He Was The World's Best Footballer, Then He Disappeared

For a short time, Marco van Basten was the best attacker on the planet. He was winning back-to-back Ballon d'Or and helping Ac Milan secure the European Cup twice in a row.
But only a few years after his incredible rise to the top, Marco seemingly disappeared from the game entirely. What made him such an unforgettable player, and why did he vanish at the peak of his career?

[@Nibitor9353]

As a pure striker, I think he is the Greatest of All Time. Superior in the air, sharp movement off the ball, clinical finishing with either foot, and a strong mentality. A true specialist, yet extremely complete and multi-talented. His unwavering self-confidence was so well-founded that he would rarely be accused of being selfish, even if he attempted a bicycle-kick from 30 yards. It is heartbreaking how his amazing career was cut short!

[@kytaem]

As a child I was certain there would never be a finer player, and I wasn’t a Milan supporter

[@BrunoPereira-qi2wu]

He was great but R9 was the GOAT

[@OliverGrensemann-op9pg]

He was really great,but a better striker than Gerd Müller? Not even close if you look on the numbers national and International and adding the trophys.

[@Nibitor9353]

@@OliverGrensemann-op9pg In team sports like football, I think there's too much emphasis on trophy haul when assessing the ability of individual players. The overall team-quality is a major factor, and the role played by chance is simply too big. And as we know, van Basten's career ended many years "too early", yet he still demonstrated incredible ability and consistency. The Serie A of his era was also exceptionally tough, not least in terms of defensive organization, individual skill and cynicism. The star attackers were pretty much butchered back then. I think R9 was a better ball carrier, but to me van Basten is the most complete striker of all time.

[@mikeshinoda703]

​@BrunoPereira-qi2wu the fact you follow a trend and say r9 shows you just follow trends

[@saveriosalemme5366]

Maradona after hearing the news that Van Basten was retiring said he couldn’t believe that it was true but if it was true it meant God did not want beautiful goals to be scored anymore.

[@TheGeneral_LUFC]

i was a kid in the 80s. italian football then is like what the prem is now. i was a big AC milan fan and Marco was my hero. what a player. so sad he was riddled with injuries

[@Footyheaven-v3s]

Marco was in San Siro this month where they celebrated 125 years existence of Ac Milan together with Gullit and Rijkaard

[@cianog]

Greatest striker of his generation.

[@abdoulayendiaye7850]

Yes true

[@signoresantinoburnett1169]

Greatest striker ever. EVER.

[@PaulHolman-sh5ts]

the best striker i’ve ever seen absolutely ruthless any foot from anywhere .. chronic ankle injury ruined him

[@Cameron-qc7yk]

Think greenwood is similar but will not hit the same peak

[@FSLandscaping]

@@Cameron-qc7yk?? Mason Greenwood????

[@UnbiasedTravelDad]

As a pure striker there are none better than Marco Van Basten. Imagine the number of goals someone of his talent would get in todays game where a defender basically can’t touch you

[@arnoldzilban8274]

The story of Marco Van Basten reads like a Greek hero tragedy...but what a great story!

[@sargonsblackgrandfather2072]

I read Van Basten’s biography a little while ago and yeah he blames Cruyff for forcing him to play through an injury so it never fully healed. It’s a sad story with what he went through, at what should have been his peak he was in bed with a medieval contraption on his leg to fuse his bones back in place.

[@krude-ck3wy]

Disappeared? He had a career ending injury!

[@80Mrblueeyes]

He was the greatest striker!

[@alex-y5f4g]

OK ......i guess Maradona Pele Romario Baggio Laudrup were not alive at that time......

[@80Mrblueeyes]

@ it is my personal opinion. 🙂 deal with it 😀

[@alex-y5f4g]

@@80Mrblueeyes and if you ever played this game you were probably a goalie because you have no clue about good attackers of that era my friend .Did i dealt well with it?

[@80Mrblueeyes]

@@alex-y5f4g im just saying that he is the best striker in my opinion, and modric the best midfielder, Kahn the best keeper…..etc etc Probably im not allowed to share my opinion on the internet?

[@Gerard_2024]

@80Mrblueeyes Definitely one of the greatest.

[@banggoman7371]

The greatest striker of All Time..

[@Raydensheraj]

Grown adult AC Milan Fans were crying when they KNEW...Marco would never play again. R9, Van Basten, Gerd Müller, Lewandowski and Romario....Van Basten is the greatest Striker ever to emerge in Europe. I only consider R9 a greater Striker....and R9 was a freak of nature...

[@ahmaddeeni]

I think him retiring so young is also a flex. It’s like those musicians that drop one classic album and dip out the scene altogether, not a single smidge on the legacy.

[@pb5191]

You have a fantastic channel. You need to do an expose on Antonin Panenka. Pele, in his book, "My Life and The beautiful Game" mentioned Panenka as being the best free kicker he had seen. Now granted, that was written in the late 1970s and many great free kickers have been seen. But, I still believe Panenka was the Top 5 free kicker maestros of all time.

[@paulw3765]

Absolutely stunning player once again like Ronaldo R9 (my opinion was the best centre forward ) injuries took there toll finishing them way too early in there career..

[@Timbermannetje]

R9 was not as complete as Marco..

[@paulw3765]

@ all about opinions, many footballers have said R9 was the best they’ve seen ..

[@Timbermannetje]

@@paulw3765 But he was not really good at aerial attacks. Volleys/headers/bicycle-kicks and such. R9 was AMAZINGLY good at dribbling and tricks.

[@TshumuKokgalagadi]

​@@TimbermannetjeThere's always people like you

[@Timbermannetje]

@@TshumuKokgalagadi Marco: dribbling 8, air attacks: 10. R9: dribbling 10, air attacks 7.

[@jamesduffy5350]

Great player

[@grahamnewton4381]

I didn’t realise I had something in common with Van Basten. My playing days with my local pub team were cut short by a bad ankle injury’s well 😂😂

[@Footyheaven-v3s]

Good luck man!

[@mrcls7040]

better than everyone..... everyone

[@AIJimmybad]

I'd put big Ron Ronaldo ever so slightly ahead of him as the best striker I've ever seen then daylight.

[@Raydensheraj]

Yep. R9...Van Basten....Gerd Müller.

[@banggoman7371]

Legend!

[@janjanssen9629]

He didn’t disappear… they destroyed his ankles with dirty football in Italy… 🚑

[@jonasboecker]

What could he have done if he had played longer. So sad.

[@androspolydorou3672]

Best call round centre forward ever from a neutral football fanatic

[@DidYaServe]

No-one like him around today. Zlatan was probably the closest player like him since but Marco was superior.

[@jonaswhale6451]

Bergkamp was the closest , both players had a fenomenal bal touch

[@micmicc400]

He was as good as R9 in his prime...

[@michaelmetcalfe4882]

Interesting video, though there are parts of the story that I heard a little differently - not saying what I've heard is necessarily more correct - namely the specific reasons MVB and Sacchi fell out. Milan had always played a 4-4-2 under Sacchi, but Marco was antagonised by both Sacchi's incessant badgering about minute details, never giving anyone a moment's rest from his obsessive pouring over every pass, every run etc. Marco also did not appreciate Sacchi's flat refusal to acknowledge VB's status as star player on the team. He wasn't looking to be over-indulged or pampered or whatever, but it irked him to be treated as only one equal cog in the machine when it was his responsibility to convert good team performances into actual wins, actual success, with his goals. That's an added responsibility that Sacchi seemingly did not care to accept, in Marco's eyes. I'd also heard that Capello's football was more defensive, if anything, than Sacchi's. Capello just understood better how to get the best from MVB and keep him happy.

[@Footyheaven-v3s]

All the information is mostly out of his biography, but maybe your information is from another POV. But thanks for the comment..

[@shaungregory1827]

"Textbook Dutch striker, a-la Van Persie or Ruud Gullit" - Gullit wasn't a striker. He was an incredible midfielder who earlier in his career had a great eye for goal and often made the kind of late runs into the action that Frank Lampard would adopt in his career. Later as Gullit aged, he moved deeper and dictated the tempo of the game with his passing, ball control and vision.

[@Raydensheraj]

I always considered him a mixture between offensive winger and false 9....or back then a winger that evolves into a striker depending on the situation. Just like Brian Laudrup for example...

[@shaungregory1827]

@@Raydensheraj Gullit could have played anywhere - he was that good. In his youth, sitting behind the striker was his best position and with age, moving a little further back.

[@Gerard_2024]

@@shaungregory1827 I would love to have seen him in goal, but it might have cramped his style just a little...

[@sngs9565]

Oh YESSSS! Marco Van Basten was a LEGEND! AC Milan can't be messed with!!! Edin Hazard impact was similar to Marco Van Basten! You get these type of players once a while! Both players retired due to injuries.... Lucky to watch them both in my lifetime.....🙏🙏🙏

[@kcapo89]

Hazard retired at a way later age not really the same thing van Basten career was cut short from the amount of fouls he took

[@Kayla-jj2rj]

He did not disappear change your title he had a bad injury that finished him

[@eddiexxxx]

Cruyff was called the Swan because he was supposed to be gracefull, MVB made him look like a ugly duck!

[@lasselippert3892]

For pure strikers, the only person I'd put ahead of him is '96-'98 Ronaldo.

[@jingle1161]

0:12 outside "weak" left foot. Try this at home.

[@manovanbenthem8035]

How he disappeared? Ask the italian defenders that were attacking his ankles

[@kevingunn34]

Was a great all round centre forward but wasn’t in the same class as R9 Ronaldo. Lots of players could do the things that Van Basten could - he just did them better and more consistently. R9 however could do things that virtually no other forward in history could do. Not just my opinion either. Capello coached both and he said that R9 was better.

[@TheRednose3269]

I don't believe Maradona ever won the Ballon d'Or

[@greatwarwalk]

Steve Irwin ? That's the person who's picture you put on the video. Lol

[@salipahpitney]

Its so true

[@pbgbr]

5:18 Roid Gullit…lmfao

[@ezikealrage]

Hahaha I was hoping someone else noticed that.

[@darren-q5n]

so maradona said its between romario and van basten as to the best player hes ever seen

[@Footyheaven-v3s]

So True...

[@geeianna7708]

Omy. Then he disappeared!!!!. He got injured at age 26. So he resigned. What a load if clickbait

[@PropagandasaurusRex]

Well, he did disappear, sort of. He has been coach for a short while but no one ever heard from him since.

[@sargonsblackgrandfather2072]

Roid Goolit 😂

[@englishjona6458]

Holland Germany is the biggest game Europe can ever have, this guy knows nothing

[@bramharms72]

It seems like that from our perspective but I've noticed that with most Great Rivalries outside of the 2 rival countries no one even notices. Historically you'd think that France/Germany would be the greatest European rivalry but as a Dutchman I never experienced it as such. The English think that England/Germany is a classic Great Rivalry but even the Germans themselves are blissfully unaware of it being anything special. Since the rest of the world thinks of us as swamp-Germany they'd probably be surprised we think of it as a rivalry.

[@YBM2007]

Hmm its up there but not the biggest imo

[@Carson-pv4hr]

He wasn't better than prime Maradona they played the same era .ssme league van Basten had better players around him . Club and country Maradona was a step ahead

[@MisterSkyLow]

so if Maradona was from Latvia van Basten would be better right?

[@saveriosalemme5366]

Sorry but Maradona was E.T. on the field and no player before or after comes even close.

[@englishjona6458]

This guy is talking nonsense van basten played England before the euros at Wembley look it up and see whatever done to us that night

[@Footyheaven-v3s]

Check it out here, he didn't participate: www.transfermarkt.com/england_netherlands/index/spielbericht/1152664

[@alex-y5f4g]

HE WAS NOT THE BEST .....ONE OF THE BEST ATTACKERS FROM EUROPE....REMEMBER THE KING MARADONA AND OTHERS WERE MUCH BETTER THAN HIM.

[@Footyheaven-v3s]

At the time, he was the world best footballer. Winning 3 ballon do'r ;-)

[@Skibbitypappappa]

Other than Maradona I’d love you to list the others that were “much” better than him?? 😂

[@alex-y5f4g]

@@Skibbitypappappa Baggio Romario HAGI Laudrup enough for yu???

[@Skibbitypappappa]

@@alex-y5f4g Hagi was an attacking midfielder/playmaker, his 2 moves to big clubs on Milan’s level were Real Madrid’s & Barcelona where he didn’t perform to a high standard and both moves were considered a failure overall. Baggio was a class player but during van Bastens prime he wasn’t on his his level, he was 8th in the ballon d’or voting in 1990 for instance then won his one and only ballon d’or in 1993 when van Basten wasn’t playing anymore due to the same injuries he played with when he was winning ballon d’ors…scary to think how good he would have been without a painful injury. Romario - one of my fave all time strikers, but didn’t move to a European powerhouse until 1993 where as we know - Van Basten wasn’t playing anymore, before that he was playing in the Dutch league where van Basten was incredible and was 4/5 years removed from by 1992 and he had 2 seasons at Barca where he score goals but largely his career was played in inferior leagues. Laudrup, top player spent a decade or so between 3 massive clubs in Juve, Barca & Real but only had 67 goals during van bastens heyday for Juve and Barca and was more of an attacking midfielder type also So yeah some very good players there but non of them were “much better” than van basten that’s just pure nonsense in my opinion

[@alex-y5f4g]

​@@Skibbitypappappa OK ....BUT THATS MY OPINION I played soccer in the first league in Romania and i believe those players were better in skills than him...He played with very talented players in one of the best clubs in Europe . Like C Ronaldo has shit skills as an attacker but when yu get lots of passes to you in the penalty box you can score every game .i personally know players better than Ronaldo but they were born in a small country and played in small clubs. I am talking about dribbling and scoring skills...trust me , he was not the best at that time and also politics play a big role sometimes...he was great but others were even better

[@mehranyousefi4396]

Remember the time he was playing in Italia there was not any protection from referees and diffenders were very brutal no matter who you are but look at today all players are protected by referees because money and advertising