91 League apps (+9 as sub), 25 goals
The arrival of £7 million man Marc Overmars proved to be yet another
excellent acquisition by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. The searing pace
and tricky ball skills that the Dutchman possessed were well known but
by the end of his first campaign he had also weighed in with the highly
impressive return of 12 goals. Overmars had moved to the Gunners in the
summer of 1997 from Dutch giants Ajax in a switch that saw him link up
with fellow countryman Dennis Bergkamp. His contribution proved
absolutely vital in the 1997/98 season as Arsenal broke Manchester
United's stranglehold on the Premiership title and then added the FA Cup
shortly after.
It was the flying Dutchman who scored the only goal in
the all-important game against United, at Old Trafford, to give the
Gunners victory as they continued their march towards the top spot. That
game was part of a ten match winning sequence which was to secure the
Premiership crown whilst the FA Cup was won with a comfortable 2-0
success over Newcastle United, with Overmars putting the Gunners in
front. It had proved to be a quite magnificent first season for the pacy
winger but his remaining two years at Highbury were not to produce any
further silverware.
Overmars scored six goals as the Gunners all but
retained their title but it was United who prevailed by just a single
point whilst the following season there was the disappointment of a UFEA
Cup Final defeat to Galatasaray. That proved to be the Dutchman's last
game for the club as he and team-mate Emmanuel Petit moved to Barcelona
in the close season for a combined fee of £30 million, with Arsenal
banking a £20 million profit on the pair in just three years. (David Scranage) |
CLUB CAREER:
1990–1991 Go Ahead Eagles 11 (1)
1991–1992 Willem II 31 (1)
1992–1997 Ajax 136 (36)
1997–2000 Arsenal 100 (25)
2000–2004 Barcelona 97 (15)
2008–2009 Go Ahead Eagles 24 (0)
Total 399 games (78 goals)
Overmars married his long-term partner Chantal van Woensel in May 2013.
Prior to the wedding, the couple had two sons, Frenkie and Nick, both of whom
were footballers. He is co-owner of a restaurant in Epe, where he resided
The family business, Overmars Vastgoed bv, was founded in the 1990s and
to invested in, amongst other things, commercial and residential buildings.
With his father Ben and brother Edwin, he also ran a car restoration service named
Overmars Classic Cars. In 2002, Overmars appeared in the Quote 500 richest
Dutch people list for the first time, at number 441.