Vilfort and Laudrup was met by a Koeman header to deny a scoring chance. However, but the ball fell right to unmarked Larsen who scored his second of the match.

That goal gave the Danes a boost of confidence as they threatened Holland by exploiting the flanks with their speed while Laudrup was causing mayhem with the ball. Holland were in shock and the halftime whistle couldn’t come soon enough. Denmark were still the better side in the second half with the better chances early on but could not score the insurance goal. In the final twenty minutes, Holland chased for the equalizer with Gullit and substitute Wim Kieft both squandering good chances. Just when it looked bleak, Holland grabbed the equalizer four minutes from time.

Holland were awarded a corner kick after Bergkamp’s long range effort took a slight deflection. Rob Witschge’s ensuing corner kick was headed down by Gullit to van Basten, whose effort was blocked. Fortunately, the ball fell to Rijkaard who wasted no time in unleashing a powerful shot that went under Schmeichel, while John Jensen’s effort to block the shot, at the goal line, was futile as the ball ricocheted off his foot and into the goal. Just like old times, the magical trio were connecting once again for the Oranje.

Denmark though came close to winning it in the dying seconds after Holland got sloppy inside their own box following a throw in, but Lars Elstrup’s header was off the mark. A huge sigh of relief for the Oranje and extra time beckoned. Unlike the first ninety minutes, the Oranje were the better side in extra time but failed to score the game winner with Roy squandering two chances in the first half of extra time. In the second half, Gullit’s sliding effort to meet a van Basten cross and redirect the ball on goal was cleared, while Koeman’s trademark long range effort blazed over the bar. Holland’s final golden chance came courtesy of a van Basten cross but Gullit didn’t time his run properly for the chance to tap the ball in. For the first time in their history, a penalty shootout beckoned.

Holland would shoot first in the penalty shootout and Koeman converted from the spot as he made Schmeichel guess wrong by blasting it up into the middle of the goal. Larsen would take Denmark’s first kick and although van Breukelen guessed correct by diving to his left with his left hand making contact with the ball, he couldn’t deny the goal.

Marco van Basten was the second man in the shootout. The hero from 1988 struck the ball and Schmeichel guessed correct by diving to his left and denying van Basten. That penalty save was a sucker punch that I, and others, could not stomach. Denmark’s next penalty taker was Flemming Povlsen and van Breukelen attempted to get under his skin but the referee put an end to it. Povlsen struck the ball and van Breukelen knew exactly where the ball was going and managed to make contact with the ball. However, he failed to stop the shot. Holland’s best chance to make up for van Basten’s miss literally went through their goalkeeper’s fingers.

Bergkamp, Rijkaard and Witschge all converted from the spot. Sadly, so did Elstrup, Vilfort, and Kim Christofte who calmly slotted in the winning penalty. Once Christofte scored, he began to celebrate before Schmeichel and the other Denmark players joined in. For Holland, it was a bitter elimination from a tournament that was theirs to lose. Overall, this was entertaining showing by the Oranje with a memorable performance before their painful exit from their first ever penalty shootout.

The Aftermath:

Denmark continued to surprise everyone as they defeated Germany 2-0 in the final and were crowned champions of Europe. This would be the final time we would see Rinus Michels manage the Oranje or any other team for that matter. Michels stepped down as Holland’s manager and his assistant, Dick Advocaat, became his successor.

This would also be the final time we would see Koeman, van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard play together with Holland at an international tournament. Only Koeman and Rijkaard would feature two years later for Holland at the 1994 World Cup. Gullit fell out with Advocaat during the World Cup qualifiers and retired from the national team. Hans van Breukelen retired from the national team after this tournament while van Basten’s career for club and country ended after the 1992-1993 season because of injuries. Bergkamp would excel at the 1994 World Cup in place of van Basten and would become the recognizable forward of the Oranje for remainder of the decade.