Mark Van Bommel Dutch football player Date of Birth: 22.04.1977 Country: Netherlands

Biography of Mark van Bommel

Mark van Bommel is a Dutch professional footballer who is best known for his time as a midfielder for PSV Eindhoven and as the first non-German captain of FC Bayern Munich. He began his career playing at an amateur level for the local club RKVV Maasbracht before signing his first professional contract with Fortuna Sittard in 1992.

Interestingly, van Bommel later reunited with two of his former Fortuna teammates, Wilfred Bouma and Kevin Hofland, at PSV Eindhoven. He joined PSV in 1999 and played as a midfielder, forming a strong partnership with Swiss player Johann Vogel. With PSV, van Bommel won two Eredivisie titles and two Johan Cruijff Shields. In 2001 and 2005, he was named Dutch Player of the Year.

During his last season with PSV in 2005, van Bommel performed at a high level and helped the team reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. It was expected that he would join his father-in-law, Bert van Marwijk, who was managing Borussia Dortmund at the time. However, van Bommel decided to stay with PSV until the end of the season before announcing his move to FC Barcelona.

In Barcelona, van Bommel was primarily used as a midfielder and was given a more aggressive role by coach Frank Rijkaard to complement the skills of the experienced players in the team. He had a successful season with Barcelona, winning several titles. In August 2006, van Bommel transferred to Bayern Munich, where he quickly became one of the team's key players. He was named the club's Player of the Year and became the first non-German captain in Bayern Munich's history after Oliver Kahn's departure in 2008.

On January 25, 2011, van Bommel signed a six-month contract with Italian club Milan, which was later extended for another year. Despite offers to further extend his contract, van Bommel declined. On April 29, 2012, it was announced that he had signed a one-year contract with his first club, PSV Eindhoven.

At the international level, van Bommel made his debut for the Dutch national team on October 7, 2000, in a match against Cyprus. However, he did not participate in major tournaments for a long time due to the Dutch team's failure to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and his injury prior to the start of the 2004 UEFA Euro. He made appearances for the national team in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers but was not selected for the tournament. In total, he played three matches in the World Cup and primarily operated on the right flank.

Van Bommel was not called up for the Euro 2012 qualifiers but was later included in the squad when his father-in-law, Bert van Marwijk, became the head coach of the Dutch team. After the team's defeat in Euro 2012, van Bommel decided to retire from international football.