“The last of the nightclubs left, knocked over the parking fence… Many things were covered up” | Relief

Patrick Kluivert was a special player. For good and bad. His six seasons at Barcelona produced many highlights. For history. Some are athletic, others are non-sports. Currently He is the thirteenth leading scorer in the organization’s history. with 123 goals. Dutch Panther (nicknamed for its lanky build and predatory movements in its territory) won the championship with Barça season 98/99 and He became the European champion with his Ajax. before signing a contract with the Barça team.

People who have lived their time in Barcelona say that his life was a little hectic. Night Lover, 2001. City police conducted a breathalyzer test and it came back positive.. He was fined and lost his driver’s license for a month. “He was the last one to leave the club. Many things were hidden”– explains Relevo a journalist who lived closely through Patrick’s time in Barcelona. “I remember one day I was leaving the mall and he knocked over a fence in the parking lot.”Add.

The leading scorer in the history of the Dutch national team with 40 goals in 79 matches, Kluivert ceased being coach of Turkish Super League side Adana Demirspor at the end of 2023. His goal against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2004 is one of the moments he remembers with the greatest emotion.. “I will never forget this Clasico. We won at the Bernabeu with a score of 1:2. I scored and then Ronaldinho helped Xavi score the winner.. Winning there is always special because when you come out of the tunnel there is a lot of hatred. They try to intimidate you, but beating Madrid at home is the best feeling“, He says.

A fatal accident, a rape… and a famous night in Madrid

In 1995 Kluivert was involved in a fatal accident when driving at a speed of more than 100 km/h on a road with a speed limit of 50 km/h. One of the passengers in the other car died. His sentence was light: barely three months probation with a probationary period of two years and 240 hours of “general interest” work. In addition, his driving license was revoked for 18 months. Kluivert didn’t even go to jail. Soon after this happened accused of sexually assaulting a young woman with three friends in Holland, although later He was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

As a result of that attack, when he was already a Barcelona player, The US denied him entry into the country during pre-season training. in 2003 he was banned from entry and had to apply for a special visa.

He was also one of the main characters famous night at the Hesperia Hotel in Madrid on the eve of the match that Barça lost in Vallecas against Rayo. Five players partied until the early hours of the morning. at the hotel where the team is concentrated. In room 821, three floors above, where the staff was concentrated. The footballers rented a luxurious room. Barça tried unsuccessfully to cover up the mess. One of those involved was Kluivert..

Van Gaal markings

Kluivert’s signing to Barcelona came a year after the arrival of the Dutch coach. Van Gaal chose Kluivert, with which he had already matched in Amsterdam by winning the European Cup. Time passed, and Van Gaal himself, in an interview in Sun, acknowledged the player’s problems with the night. “Patrick doesn’t have the most ideal environment. He needs to learn to live like a real professional footballer. and to be honest, he should have learned this a long time ago.

In August 2012 Kluivert joined the coaching staff of the Dutch national team by order of Van Gaal. He was there until the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.”I told him what he needed to change in his life.. What Kluivert needs and will always need is a tough coach like I was, although In my last spell at Barça I couldn’t control him and the results were obvious.“, he decreed.

From July 2019 to March 2021 it was director of youth football at Barcelona. Josep Maria Bartomeu spoke in favor of its registration. “Victor Valdez grabbed him by the neck while he was training at Juvenil. It didn’t end very well.”, a person who was present at this scene comments on this tool. Several former teammates have occasionally expressed their reluctance in public interviews. “I could spend 10 days in Sports City without picking up mail.. He was rarely seen at the sites,” explains one of the workers at the kule house. “You may not show up for weeks”ends.

People close to the player and who lived with him during his time at Barcelona speak highly of Kluivert, a friend and footballer. “He was a very funny and good person.. As a player he was a phenomenon and was very generous on the field. He was very well liked in the locker room.”– confesses to this medium a former culé footballer who shared the dressing room with the Dutchman.

Tandem Kluivert-Saviola

The Argentine striker was one of Kluivert’s best partners. They met in Barcelona for three seasons.. They had a very close relationship. In the field they understood each other at a glance. “I understand myself very well with Kluivert. It’s very easy to play next to him. He has a great vision of the game and it’s very good for me that he’s here because he fights strong defenders and leaves me more space for myself,” Saviola explained at the time.

“He’s very good, he’s a great goalscorer,” Kluivert said of the little boy. “I get along very well with Javier and wish him good luck.. He has to play for Barcelona, ​​but it is a very difficult club,” he added. Both left the club in the same season.2003/2004, although Saviola returned three years later to play one season for Barça.

Kluivert has always been in the spotlight and is questioned, but not for its quality. Scandals followed him not only for six seasons as a Barça player, but for most of his sports career. The striker, who also played for Valencia for one season although he signed for three, has a son, Shane Kluivert, a ‘9’ for Blaugrana Juvenil B.