1.
Zaandam
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Zaandam is a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the city of the municipality of Zaanstad. It is located on the Zaan, nearby the North Sea Canal, the statistical district Zaandam, which covers the city and the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 72,597. Zaandam was a municipality until 1974, when it became a part of the new municipality of Zaanstad. Zaandam and the surrounding Zaan River region, called the Zaanstreek, in the Dutch Golden Age, Zaandam served as a large milling centre. Thousands of windmills powered saws that were processing Scandinavian wood for the shipbuilding, a statue was commissioned from the Bosnian Serb sculptor Slavomir Miletić in honour of this era, and the statue, “The Woodworker”, was installed on 20 June 2004. Zaandam was a city in the first Industrial Revolution. Into the second half of the 20th century, Zaandam was still an important lumber port, Zaandam is also historically linked with the whaling industry. In 1697, the czar Peter I of Russia spent some time in Zaandam, the house he stayed in has been preserved as a small museum, the Czar Peter House. In 1871, the impressionist painter Claude Monet lived in Zaandam for approximately half a year, during that time, he made 25 paintings of the area, including Bateaux en Hollande pres de Zaandam and A windmill at Zaandam. The first European McDonalds restaurant opened in Zaandam in 1971, football club AZ was founded in Zaandam on May 10,1967. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, Zaandam, map of the former municipality, around 1868
2.
AFC Ajax
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Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam. Historically, Ajax is the most successful club in the Netherlands, Ajax is historically one of the most successful clubs in the world, according to the IFFHS, Ajax were the seventh-most successful European club of the 20th century. The club is one of the five teams that has earned the right to keep the European Cup and to wear a multiple-winner badge, in 1972, they completed the continental treble by winning the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup. It also won the first organized UEFA Super Cup in 1972 against Glasgow Rangers, Ajax is also one of three teams to win the continental treble and the Intercontinental Cup in the same season/calendar year, This was achieved in the 1971–72 season. Ajax, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are the four clubs to have won all three major UEFA club competitions. They have also won the Intercontinental Cup twice, the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, as well as the Karl Rappan Cup, Ajax plays at the Amsterdam Arena, which opened in 1996. They previously played at De Meer Stadion and the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, Ajax was founded in Amsterdam on 18 March 1900. The club achieved promotion to the highest level of Dutch football in 1911 and had its first major success in 1917, winning the KNVB Beker, the following season, Ajax became national champion for the first time. The club defended its title in 1918–19, becoming the team to achieve an unbeaten season in the Netherlands Football League Championship. Throughout the 1920s, Ajax was a regional power, winning the Eerste Klasse West division in 1921,1927 and 1928. This changed in the 1930s, with the winning five national championships. In 1956, the first season of the Netherlands new professional league, the team were again Eredivisie champions in 1960 and won a third KNVB Cup in 1961. A year earlier, Johan Cruyff, who would go on to become the greatest Dutch footballer of all time, between them, Michels and Cruyff led Ajax through the most successful period in its history, winning seven Eredivisie titles, four KNVB Cups and three European Cups. Ajax won the Dutch championship in 1966,1967, and 1968, during the 1966–67 season, Ajax scored a record 122 goals in an Eredivisie season and also won the KNVB Cup to achieve its first league and cup double. In 1969–70, Ajax won a fourth Dutch league championship and second league and cup double in five seasons, winning 27 out of 34 league games, after this success, Michels departed to become manager of Barcelona and was replaced by the Romanian Ștefan Kovács. In Kovács first season, Ajax completed a treble of the European Cup, the Eredivisie, in 1973, Michels Barcelona broke the world transfer record to bring Cruyff to Catalonia. Kovács also departed to become manager of the France national team, in 1976–77, Ajax won its first domestic championship in four seasons and recorded a double of the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup two years later. The early 1980s saw the return of Johan Cruyff to the club, as well as the emergence of young players Marco van Basten, the team won back-to-back Eredivisie titles in 1982 and 1983, with all three playing a significant role in the latter
3.
Inter Milan
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The club have played continuously in the top tier of the Italian football league system since its debut in 1909. Inter have won 30 domestic trophies as well as local rivals A. C. Milan, from 2006 to 2010, the club won five successive league titles, equalling the all-time record. They have won the Champions League three times, two back-to-back in 1964 and 1965 and then another in 2010 and their latest win completed an unprecedented Italian seasonal treble, with Inter winning the Coppa Italia and the Scudetto the same year. The club has won three UEFA Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. Inters home games are played at the San Siro stadium, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, shared with rivals A. C. Milan, the stadium is the largest in Italian football. The local team A. C. Milan are considered among their biggest rivals, as of 2010, Inter is the second-most supported team in Italy, and the sixth most-supported team in Europe. The club is one of the most valuable in Italian and world football and it was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europes leading football clubs. The club was founded on 9 March 1908 as Football Club Internazionale, following the schism with the Milan Cricket, the name of the club derives from the wish of its founding members to accept foreign players as well as Italians. The club won its very first championship in 1910 and its second in 1920, the captain and coach of the first championship winning team was Virgilio Fossati, who was later killed in battle while serving in the Italian army during World War I. In 1922, Inter remained in the top league after winning two play-offs, six years later, during the Fascist era, the club was forced to merge with the Unione Sportiva Milanese and was renamed Società Sportiva Ambrosiana. The team wore white jerseys around this time with a red cross emblazoned on it, the jerseys design was inspired by the flag and coat of arms of the city of Milan. Their first Coppa Italia was won in 1938–39, led by the iconic Giuseppe Meazza, a fifth championship followed in 1940, despite Meazza incurring an injury. After the end of World War II the club regained its name, winning its sixth championship in 1953. He would transform Inter into one of the greatest teams in Europe and he modified a 5–3–2 tactic known as the Verrou to include larger flexibility for counterattacks. The catenaccio system was invented by an Austrian coach Karl Rappan, herrera would modify it by adding a fifth defenders, the sweeper or libero behind the two centre backs. The sweeper or libero who acted as the man would deal with any attackers who went through the two centre backs. Inter finished third in the Serie A in his first season, second the next year, then followed a back-to-back European Cup victory in 1964 and 1965, earning him the title il Mago. In 1964, Inter reached the European Cup Final by beating Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final, in the final, they met Real Madrid, a team that had reached seven out of the nine finals to date
4.
Frank de Boer
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Franciscus Frank de Boer is a Dutch football manager and former player. A former defender, De Boer spent most of his playing career with Ajax, winning five Eredivisie titles. He later spent five years at FC Barcelona, where he won the 1998–99 La Liga title, before retiring after short spells at Galatasaray, Rangers, Al-Rayyan, De Boer is the most capped outfield player in the history of the Netherlands national football team, with 112 caps. He captained the Oranje to the semi-finals of both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, after retiring from playing, he went into management with the Ajax youth team and as assistant to Bert van Marwijk with the Dutch national team. In December 2010, he took over as manager of Ajax, in 2013, De Boer received the Rinus Michels Award for manager of the year in the Netherlands after leading Ajax to their third successive Eredivisie title. A year later, he became the first manager to win four consecutive Eredivisie titles, in August 2016 he was appointed as manager of Internazionale, replacing Roberto Mancini, before being dismissed approximately three months later. He is the brother of Ronald de Boer, with whom he was a teammate at Ajax, Barcelona, Rangers, Al-Rayyan, Al-Shamal. De Boer began his career as a back at Ajax before switching to centre back. He won both the 1991–92 UEFA Cup and 1994–95 UEFA Champions League while at Ajax, in addition to five Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups. However, after signing a contract extension with Ajax for the 1998–99 season, he. Ajax had an agreement that if a lucrative offer for one brother came by. In January 1999, Frank and Ronald de Boer signed for FC Barcelona for £22 million, after winning the 1998–99 La Liga title, they were unable to repeat their earlier triumphs. In 2000, Van Gaal was sacked by Barcelona and Frank suffered the ignominy of testing positive for the substance nandrolone a year later. He was suspended but he was reinstated after a successful appeal and he briefly moved to Galatasaray in the summer of 2003 before joining his brother at Rangers in January 2004. He made a total of 17 appearances for Rangers, scoring two goals, the De Boer brothers left Rangers after UEFA Euro 2004 to play the rest of their football careers in Qatar with Al-Rayyan. De Boer announced his retirement from football in April 2006, having represented his national team 112 times, he was the most capped player in the history of the Netherlands national team, until Edwin van der Sar surpassed him. De Boer made his debut for the Netherlands in September 1990 against Italy, De Boer also played for the Netherlands in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, and the 1992,2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships. He is well-remembered for the arching 60-yard pass which allowed Dennis Bergkamp to score the goal that knocked out Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup
5.
SBV Vitesse
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Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse, commonly known as SBV Vitesse, Vitesse or Vitesse Arnhem, is a Dutch football club based in Arnhem, which was founded on 14 May 1892. Since 1998, the club has played its games at the GelreDome. The idea of conceiving a football team stemmed from the early roots as a cricket club. In 1990, the club reached its most recent KNVB Cup final when it was defeated by PSV on a penalty kick in the 75th minute from Stan Valckx at De Kuip on 25 April 1990, karel Aalbers was the president of the club from 1984 until February 2000. Aalbers goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the Second League and he developed the basic idea for the Gelredome, a stadium with a sliding pitch that can be moved out of the building. Later, the system was applied in Gelsenkirchen and in Japan. Events such as pop concerts can be held without damaging the grass and it has a roof that can be opened and closed. It is fully climate controlled as well, in the first season after the opening, Gelredomes attendance rose to 20,000, Vitesse ranked top four positions, made profit and showed a solid balance sheet in the final years of his presidency. Aalbers resigned on 15 February 2000, after the sponsor, Nuon. Nuon, as a utility company, owned by local authorities, had trouble explaining why it invested heavily in Aalbers ambitious plans. In a short period of time, Vitesse began to show negative financial results, the club survived numerous financial crises, such as the last one in 2008, when debts were bought of, under the threat of bankruptcy. In 2010, the club was bought by Georgian businessman Merab Jordania and its home is the unique GelreDome stadium opened in 1998, featuring a retractable roof and a convertible pitch that can be retracted when unused during concerts or other events held at the stadium. The stadium was finished in time to host three group matches during the Euro 2000 tournament held in the Netherlands and Belgium. Its current capacity for football is 25,000, the capacity for shows is around 34,000. Their previous home was the Nieuw Monnikenhuize, the clubs training ground and youth development system are based at the National Sports Centre Papendal. As of 2012 the clubs pitches have been renewed, where under-soil heating was introduced, the new accommodation was completed and opened in the first half of 2013. For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers summer 2016 Note, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. For recent transfers, see 2016–17 Vitesse season, Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules
6.
Feyenoord
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Feyenoord Rotterdam is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam, playing in the Eredivisie. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the changed its name to SC Feijenoord in 1912, SC Feyenoord in 1974, and Feyenoord Rotterdam in 1978. Since 1937, Feyenoords home ground has been Stadion Feijenoord, named De Kuip, Feyenoord is known as a peoples club, with a huge national support. Feyenoord has a rivalry with AFC Ajax, as a clash between the two biggest cities in the Netherlands, which is called De Klassieker. The clubs anthem is Hand in Hand, in 2019, Feyenoord will become a multi-sports club. HC Feijenoord, Sportclub Feyenoord and Rotterdam Basketbal will be a part of the club, the football club Wilhelmina was founded in the pub De Vereeniging on 19 July 1908 and played in blue-sleeved red shirts and white shorts. Between 1908,1910,1911 and 1912, the club underwent a series of changes of name and team colours, becoming Hillesluise Football Club in 1909 and then RVV Celeritas. In 1917, Feijenoord were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football, 1e klasse and moved to the ground Kromme Zandweg. The team enjoyed a string of successes in the half of the decade, taking divisional titles in 1926,1927,1928 and 1929. Feijenoord won their first Dutch Cup in 1930 by scoring the goal in a derby final against Excelsior. They continued to dominate their division with three titles, but were winless in subsequent championship finals. Five years after their first cup win, Feijenoord took the prize for a time in 1935. Feijenoord started to more fans to their stadium at Kromme Zandweg. The club moved to the Feijenoord Stadion in 1937, playing the first match there on 27 March against Beerschot, during this period Feijenoord won three consecutive division titles from 1936 to 1938, with their third and fourth national championships coming in 1936 and 1938. During World War II, Feijenoord played their matches at Sparta Rotterdams Kasteel, when Het Kasteel was unavailable due to clashes with Sparta fixtues, Feijenoord played at their former ground, the Kromme Zandweg. Feijenoords again won a title with a national championship in 1940. During the German occupation of the Netherlands, play continued in Dutch football leagues, during this period, Feijenoords only trophy was a divisional championship in 1943. After the war, Feijenoord did not perform as well as they had in decades, not seriously challenging in their division
7.
FC Barcelona
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Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the second most valuable team in the world, worth $3.56 billion. The official Barcelona anthem is the Cant del Barça, written by Jaume Picas, Barcelona was ranked first in the IFFHS Club World Ranking for 1997,2009,2011,2012 and 2015 and currently occupies the third position on the UEFA club rankings. The club has a rivalry with Real Madrid, matches between the two teams are referred to as El Clásico. Barcelona is one of the most supported teams in the world, Barcelonas players have won a record number of Ballon dOr awards, as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Barcelona is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never relegated from the top division, along with Athletic Bilbao. In 2011, the club became European champions again and won five trophies, by winning their fifth Champions League trophy on 6 June 2015, Barcelona became the first European club in history to achieve the continental treble twice. On 22 October 1899, Hans Gamper placed an advertisement in Los Deportes declaring his wish to form a football club, FC Barcelona had a successful start in regional and national cups, competing in the Campionat de Catalunya and the Copa del Rey. In 1902, the club won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya and he said in a meeting, Barcelona cannot die and must not die. If there is nobody who is going to try, then I will assume the responsibility of running the club now on. Club president on five occasions between 1908 and 1925, he spent 25 years in total at the helm. One of his achievements was ensuring Barça acquire its own stadium. On 14 March 1909, the moved into the Camp de la Indústria. To celebrate their new surroundings, the club conducted a logo contest the following year, Carles Comamala won the contest, and his suggestion became the crest that the club still wears – with some minor changes – as of the present day. The contest was the most prestigious in that era, from the inaugural year in 1910 to 1913, Barcelona won the competition four consecutive times. Carles Comamala played a part of the four-time champion, managing the side along with Amechazurra. The latter became the clubs first full-time coach in 1917, the last edition was held in 1914 in the city of Barcelona, which local rivals Espanyol won
8.
A.C. Milan
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Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A. C. Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons, in the top flight of Italian football, known as Serie A since 1929–30. With 18 officially recognised UEFA and FIFA titles, they are the fourth most successful club in the world, with 18 league titles, Milan is the joint-second most successful club in Serie A, along with local rivals Internazionale. They have also won the Coppa Italia five times, and the Supercoppa Italiana seven, Milans home games are played at San Siro, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The stadium, which is shared with city rivals Internazionale, is the largest in Italian football, inter are considered their biggest rivals, and matches between the two teams are called Derby della Madonnina, which is one of the most followed derbies in football. The owner of the club is former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, the club is one of the wealthiest in Italian and world football. It was a member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europes leading football clubs as well as its replacement. A. C. Milan was founded as Milan Cricket and Foot-Ball Club on 13 December 1899 by English expatriates Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin, who came from the English city of Nottingham. In honour of its English origins, the club has retained the English spelling of the name, as opposed to the Italian spelling Milano. Milan won its first Italian championship in 1901 and a two in succession in 1906 and 1907. In 1908, Milan experienced a split caused by disagreements over the signing of foreign players. Following these events, Milan did not manage to win a domestic title until 1950–51. The 1950s saw the return to the top of Italian football, headed by the famous Gre-No-Li Swedish trio Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl. This was one of the clubs most successful periods domestically, with the Scudetto going to Milan in 1951,1955,1957,1959 and 1962, in 1963, Milan won its first continental title by beating Benfica in the final of the European Cup. This success was repeated in 1969, with a 4–1 win over Ajax in the final, during this period Milan also won its first Coppa Italia, with victory over Padova in the 1967 final, and two European Cup Winners Cups, in 1967–68 and 1972–73. Milan won a league title in 1979, but after the retirement of Gianni Rivera in the same year. The club was involved in the 1980 Totonero scandal and as punishment was relegated to Serie B for the first time in its history, the scandal was centred around a betting syndicate paying players and officials to fix the outcome of matches. Milan achieved promotion back to Serie A at the first attempt, winning the 1980–81 Serie B title, in 1983, Milan won the Serie B title for the second time in three seasons to return to Serie A, where they achieved a sixth-place finish in 1983–84
9.
Mario Balotelli
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Mario Balotelli Barwuah is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Italy national team. He started his football career at Lumezzane and played for the first team twice before having an unsuccessful trial at Barcelona. Inter manager Roberto Mancini brought Balotelli into the first team, but when Mancini left and he had a strained relationship with new manager José Mourinho and was suspended from Inters first team in January 2009 after a number of disciplinary problems. With doubts over his career at Inter, former coach Roberto Mancini had since moved to Manchester City and he joined Manchester City in August 2010, where his performances and off-field activities continued to be enigmatic and unpredictable. Balotelli eventually fell out of favour with Mancini after a training ground bust up between the two in January 2013 and his departure from City and return to Italy with A. C. Milan followed several weeks later. After 18 months at Milan, he returned to the Premier League with Liverpool, an unsuccessful season with the Merseyside club led to his return to Milan on loan and subsequent departure on a free transfer to Nice. Balotelli earned his first cap for Italy in a match against the Ivory Coast on 10 August 2010. Along with Antonio Cassano, he is Italys top-scorer in the UEFA European Championships and he is also Italys top scorer in the FIFA Confederations Cup, alongside Giuseppe Rossi and Daniele De Rossi, with two goals. Mario Balotelli was born in Palermo, Sicily as the son of Ghanaian immigrants, the family moved to Bagnolo Mella in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, when he was two. In 1993, when he was three, Balotelli was placed in care to the Balotelli family when his own family was unable to pay for his health care needs. His foster parents are Silvia, the Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors and they lived in the town of Concesio, Brescia, in northern Italy. At first, he stayed at the Balotellis during the weekdays and he later was permanently fostered by the Balotellis full-time, and adopted their surname. In June 2012, he dedicated his goals that put Italy in the final of the Euro 2012 football championships to his foster mother Silvia, Balotelli had to wait until his 18th birthday to request Italian citizenship, as his foster family had not adopted him. He officially gained citizenship in Concesio on 13 August 2008, after the ceremony he released the following statement, I am Italian, I feel Italian, I will forever play with the Italian national team. Mario Balotelli Mario has three siblings, Abigail, Enoch, and Angel Barwuah. Enoch Barwuah, two younger than Balotelli, is also a professional footballer. Balotelli began his career at Lumezzane, at the age of 15 he was promoted to the first team, making his first team debut in a Serie C1 league match against Padova on 2 April 2006. Having had a trial with Barcelona at the age of 15
