Marc Overmars is a Dutch former professional footballer and director of football at Belgian Pro League side Royal Antwerp FC.
60 Facts About Marc Overmars
2.
Marc Overmars began his playing career at SV Epe before joining Go Ahead Eagles' youth team in 1987.
3.
Marc Overmars's stay at the club was short; after 31 appearances he signed for Ajax in 1992.
4.
Marc Overmars established himself as an important member of the team that won three Eredivisie titles from 1994 and 1996 and the UEFA Champions League in 1995.
5.
In December 1995, Marc Overmars sustained a cruciate ligament injury which ruled him out of playing for eight months.
6.
Marc Overmars scored the winning goal against league rivals Manchester United which set his team on their way to securing the Premier League title and opened the scoring against Newcastle United in the 1998 FA Cup final.
7.
In 2012, Marc Overmars was named as Ajax's director of football.
8.
Marc Overmars scored on his international debut in 1993 against Turkey, and was a member of the Dutch squad for four major tournaments: the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, and 2000 and 2004 European Championships.
9.
Marc Overmars was born in Emst, Gelderland, growing up on a family farm with his parents and assisting his grandfather with the potato harvest each year.
10.
Marc Overmars attributed his pace to his mother who was quick, but "had no time for sports".
11.
Marc Overmars began his playing career at local club SV Epe.
12.
Marc Overmars was happy with how his career progressed and said it was a "dream" to play for Ajax.
13.
Marc Overmars's goals helped Ajax win the league; the team ended the campaign 25 points clear of second place Feyenoord.
14.
Marc Overmars scored against Bayern Munich at the semi-final stage of the latter competition.
15.
In December 1995, Marc Overmars injured himself during Ajax's match against De Graafschap.
16.
Chairman Michael van Praag was determined to keep the club's players and said that Marc Overmars had signed a four-year contract in 1996.
17.
Marc Overmars had his least productive season for Ajax, scoring two goals.
18.
Wenger felt the signing of Marc Overmars would rectify that problem.
19.
Marc Overmars, who scored two goals in the match, had now "run into devastating form" according to Brian Glanville.
20.
Marc Overmars scored both of Arsenal's goals in their win over Leeds United on 11 January 1998.
21.
Marc Overmars said Overmars was a "positive buy" and pointed out that his goalscoring record was "not bad for a winger".
22.
Marc Overmars was a constant threat in the match and scored in the 80th minute.
23.
Marc Overmars received the ball from Nicolas Anelka and ran with it, before managing to flick it beyond the goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel.
24.
All Europe thought Marc Overmars was dead because of his damaged knee, but in every important game we have had this season, he has scored.
25.
Marc Overmars found himself on the scoresheet at home to Nottingham Forest in the opening game of the league campaign.
26.
In November 1999, Marc Overmars scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal, at home to Middlesbrough.
27.
Marc Overmars had suggested before the campaign that Arsenal were as strong as their rivals, "especially in attack where we now have so many more options".
28.
In 2008, Marc Overmars was voted as the 12th-greatest player in Arsenal's history by the club's supporters.
29.
Marc Overmars was "flattered" by Barcelona's interest and said moving to such a club would "excite any player".
30.
Marc Overmars's site garnered 250,000 hits in one day, highlighting the internet's "potential for exponential growth" in regards to football.
31.
Marc Overmars made his debut for Barcelona against Arsenal in the Amsterdam Tournament in August 2000.
32.
Marc Overmars lasted 45 minutes and was substituted after sustaining an ankle injury.
33.
Marc Overmars scored his first goal for the club at home to Racing de Santander on 23 September 2000; it involved him dribbling the ball around the goalkeeper.
34.
Marc Overmars encouraged the team to play with more width and made minimal changes; for instance, he switched Overmars from a left winger to a right one.
35.
Marc Overmars tore a muscle in his thigh during a Copa del Rey match against Terrassa in May 2003 and was sidelined for a month.
36.
Marc Overmars made 29 appearances in the first team, three fewer than in the previous campaign.
37.
Marc Overmars was prolific in the Copa del Rey, a competition he scored twice in three matches.
38.
In July 2008, Marc Overmars played in Jaap Stam's testimonial match in a team of "former Stam-mates" against Ajax.
39.
Marc Overmars declined the offers at first, but in August 2008 announced he was to come out of retirement to play again for Go Ahead Eagles.
40.
Marc Overmars' comeback lasted only one season as his knee continued to give him discomfort.
41.
Marc Overmars scored five minutes into his debut, after good play from Wim Jonk.
42.
Marc Overmars did not participate in the tournament finals as he was recuperating from his knee ligament injury.
43.
Marc Overmars believed his best position for the national team was up front, but manager Guus Hiddink wanted him to remain as a winger.
44.
Marc Overmars was selected in the squad for the 1998 World Cup, staged in France.
45.
Marc Overmars did feature late into the game as a substitute, but aggravated his injury.
46.
Marc Overmars was forced to sit out the entire semi-final against Brazil, which the Netherlands lost on penalties.
47.
Marc Overmars suffered a minor setback prior to Euro 2000 with a sore thigh muscle.
48.
Marc Overmars played in eight of the national team's ten 2002 World Cup qualifiers, but it was an unsuccessful campaign as they failed to qualify for the finals.
49.
Marc Overmars was selected for the tournament held in Portugal, and was advised by Advocaat not to train more than once a day, so that his body would resist burn out.
50.
Marc Overmars only started three matches in Euro 2004, his final game was the Netherlands loss to Portugal in the semi-final.
51.
Marc Overmars was a good dribbler who could beat people one-on-one and that was important for a winger in our system.
52.
Former defender Gary Neville opined that Marc Overmars was the best winger he came up against in his time at Manchester United, not least because of his versatility, which was exemplified by Marc Overmars's ability to play on both the left and the right wing, despite being naturally right footed.
53.
In February 2005, Marc Overmars became a shareholder of Go Ahead Eagles.
54.
In 2011, Marc Overmars took up a position as youth coach of Ajax for one day per week.
55.
Marc Overmars became director of football at Ajax in July 2012.
56.
Marc Overmars resigned from his position at Ajax on 6 February 2022 after admitting to sending a series of inappropriate messages to female colleagues.
57.
Marc Overmars married his long-term partner Chantal van Woensel in May 2013.
58.
Marc Overmars is a co-owner of a restaurant in Epe, in the province of Gelderland, where he resides.
59.
In 2002, Marc Overmars appeared in the Quote 500 richest Dutch people list for the first time, at number 441.
60.
In December 2022, Marc Overmars was admitted to hospital after suffering a "mild stroke".