Gerald Vanenburg

Last updated

Gerald Vanenburg
Ajax selectie seizoen 1981 1982 nr. 18a S. Storm, speler, nr. 19a Gerald. Vanenburg, Bestanddeelnr 253-8569.jpg
Vanenburg in 1981
Personal information
Full name Gerald Mervin Vanenburg
Date of birth (1964-03-05) 5 March 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth Utrecht, Netherlands
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
Indonesia (assistant)
Youth career
Sterrewijk
Elinkwijk
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1980–1986 Ajax 173 (64)
1986–1993 PSV 199 (48)
1993–1996 Júbilo Iwata 86 (14)
1997 Utrecht 9 (2)
1997–1998 Cannes 26 (6)
1998–2000 1860 Munich 43 (2)
Total536(136)
International career
1982–1992 Netherlands 42 (1)
Managerial career
2000–2005 PSV (youth)
2004 1860 Munich
2006–2007 Helmond Sport
2008 FC Eindhoven
2008 Willem II (assistant)
2025– Indonesia U23
2025– Indonesia (assistant)
Medal record
Representing Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
UEFA European Championship
Winner 1988 West Germany
Representing Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia (as manager)
ASEAN U-23 Championship
Runner-up 2025 Indonesia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gerald Mervin Vanenburg (born 5 March 1964) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is currently serving as the assistant coach of the Indonesia national team and the head coach of the Indonesia under-23 national team.

Contents

He amassed Eredivisie totals of 372 games and 112 goals for Ajax and PSV combined, winning fifteen major titles between the two clubs, including the 1988 European Cup with the latter. Subsequently he played in Japan, France and Germany, in a 20-year professional career.

Vanenburg earned more than 40 caps for the Netherlands, appearing at the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988 and winning the latter tournament.

Personal life

Vanenburg was the nephew of former Surinamese international player and manager Roy Vanenburg. The latter was considered one of the greatest footballers in the country's history, having won the SVB Hoofdklasse title six times and the CONCACAF Champions Cup twice with S.V. Transvaal. [1]

Club career

Ajax

Born in Utrecht of Surinamese descent, [2] Vanenburg finished his football formation with AFC Ajax, and made his Eredivisie debuts exactly one month after his 17th birthday, against ADO Den Haag. He finished his first season with 11 games and three goals, being soon dubbed Vaantje and Geraldinho for his above-average skills.

Vanenburg became an undisputed starter for the Amsterdam side shortly after, providing countless assists for strikers Marco van Basten and Wim Kieft and adding 30 himself in two seasons combined as the club won back-to-back national championships; before leaving in June 1986, he scored in double digits in two more seasons. Himself, van Basten, Kieft were amongst a steady stream of talented youngsters that also included Frank Rijkaard that helped to the conquest of three league titles between 1982 and 1985. [3]

PSV

Vanenburg signed for PSV Eindhoven for 1986–87, netting nine goals in 34 matches in his first season, which ended in league conquest. He was part of the team that won the treble the following campaign, with the player appearing in the final of the European Cup and converting his penalty shootout attempt against S.L. Benfica. [4] The backbone of this treble winning team was formed by many of his former teammates at Ajax, including Frank Arnesen, Kieft, Ronald Koeman and Søren Lerby. [3]

Having rejected a lucrative move to AS Roma, Vanenburg played and scored regularly for PSV in the following five seasons, winning a further three leagues and two Dutch Cups. He appeared in nearly 500 official games between the two clubs, scoring almost 150 goals. He was also one of five European players to ever achieve the feat of winning four competitions – three with their club and one with the national team – in the same year, the others being teammates Berry van Aerle, Hans van Breukelen, Kieft and Koeman.

Abroad

Aged 29, Vanenburg had his first abroad experience, helping Júbilo Iwata promote to the J1 League in his first year then playing a further two seasons with them. He finished the 1996–97 campaign back in his country, still being relatively played as hometown's FC Utrecht ranked in 12th position.

Until his retirement in 2000 at the age of 36, Vanenburg played three more years of top flight football, with AS Cannes (France) and TSV 1860 Munich (Germany), where he began appearing regularly as a sweeper.

International career

Vanenburg made his debut for the Netherlands on 14 April 1982 at only 18, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 friendly win with Greece, in Eindhoven. [5] Vanenburg was a member of the Dutch squad at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was selected for the UEFA Euro 1988 tournament in West Germany, appearing in all the games as the Oranje won the competition. [6]

Vanenburg was also picked by manager Leo Beenhakker for his 1990 FIFA World Cup squad, but his contribution consisted of 45 minutes against Egypt (1–1 group stage draw), [7] in an eventual round-of-16 exit in Italy. His last international appearance came as a substitute in a 2–2 draw to Poland on 14 October 1992, in Rotterdam in a 1994 World Cup qualification match. [5]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[ citation needed ]
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ajax 1980–81 Eredivisie 113113
1981–8232133213
1982–8333173317
1983–84347347
1984–8529122912
1985–8634123412
Total1736417364
PSV 1986–87Eredivisie349349
1987–88341341
1988–8934103410
1989–90216216
1990–9129112911
1991–92197197
1992–93284284
Total1994819948
Yamaha Motors 1993 Football League 00104252
Júbilo Iwata 1994 J1 League 4381040488
1995 21121-232
1996 22500123348
Total86143116310518
Utrecht 1996–97Eredivisie9292
Cannes 1997–98 Ligue 1 266266
1860 Munich 1998–99 [8] Bundesliga 27220292
1999–2000 [8] 16010170
Total4323000462
Career total53613671205563142

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year [9]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Netherlands 198240
198351
198400
198500
198640
198770
1988100
198940
199060
199110
199210
Total421
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vanenburg goal.
List of international goals scored by Gerald Vanenburg
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
117 December 1983 De Kuip, Rotterdam, NetherlandsFlag of Malta.svg  Malta 1–05–0 Euro 1984 qualifying [5]

Managerial career

After leaving 1860 Munich, Vanenburg immediately returned to PSV where he was appointed the youth team's manager but, during that timeframe, also managed former club TSV during three months, starting in April 2004, with the team eventually being relegated from the Bundesliga.

In 2006–07, Vanenburg coached Helmond Sport in the Eerste Divisie, being fired on 17 February 2007. On 1 January of the following year he was appointed at another club in the category, FC Eindhoven.

On 24 January 2025, Football Association of Indonesia officially appointed Vanenburg as the new coach of the Indonesia under-23 national team and the assistant coach for the Indonesia national team under Patrick Kluivert. In addition, Vanenburg will work closely with the under-20 and under-17 teams to ensure continuity at all levels. [10]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 29 July 2025
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamNatFromToRecordRef.
GWDLWin %
TSV 1860 Munich Flag of Germany.svg 19 April 200423 May 20045023000.00[ citation needed ]
Helmond Sport Flag of the Netherlands.svg 1 July 200617 February 200713346023.08[ citation needed ]
FC Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg 1 January 200831 March 200810136010.00[ citation needed ]
Indonesia U23 Flag of Indonesia.svg 24 January 2025Present5221040.00[ citation needed ]
Career Total3361116018.18

Honours

Player

Ajax

PSV

Netherlands

Individual

Manager

Indonesia U23

References

  1. "Vanenburg, Roy; De eerste Surinaamse sportencyclopedie (1893–1988)" [Vanenburg, Roy; The first Surinamese sports encyclopedia (1893–1988)] (in Dutch). Digital Library for Dutch Literature . Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  2. "Ajax en Suriname: twee handen op één buik" [Ajax and Suriname: two peas in a pod]. Het Parool (in Dutch). 1 August 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Ajax Amsterdam". Football History. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  4. "1987/88: PSV prosper from Oranje boom". UEFA. 25 May 1988. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Gerald Vanenburg – International Appearances". RSSSF . 19 February 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  6. "Van Basten ends Dutch wait". UEFA. 5 October 2003. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  7. Netherlands – Egypt 1–1 (0–0); Planet World Cup, 12 June 1990
  8. 1 2 "Gerald Vanenburg » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  9. "Gerald Vanenburg". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  10. "Gerald Vanenburg Akan Jadi Asisten Patrick Kluivert di Timnas Senior dan Melatih Skuad U-23". Merah Putih.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 "Gerald Vanenburg". Eurosport . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "Gerald Vanenburg". Sport Promotion. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  13. "PSV honour ´golden´ 1988 squad". PSV Eindhoven. 14 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  14. "Hasil Final Piala AFF U-23 2025: Kalahkan Timnas Indonesia U-23, Vietnam Raih Gelar Juara!" [2025 AFF U-23 Cup final results: Vietnam defeats the Indonesia national U-23 team to win the title!]. Bola.net (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 July 2025.