Ronald Koeman - Playing Stats

[DadoDrinksMilk]

I was on a bit of a football rabbit hole this morning on wikipedia and I ended up on his page. He was a bit before my time but his goalscoring record was ridiculous for a defender.

1980–1983	Groningen	90	(33)
1983–1986	Ajax	94	(23)
1986–1989	PSV	98	(51)
1989–1995	Barcelona	192	(67)
1995–1997	Feyenoord	61	(19)
Total		535	(193)

What's everyone's memory of him in his playing days?

 

[charlie_snowball]

Built like a battleship and turned like one too.

Brilliant player and absolutely deadly from a dead ball.

 

[RodVegas]

Unbelievably good player. Could have walked into pretty much any team in the world at his peak.

 

[Xavi Hernandez]

I'm sure I read a mental stat that he had a 1 in 4 scoring ratio from direct free kicks. Not sure how accurate that is.

He once hit 21 league goals in a season for PSV. 88 goals in 6 seasons at Barca. Remarkable stats for a defender.

Brilliant player.

Loved this moment, when he should have been sent off v England...then scores a belter of a free kick.

 

[1288Bear]

Played a lot in midfield and was a bit of a fee kick specialist which helped with his goal tally.
Scored a free kick in the European Cup Final at Wembley to win the cup for Barcelona in what, as far as I can remember, was a pretty awful game except for Koeman's strike.

 

[1288Bear]

I'm sure I read a mental stat that he had a 1 in 4 scoring ratio from direct free kicks. Not sure how accurate that is.

He once hit 21 league goals in a season for PSV. 88 goals in 6 seasons at Barca. Remarkable stats for a defender.

Brilliant player.

Loved this moment, when he should have been sent off v England...then scores a belter of a free kick.

Totally forgot all about that - "do I not like that"

 

[Baz]

Best freekick taker ever in my opinion

 

[blueboab]

Knew his goalscoring was good but didnt realise how good . Only real memories of him were his free kicks and he was built like a shithouse. Was one of his weaknesses not that he wasnt the quickest ?

 

[kebabloyal]

Could certainly pick a pass and was a dead ball specialist. I always thought he offered more going forward but could be got at defensively. Think those stats show that, but didnt realise just how many he scored , those stats are unreal.

 

[Sandy76]

If he had a free kick from within 30 yards it was as good as a penalty.

 

[Sron Gorm]

He was brilliant on free-kicks, and I think it was 1992 European Cup Final he scored an extra time free-kick to beat Sampdoria 1-0 at Wembley. I think Barca played in Orange shirts and put their home top on for the presentation. A star for clubs and country his only weakness was his lack of speed.

Stay safe and healthy to you all.

 

[Sandy76]

He was brilliant on free-kicks, and I think it was 1992 European Cup Final he scored an extra time free-kick to beat Sampdoria 1-0 at Wembley. I think Barca played in Orange shirts and put their home top on for the presentation. A star for clubs and country his only weakness was his lack of speed.

Stay safe and healthy to you all.

Remember watching that after my standard grade physics exam. That was the 1st time Barcelona won the European cup.

 

[GeordieRanger]

One of my favourite footballers of all time. On the face of it he didn't really have the attributes to play in the position he spent most of his career, centre half/sweeper. He wasn't very tall and he wasn't very quick either but what an unbelievable footballer he was! One of the best free kick takers of all time and very reliable from the penalty spot as well. His goalscoring record for a centre half was ridiculous. 21 goals in a single season for PSV! Could also play in midfield as well as he was so comfortable on the ball.

 

[Woodrow Call]

Remember watching that after my standard grade physics exam. That was the 1st time Barcelona won the European cup.

Pep with hair

 

[Loyal Soldier]

A high percentage of his goals will have been from set pieces?

 

[MrRipley]

I'm sure I read a mental stat that he had a 1 in 4 scoring ratio from direct free kicks. Not sure how accurate that is.

He once hit 21 league goals in a season for PSV. 88 goals in 6 seasons at Barca. Remarkable stats for a defender.

Brilliant player.

Loved this moment, when he should have been sent off v England...then scores a belter of a free kick.

I'm sure that was a retaken free kick too, could be wrong though.

 

[speedo215]

Played a lot in midfield and was a bit of a fee kick specialist which helped with his goal tally.
Scored a free kick in the European Cup Final at Wembley to win the cup for Barcelona in what, as far as I can remember, was a pretty awful game except for Koeman's strike.

That was to win the champions league for Barcelona to win for the first time.

 

[1288Bear]

That was to win the champions league for Barcelona to win for the first time.

Incredible to think that Barcelona's first European Cup win was 1992 but probably reflects the fact that there was historically only one team from each country competing in the European Cup.
And the fact that Madrid were so dominant in Spain throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's.
They had, however, won the Cup Winners Cup and the UEFA Cup/Inter-Cities Fairs Cup on a number of occasions.

 

[Khal Drogo]

I'm sure that was a retaken free kick too, could be wrong though.

You're correct. He rattled the first one and it was blocked and re-taken for encroachment. Then he chipped it into the top corner

 

[DarthVader]

Brilliant passer of the ball.

 

[Flying Fullback]

Barca were always my foreign team. Always associated Koeman for his goal v Porto where he got the ball on the half way line, jogged forward with it before unleashing a shot into the top corner:

After Barca destroyed Porto in the semi I was convinced they'd walk the final.

4-0 they lost.

 

[Sandy76]

Pep with hair

I had hair too

 

[Woodrow Call]

I had hair too

Me too mate me too

 

[ek_loyal]

One of the players I used to pretend to be as as kid in the park, trying to rattle free kicks in from all distances

 

[Gauche.]

A great player, the sort of professional that highlights the difference between the continental game and the game in Scotland.
In Scotland he would be called lazy and slow and told to play out wide.
Whereas the Dutch would build a team around him and try to make sure that he got a lot of the ball.
A cult hero amongst fans of the Dutch national team,not only because of his skills but because after a swapping shirts at the end of a game against Germany, he simulated wiping his buttocks with the German shirt.
From memory, it may have been Rudi Voellers shirt.

 

[aldo78]

I'm sure I read a mental stat that he had a 1 in 4 scoring ratio from direct free kicks. Not sure how accurate that is.

He once hit 21 league goals in a season for PSV. 88 goals in 6 seasons at Barca. Remarkable stats for a defender.

Brilliant player.

Loved this moment, when he should have been sent off v England...then scores a belter of a free kick.

Remember watching that game, you knew what was happening 5 - 10 secs before he struck the freekick, Seamans positioning was laughable.

 

[TNF985]

Don’t remember much but I what I do know was I was amazed at his free kicks!

 

[Deek]

His free kick against Sampdoria at Wembley is my first footballing memory