FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert has had a torrid two years – making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The 22-year-old AC Milan players was found guilty last year of manslaughter and sentenced to 240 hours of community service for killing someone in a car crash. Then the Dutch striker was accused of rape and risked being in prison when the World Cup gets under way this June.

But a Dutch appeal court ruled in Febuary that there were no grounds to pursue rape charges brought by a 20-year-old woman and they were dropped. Finally Kluivert could turn his mind to action on the field. In March he scored twice to earn AC Milan a 2-2 draw at Parma and a place in the Italian Cup final. It also underlined the fact that Holland possess one of the strongest strike forces in the World Cup.

Kluivert is a classic example of the famous Ajax youth programme. His fame was sealed when he scored the winning goal for Ajax in the 1995 Champions League Final. But as his personal life began to unravel he came under so much pressure from the Dutch press and public that after only three years with Ajax he needed a change of country. Looking first at England, he finally decided to move to Italy and Milan in 1997. But like many foreign imports he has found it hard to make his mark with the Italian giants.

However with Dennis Berkamp alongside him, Holland’s Group E rivals Belgium, South Korea and Mexico could be in for a battering.