Arnold Mühren

Arnold Mühren

Arnold Mühren in 1972
Personal information
Full name	Arnold Johannes Hyacinthus Mühren
Date of birth	(1951-06-02) 2 June 1951
Place of birth	Volendam, Netherlands
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Ajax (youth coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1970–1971	Volendam	26	(2)
1971–1974	Ajax	62	(16)
1974–1978	Twente	108	(39)
1978–1982	Ipswich Town	161	(21)
1982–1985	Manchester United	70	(13)
1985–1989	Ajax	99	(14)
Total		516	(105)
International career
1978–1988	Netherlands	23	(3)
Managerial career
	Volendam (youth coach)
	Ajax (youth coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Arnold Johannes Hyacinthus Mühren (born 2 June 1951 in Volendam, North Holland) is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. His older brother Gerrie, also a midfield player, won three European Cup titles with Ajax in the early 1970s. Mühren is among the few players to have won all three major UEFA-organised club competitions, the European Cup (1972–73), the Cup Winners' Cup (1986–87) and the UEFA Cup (1980–81). The last of which was won with Ipswich Town, while the other titles were all won while playing for Ajax.

Career

After starting his career at FC Volendam, Mühren moved to Ajax Amsterdam in 1971. He had his first domestic success with FC Twente, winning the KNVB Cup in 1977 and reach the 1975 UEFA Cup Final. A year later he moved to Ipswich Town in England for a fee of £150,000; in the same year he made his international debut in a 4–0 win against Tunisia. He was part of the successful Ipswich team that won the 1981 UEFA Cup. In 1982 he transferred to Manchester United. He helped United win the 1983 FA Cup Final by scoring a penalty in the replay, and left the club after the 1985 FA Cup Final, in which United defeated Everton. He did not feature in the match squad for the 1985 final.

He was one of the few players from outside the United Kingdom and Ireland playing in English football in that era.

After his stay in England, Mühren returned to Ajax, where he added the European Cup Winners' Cup (1986–87) to his trophy collection. Mühren also reached the final the following year in 1988 but lost to KV Mechelen. At the age of 37, he achieved the highlight of his career, when he was a vital part of the Dutch national team that won the European Championships in 1988. In the final against the Soviet Union he provided the cross from which Marco van Basten scored the second goal (considered one of the greatest volleyed goals of all time). He continued playing for Ajax for one more season after that, finally hanging up his boots in 1989 at the age of 38.

Honours

Arnold Mühren and Gerrie Kroon getting married on 12 March 1974

Club

Ajax

• Eredivisie (2): 1971–72, 1972–73
• Dutch Cup (3): 1971–72, 1985–86, 1986–87
• European Cup (1): 1972–73
• European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1986–87
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1972

Twente

• Dutch Cup (1): 1976–77

Ipswich Town

• UEFA Cup (1): 1980–81

Manchester United

• FA Cup (2): 1982–83, 1984–85

International

Netherlands

• European Championship (1): 1988

See also

• List of players to have won the three main European club competitions

External links

• Arnold Muhren – FIFA competition record