Gerald Vanenburg
Dutch association football player
About Gerald Vanenburg
Born 1964. Gerald Vanenburg is a Dutch association football player and association football coach.
Gerald Mervin Vanenburg (born 5 March 1964) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who was most recently the assistant coach of the Indonesia national team and the head coach of the Indonesia under-23 national team.
He amassed Eredivisie totals of 372 games and 112 goals for Ajax and PSV combined, winning fifteen major titles between the two clubs, including the 1988 European Cup with the latter. Subsequently he played in Japan, France and Germany, in a 20-year professional career.
Vanenburg earned more than 40 caps for the Netherlands, appearing at the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988 and winning the latter tournament.
Personal life Vanenburg is the nephew of former Surinamese international player and manager Roy Vanenburg. The latter was considered one of the greatest footballers in the country's history, having won the SVB Hoofdklasse title six times and the CONCACAF Champions Cup twice with S.V. Transvaal.
Club career Ajax Born in Utrecht of Surinamese descent, Vanenburg finished his football formation with AFC Ajax, and made his Eredivisie debuts exactly one month after his 17th birthday, against ADO Den Haag. He finished his first season with 11 games and three goals, being soon dubbed Vaantje and Geraldinho for his above-average skills.
Vanenburg became an undisputed starter for the Amsterdam side shortly after, providing countless assists for strikers Marco van Basten and Wim Kieft and adding 30 himself in two seasons combined as the club won back-to-back national championships; before leaving in June 1986, he scored in double digits in two more seasons. Himself, van Basten, Kieft were amongst a steady stream of talented youngsters that also included Frank Rijkaard that helped to the conquest of three league titles between 1982 and 1985.
PSV Vanenburg signed for PSV Eindhoven for 1986β87, netting nine goals in 34 matches in his first season, which ended in league conquest. He was part of the team that won the treble the following campaign, with the player appearing in the final of the European Cup and converting his penalty shootout attempt against S.L. Benfica. The backbone of this treble winning team was formed by many of his former teammates at Ajax, including Frank Arnesen, Kieft, Ronald Koeman and SΓΈren Lerby. Vanenburg was a member of the Dutch squad at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was selected for the UEFA Euro 1988 tournament in West Germany, appearing in all the games as the Oranje won the competition.
Vanenburg was also picked by manager Leo Beenhakker for his 1990 FIFA World Cup squad, but his contribution consisted of 45 minutes against Egypt (1β1 group stage draw), in an eventual round-of-16 exit in Italy. His last international appearance came as a substitute in a 2β2 draw to Poland on 14 October 1992, in Rotterdam in a 1994 World Cup qualification match.
1999β2000 National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vanenburg goal. + List of international goals scored by Gerald Vanenburg
Managerial statistics
Indonesia U2324 January 202516 October 2025Career Total
Honours
Player Ajax Eredivisie: 1981β82, 1982β83, 1984β85 KNVB Cup: 1982β83, 1985β86
PSV European Cup: 1987β88 Eredivisie: 1986β87, 1987β88, 1988β89, 1990β91, 1991β92
Donβt just read it β
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download Β· yours to keep Β· every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Gerald Vanenburg's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gerald Vanenburg's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Gerald Vanenburg?
Dutch association football player
When was Gerald Vanenburg born?
Gerald Vanenburg was born on 5 March 1964 in Utrecht.
What is Gerald Vanenburg's occupation?
Gerald Vanenburg is an association football player and association football coach.
What nationality is Gerald Vanenburg?
Gerald Vanenburg is Dutch.
Sources & further reading
Β· Wikipedia: Gerald Vanenburg
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gerald Vanenburg. https://biography.guide/gerald-vanenburg/
MLA: "Gerald Vanenburg." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gerald-vanenburg/.
Chicago: "Gerald Vanenburg." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gerald-vanenburg/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:17 UTC