Richard Witschge
Witschge in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Peter Witschge | ||
| Date of birth | 20 September 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SDW | |||
| Ajax | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1991 | Ajax | 87 | (3) |
| 1991–1993 | Barcelona | 40 | (2) |
| 1993–1996 | Bordeaux | 77 | (9) |
| 1995 | → Blackburn (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1996–2003 | Ajax | 139 | (12) |
| 2001–2002 | → Alavés (loan) | 26 | (1) |
| 2003 | ADO '20 | ||
| 2004 | Oita Trinita | 9 | (0) |
| Total | 379 | (27) | |
| National team | |||
| 1990–2000 | Netherlands | 31 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Richard Peter Witschge (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈriʃɑrt ˈʋɪtsxə]; born 20 September 1969) is a Dutch retired footballer who played as a defensive 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 teams, Barcelona. He amassed Eredivisie totals of 226 games and 15 goals, over the course of 11 seasons.
Witschge represented the Dutch national side in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Witschge was born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland. A product of local AFC Ajax's prolific youth ranks, he first appeared in the Eredivisie on 26 October 1986, at only 17, and scored his first league goal fairly a year after. His older brother Rob was already playing there.
After being established in the first team, Witschge joined Johan Cruyff's FC Barcelona, being fairly played as the Catalans won back-to-back La Liga championships. 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.
Subsequently, Witschge represented FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Blackburn Rovers (on loan from March 1995, he played once against West Ham United, as his team won the Premier League), Ajax (in his second spell with his main club, he added more than 150 official appearances, helping the club to two leagues and back-to-back domestic cups; additionally, he was loaned to Spanish top flight club Deportivo Alavés in the 2001–02 season), amateurs ADO '20 in Heemskerk and Oita Trinita from Japan, retiring in June 2004 at nearly 35 years of age.
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