5 legendary Dutch players who found success back in the Netherlands

#4 Frank Rijkaard (Ajax)

Rijkaard also enjoyed great success as a manager with Barcelona

A graceful but forceful defensive midfielder, Rijkaard boasts a trophy haul to rival most. He began his career with his local club Ajax and played over 200 times for them in this spell, ending up with 3 league titles to show for it. One uneventful year with Real Zaragoza in Spain followed before Rijkaard joined AC Milan, where he would really make his name.

As one part of the legendary Dutch trio with Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten that formed the soul of the Italian side during this period, Rijkaard won 2 league titles as well as 2 European Cups in just 5 seasons. His aggressiveness dominated the midfield, allowing the flair of the other two Dutchman to shine.

He left Milan at 31, ready to return to Ajax and he would remarkably enjoy almost as much success as he did when he first played for the Amsterdam club. Rijkaard was the experienced old head that acted as manager Louis van Gaal's voice on the pitch as both guided a youthful Ajax side to legendary status: they won the league in 1994 and 1995, before triumphing in the Champions League final in 1995 over, ironically, his former team Milan.

That was to be Rijkaard's last game for the club and it was the perfect way to bow out; Rijkaard's influence over emerging talents like Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, and Clarence Seedorf cannot be underestimated.