Club Born in
Amstelveen, North Holland, to
Surinamese parents, Reiziger started his career with hometown club
Ajax, making his first-team debut at the age of 17 then serving two consecutive loan spells, with
Volendam and
Groningen; with the latter, in the
1993–94 season, he scored a career-best six goals while operating also as a
midfielder. Upon his return to Ajax, Reiziger established himself as a renowned defensive element, helping the side to, among other conquests, the
1994–95 edition of the
UEFA Champions League. In 1996, he signed for
A.C. Milan, but after a
season marred by injury, he departed for
Barcelona where he spent the following seven years, arriving at the same time as compatriot and former Ajax boss
Louis van Gaal; though not an undisputed starter, he nonetheless featured heavily for the
Catalans, making more than 200 overall appearances and helping to back-to-back
La Liga titles. In 2004, Reiziger moved to
Middlesbrough on a
Bosman transfer. He scored once in the league for Boro, against
Aston Villa in December 2004. After another campaign plagued by physical problems, he left and returned to the Netherlands to see out his career at
PSV Eindhoven (in
his second year he won the
Eredivisie, and was also reunited with Ajax, Barça and national teammate
Patrick Kluivert, although the two rarely ever played).
International at
Euro 2004 Reiziger made his debut for the
Netherlands national team on 12 October 1994, against
Norway. He played for his country at the
UEFA Euro 1996,
1998 FIFA World Cup,
Euro 2000 and
Euro 2004, retiring from international play after the latter. Shortly after signing for PSV, Reiziger said he would consider playing for the Netherlands again if the opportunity arose, but he was never recalled again, totalling 72 appearances in ten years. ==Coaching career==