Things to Know:
Andy Van der Meyde rifle goal’s celebration was very popular back to his Inter and Ajax era. In the 2003 off-season, when he was 24-year-old Van der Meyde was acquired by Inter Milan from Italy, for £4 million. However, he managed only 14 Serie A appearances in his first season, appearing slightly more in the following campaign. Van der Meyde scored a spectacular goal against Arsenal on 17 September 2003, in the Champions League group stage 3–0 away win at Highbury, as the Nerazzurri were eventually ousted in the group stages. After leaving Inter, strong speculation suggested Van der Meyde would return to Ajax, with additional reported interest from French club AS Monaco FC and Tottenham Hotspur in England. On 19 May 2002, Van der Meyde was handed his debut for Dick Advocaat’s Dutch national team against the United States, which he marked with a goal in a 2–0 win. He helped the country reach the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2004, featuring in four games – all starts – and assisting Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 1–1 group stage draw to Germany, but being overlooked for the last-four match against Portugal. After the tournament, following Marco van Basten’s appointment as national team manager and the emergence of youngsters as Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart, Van der Meyde failed to receive another callup, finishing his international career with 17 caps.
