Rangers v Ajax MR
BRIAN LAUDRUP
FRANK DE BOER
RONALD DE BOER
RANGERS - JULY 1994TO JUNE 1998
AJAX - JUNE 1999TO JANUARY 2000
There is not a lot more can be said about Brian Laudrup
that has not already been said. Quite simply he was
sensational for Rangers during the nine-in-a-row era
and the fact that many fans view the Dane as one of the
greatest players to ever wear a light blue jersey
underlines the impact he had on the Scottish game.
After spells at Brondby, Bayer Uerdingen, Bayern
Munich, Fiorentina and AC Milan, Laudrup, who won the
European Championships with Denmark in 1992, moved
to Rangers in July 1994 and his lightning pace and close
control made him an instant hit with the Ibrox faithful.
After scoring 45 goals in 150 appearances and setting up
many more the winger was to leave the club a legend and
decided on a move south to sign for Chelsea in June 1998.
His time in London was to be brief, eleven appearances
in total, and in a further move to Copenhagen in the spring
of 1999 he was only to feature 12 times.
Rumoured family problems resulted in Brian joining
Ajax for one season at the tail end of his career, taking
over from his equally famous brother Michael who had left
the club 12 months earlier.
He was to retire at the age of 31 after one of the most
successful careers in Danish football history.
AJAX - AUGUST 1988TO JANUARY 1999
RANGERS - JANUARY 2004TO JUNE 2004
One of the most influential players of his generation,
Frank de Boer, the younger twin brother of Ronald by
10 minutes, made his debut as an 18-year-old
defender with Ajax in 1988 and went to enjoy a decade
of remarkable success with the Dutch masters.
He helped to lift the UEFA Cup in 1992 before going on
to record a famous Champions League win over AC Milan
in 1995, narrowly failing to retain the trophy a year later
when they lost on penalties to Juventus in the final.
After winning five league titles and two cups, Frank -
alongside Ronald - made the switch to Barcelona at the
start of 1999 and helped the Catalan side to the Spanish
league title in his first season.
A commanding centre-half with a deadly eye from set-
pieces he was to move to
Turkey in the summer of 2003
before making a surprise switch
to Ibrox six months later.
Frank, Holland's most
capped outfield player with
112 caps, was to show his
undoubted class in 17
appearances in a Light Blue
jersey, scoring two goals,
before moving to Qatar to play
for Al-Rayyan.
AJAX - AUGUST 1987TO AUGUST 1991, AUGUST 1992TO JANUARY 1999
RANGERS - AUGUST 2000TO JUNE 2004
Like his twin brother Frank,
Ronald de Boer started his
career at Ajax but, unlike his
sibling, was always looked upon
as an attacking midfielder.
A technically gifted playmaker,
Ronald was to enjoy a ten year
period at Ajax but during his early
years at the club he was to have
a brief one-year sabbatical at
FC Twente.
When he returned to Amsterdam in 1992 Ronald was
starting to develop into the complete midfielder and he
played a major part in Ajax's domestic dominance in the
mid-90s along with the Champions League glory of 1995.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ronald's move to Barcelona in
January 1999 did not work out quite as well as he would
have hoped and, after warming the bench at the Nou
Camp on many occasions, he decided to join the Dutch
legion at Rangers under Dick Advocaat.
He was to spend four successful seasons with the club,
scoring 32 goals in 104 appearances, and his superb
touch and awareness brought a different dimension to the
Gers' team during the Advocaat and McLeish eras before
leaving for Qatar in June 2004. In total he won 67 caps for
his country and scored 13 times.
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