Van Bommel Mark
Mark Peter Gertruda Andreas van Bommel is a Dutch football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. Van Bommel won the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League with Barcelona and was part of the Netherlands team that finished runner-up of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His FIFA World Cup profile describes him as “a tackling machine and expert ball-winner, but he also boasts a fine array of passes and a powerful shot, having been a free-kick specialist during his PSV days”. When he played for Bayern Munich, he was the club’s first non-German captain. During this period, he led the team to two Bundesliga titles, and finished runner-up in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final. Between 2000 and 2011, Van Bommel won eight national championship titles in four different competitions, four with PSV, two with Bayern Munich, one with Barcelona and one with Milan. He is also the son-in-law of former Netherlands national team manager Bert van Marwijk.
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On 25 January 2011, Van Bommel signed a six-month contract with Milan on a free transfer after terminating his contract with Bayern. He was given the number 4 shirt, and the day after, he made his debut in a 2–1 victory against Sampdoria in the Coppa Italia quarter-final. On 29 January 2011, Van Bommel made his Serie A debut against Catania but was sent off after receiving a second yellow card early in the second half. Soon after, however, he adapted to Italian football and became a regular in Massimiliano Allegri’s squad, contributing greatly in convincing 3–0 wins against Napoli and city rivals Internazionale. He was a starter in the match against Roma on 7 May 2011 that brought Milan their 18th Scudetto. On 17 May 2011, Milan announced that Van Bommel had extended his contract for one more year. In the second season of his stint at Milan, he continued to be a starter and occupied the defensive midfielder position throughout the season. He decided not to stay with Milan for another season, despite being offered a new contract.
