Paris, Jul 15 (IANS): French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have announced that legendary Dutch forward Patrick Kluivert has arrived to be the capital club's Director of Football.
"The former Netherlands international will bring to the Club all his experience of playing at the very highest level, as well as his globally-recognised knowledge of football," read an official announcement on the club's website on Thursday, reports Xinhua.
"Under the direction of Paris Saint-Germain Chairman and CEO, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Patrick Kluivert will play an active role in the national and international development of the Club and will also be charged with defining the Club's long-term sporting strategy, for which he will be, amongst other roles, a leading ambassador.
"He will also engage in liaising with the biggest clubs and players in the world," it added.
Kluivert will work in collaboration with the General Manager Jean-Claude Blanc, and will overview the work of our new first-team coach Unai Emery and assistant sporting director Olivier Letang.
"I am extremely honored to join such a great Club as Paris Saint-Germain and to take on the role of Director of Football," Kluivert was quoted by the club's official website. "I will conduct my mission with great ambition and rigor."
"We are all in Paris to reach the very high objectives set by the Club and meet the expectations of the players and supporters alike. As I am moving to Paris, I would also like to express my gratitude to Ajax Amsterdam, the club thanks to which I discovered top-level football and which has always given me their trust," he said.
"I am convinced that his great football expertise and passion for the game will help even more the Club continue its fast international growth," commented Al-Khelaifi. "Following the nomination of our new coach and the selection of our future Performance Center, the arrival of Patrick Kluivert is another strong sign of our will to begin a new cycle."
Kluivert, 40, enjoyed a playing career with some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Ajax Amsterdam (1994-1997), with whom he won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Club Cup in 1995, and FC Barcelona (1998-2004), where he scored 90 goals in 182 matches. He ended his illustrious playing career in France, with Lille (2007-08).
With the Netherlands, Patrick Kluivert scored 40 goals in 79 appearances, finishing fourth at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and top scorer at UEFA Euro 2000, with five goals. He retired from football in 2008 and turned coach there after before he became assistant coach to Louis Van Gaal with the Netherlands national team that finished third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.