15 Facts About Richard Witschge

Richard Peter Witschge was born on 20 September 1969 and is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Richard Witschge was known for his technique and passing ability.

Richard Witschge featured sparingly during his tenure, as the Catalans won back-to-back La Liga championships.

Richard Witschge faced intense competition for playing time as the three allotted slots for foreign players were usually taken up by Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov and his compatriot Ronald Koeman, and an injury ruled him out of the 1992 European Cup Final.

Richard Witschge moved to Blackburn Rovers on loan just ahead of the transfer deadline in March 1995, featuring against West Ham United, as his team won the Premier League title.

Richard Witschge had been intended as a replacement for injured left winger Jason Wilcox, but manager Kenny Dalglish preferred the more conservative option of pushing left-back Graeme Le Saux forward, bringing Jeff Kenna into the defence.

An unimpressed Richard Witschge later made an outspoken attack on Blackburn, branding the Lancashire town and its inhabitants "poor and ugly".

Richard Witschge scored seven league goals and figured prominently in the team which reached the final of the UEFA Cup, after qualifying for the competition through the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

In May 1996, Richard Witschge agreed a return to Ajax, who wanted his experience to bolster the team which had begun to break up in the aftermath of their 1995 European Cup win.

Richard Witschge returned to the Amsterdam Arena as a youth coach in 2013.

Richard Witschge earned 31 caps for the Netherlands, in which he scored one goal.

Richard Witschge's initial spell in the national team yielded 19 appearances and one goal, between February 1990 and March 1992.

Richard Witschge attended the play-off tie against the Republic of Ireland in Liverpool, but was not ultimately selected.

In September 2000, Richard Witschge returned to the national team after a three-year absence due to an injury crisis.

Richard Witschge's older brother, Rob, was a footballer and a midfielder.