London: Former World Player of the Year Marco van Basten is taking a break from coaching Dutch Eredivisie team AZ Alkmaar due to illness, the club said.
The 49-year-old former Holland, Ajax and AC Milan striker won’t be on the bench this weekend when AZ Alkmaar play at FC Dordrecht because of “serious” physical ailments “as a result of matters in his private life,” the club said on its website on Thursday.
Van Basten will be replaced by his assistants Dennis Haar and Alex Pastoor, the club said.
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Van Basten has heart palpitations. It added his father, Joop van Basten, died this summer.
Van Basten is widely regarded as one of the most gifted players of his generation, having scored 24 goals in 58 games for the Netherlands. He scored five times at the 1988 European Championship, which the Netherlands won. He was named World Player of the Year in 1992 by the sport’s governing body, Fifa, and won the European footballer of the year award three times before an ankle injury ended his career at the age of 30.
After a break from football, Van Basten returned in 2003 when he started coaching the youth team of Ajax. He has since managed Holland, Ajax and Heerenveen. This is his first season with AZ Alkmaar.
