Aron Winter

Aron Winter (born March 1, 1967 in Paramaribo, Surinam) is a retired Dutch footballer. He broke Ruud Krol's record for appearances for the Dutch national team when he got his 83rd cap at the {{Ec2|2000}} competition co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
March 1 - 1967 - Paramaribo - Surinam - Dutch - Ruud Krol - Dutch national team - Belgium

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He began his career by playing for amateur club SV Lelystad before he joined Ajax Amsterdam when he was only 19 years of age. His first game for Ajax was the match against FC Utrecht on 6 April 1986 which his team won 3-0. Winter achieved two Dutch cups (1987 and 1988), the Eredivisie title (1990), the Cup Winners' Cup (1987) and the UEFA Cup (1992) for the club before moving on to Italy where he played for SS Lazio in 1992. His first international game was against Greece on 25 March 1987 which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Related Topics:
Ajax Amsterdam - FC Utrecht - 6 April - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - Eredivisie - 1990 - Cup Winners' Cup - UEFA Cup - 1992 - Italy - SS Lazio - Greece - 25 March

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His midfield role at Lazio was to replace the 'enfant terrible' Paul Gascoigne of England and he dominated the defensive midfielder position for many years in the Serie A. He was among the handful of Dutch footballers to survive in the fiercely competitive Serie A alongside the likes of Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard. In the {{Wc|1994}}, he scored a goal against Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Related Topics:
Paul Gascoigne - England - Serie A - Ruud Gullit - Marco van Basten - Frank Rijkaard - Brazil

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Despite his tenure at Lazio for 3 years, he was unable to win any titles and he sought a new challenge. In 1996, he joined Inter Milan where he got the consolation of winning the UEFA Cup in 1998. It was also a great challenge for Winter as he played alongside many great players like Roberto Baggio, Giuseppe Bergomi and Gianluca Pagliuca at Internazionale. Further, he was selected for the national team for the {{Ec|96}} as well as the {{Wc|1998}} in France where he was to play a minor role at both tournaments in a squad packed with talented individuals like Dennis Bergkamp, Edgar Davids and Philip Cocu.

Related Topics:
1996 - Inter Milan - UEFA Cup - 1998 - Roberto Baggio - Giuseppe Bergomi - Gianluca Pagliuca - France - Dennis Bergkamp - Edgar Davids - Philip Cocu

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His age showed after the brilliant 1998 World Cup which ended in disappointment for the Dutch and he left Inter for his old club Ajax in 1999. Frank Rijkaard who was then appointed the head coach of the Netherlands even informed him after the World Cup that his chances for the 'Oranje' are limited as they have many similar players in that position who are younger than him. True to his pedigree for hard work, he maintained a fine form for Ajax and enough to earn a place in Rijkaard's {{Ec2|2000}} squad where although he played a bit part, was also one of the better players of the tournament.

Related Topics:
1999 - Frank Rijkaard

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In 2001, he was loaned out to Sparta Rotterdam after a high-profile dispute with then Ajax coach Co Adriaanse where he played 32 games and scored a goal before finishing his career at Ajax where he also chose to retire. His international career statistics stand at 83 caps with 6 goals and is the fifth most-capped player in the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
2001 - Sparta Rotterdam - Co Adriaanse

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