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Ronald De Boer had a great deal of success over the course of his career at Ajax and will look to capture more success as he takes part in the ICONS of Football 2017 golf-style tournament.

Though the Dutchman ended up leaving Ajax relatively early in his career – along with his equally-talented brother, Frank – he will still be remembered as one in a long line of great players to sport the club’s jersey.

The older of the De Boer twins had an illustrious run throughout the 1990’s with Ajax that saw the club win a Champions League Title. The midfielder was also a member of five of Ajax’s 33 Eredivisie title-winning squads and also a two time winner of the Dutch Super Cup.

De Boer was also a part of the last Ajax club to win an International cup and won three International Cups while with the club. Additionally, he was a member of the 1995 Intercontinental Cup-winning side. Both the De Boers scored their penalty kicks to help edge out Grêmio 4-3 in penalties.

He also won the UEFA Champions League title and UEFA Super Cup in 1995 that proved to be De Boer’s most successful year in terms of silverware. Over his time with Ajax, De Boer was twice named the Dutch Footballer of the Year. After leaving Ajax, he spent the next two seasons at Barcelona.

Whilst Ronald was with Ajax he had quite the successful international career appearing 67 times and netting 13 goals for the Netherland national team. Over his time on the national stage De Boer played in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups scoring two goals in six matches.

It was on this day exactly 17 years ago that De Boer got his first goal for Barcelona. The goal would be a souvenir piece as it was the only one he scored for Barcelona in 33 matches in La Liga appearances. De Boer decided to join Rangers after his brief stint at Camp Nou and was able to have a renaissance. In his third season with Rangers, the Dutchman netted 20 goals on the way to the Glasgow side winning the domestic ‘Treble’ of League Championship, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup. De Boer’s 20 goal season was the most he had in one season in his entire career.

Ronald De Boer finished his career in the Qatar Stars League with Al-Rayyan but was only able to play for one season before retiring due to a neck injury. The Dutch maestro will always be know as one of the best creative midfield players of his time and one half of the famous De Boer twins. He is remembered for very confident style of play and terrific vision that he used to set up many goal scoring opportunities for his teams.

Rest of the World Captain Darren Clarke is hoping that De Boer’s touch and vision on the football pitch will be able to transfer over to the golf course at The Belfry this Summer for the ICONS of Football 2017 tournament.

Tickets for Icons of Football 2017 are available now at icons-series.com

Scoring 100 goals for any football club is a massive achievement. The modern game sees top-level footballers change clubs more often than most change their underwear, so the commitment it takes to stick around and give one’s all for a single team has to be admired, while the ability and determination to reach the tonne is remarkable.

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Theo Walcott managed this feat for Arsenal earlier this week as he fired the goal that settled his team’s 2-0 win over Sutton United in the FA Cup, joining an elite band of Gunners players including Thierry Henry. But while the Frenchman is remembered as a club legend, the former teen prodigy has been branded a flop by 67% of fans who voted in our recent poll…

This seems a bit harsh. Granted, Walcott has not fulfilled the potential many thought he had when he signed for the club at the age of 16, but eleven years of service deserves some recognition, right?

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Everton midfielder Ross Barkley will not try to force a move away from Goodison Park this summer, according to The Telegraph.

What’s the story?

Romelu Lukaku’s future at the Merseyside outfit has dominated headlines over the past 24 hours, but there is another contract situation yet to be resolved.

Barkley will be in the final year of his deal when the 2017-18 season rolls around, but indications from manager Ronald Koeman are that the club want him to stay put.

The Mirror reported last week that Tottenham Hotspur have made the midfielder a top target in their summer transfer wishlist.

However, The Telegraph claims that Barkley is not taking notice of the rumoured interest in him and is happy now that he has won a regular spot back in Koeman’s team.

Is keeping Barkley crucial?

With rumours swirling around that Lukaku could be on his way out of the Goodison Park exit gates, ensuring that Barkley remains is crucial for the club.

The England international is arguably one of the Merseyside outfit’s best players, and if they want to start breaking into the top six, they need all the top talent possible.

From The Telegraph’s report, it seems that Barkley is by no means desperate to move on, perhaps partly because he has become a crucial member of Koeman’s team and also because Everton are his boyhood club.

If progress is being made, it is highly likely that Barkley will want to be spearheading it rather than moving on elsewhere.

However, if Lukaku leaves, it may call into question Everton’s ambitions, which could have a knock-on effect when it comes to the other players.

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Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk posted an update on his recovery from injury on Twitter on Tuesday night, with a picture of himself running on a treadmill.

The 25-year-old has been out of action since picking up an injury in the win against Leicester City at St Mary’s in January, and missed the EFL Cup final against Manchester United as a result.

However, the Dutchman has made the next step on his road to recovery as he is now starting to run again, and Saints supporters will be hoping that their skipper returns to the field before the end of the season.

Van Dijk was one of the standout performers in the Premier League earlier in the season, and he has been linked with big-money moves to a number of top clubs, including Chelsea.

Fans of the south coast outfit were quick to have their say via social media on the image their captain posted, with some looking forward to his return, and others asking him to stay for another year.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the story…

Sheffield Wednesday play host to Newcastle United at Hillsborough in a huge Championship clash on Saturday evening.

The Owls looked nailed to cement a spot in the play-off positions following a fine run at the start of 2017, but a sequence of just one win in seven matches saw them slip out of the top six last weekend.

However, after they won 2-0 at already-relegated Rotherham United on Tuesday night, they leapfrogged Fulham to move back into sixth and manager Carlos Carvalhal will know that they must keep picking up points in order to stay there.

They certainly won’t face an easy task against the top-of-the-table Magpies though, who moved closer to securing an instant return to the Premier League as they beat Burton Albion 1-0 at St James’ Park on Wednesday night.

Rafa Benitez’s men are 10 points clear of third-placed Huddersfield Town, and a win in Yorkshire would put them on the brink of promotion.

Here are FIVE key battles that will decide the huge Championship clash…

Carlos Carvalhal vs Rafa Benitez

Ah, Portugal vs. Spain – always an interesting battle.

It was one that Carvalhal came out on top on earlier in the season when the Owls beat Newcastle 1-0 at St James’ Park in December, with Glenn Loovens scoring the goal that separated the sides.

However, Benitez will be out for revenge and after guiding the Magpies to 42 points on the road this term – 10 more than any other Championship side – he will be confident that his team have the ability to take all three points at Hillsborough.

Tom Lees vs Dwight Gayle

The Owls defender has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Championship in recent seasons, but he will face one of his toughest tests of the campaign when he comes up against Gayle on Saturday.

The striker has scored 22 league goals this term – at a rate of one every 96 minutes – and even though the 26-year-old has netted just once in his last five games, he will be a huge threat at Hillsborough.

Steven Fletcher vs Jamaal Lascelles

Fletcher had gone 13 Championship matches without a goal – a run that began in the win at St James’ Park in November – before he was given a rare 2017 start against Rotherham on Tuesday night.

The Scottish striker took advantage of his opportunity by scoring both of his side’s goals in the 2-0 win, which is sure to mean that he keeps place in the side for the visit of the Magpies.

Newcastle captain Lascelles will know that the Owls attacker will come into the clash in confidence after ending his goal drought, and he will need to keep a close eye on the 30-year-old.

Morgan Fox vs Matt Ritchie

Some people were surprised when Ritchie decided to drop down to the Championship with Newcastle after some impressive Premier League showings with Bournemouth, but he is on the verge of returning to the top flight after a brilliant season.

The 27-year-old has scored 15 goals in all competitions for the Magpies – including two in his last two Championship matches – and he is fine form going into the clash at Hillsborough.

Meanwhile, left-back Fox missed the game against Rotherham in midweek and he faces a tough test on his return to the starting line-up.

Fernando Forestieri vs Jonjo Shelvey

Forestieri is arguably Sheffield Wednesday’s key man and they have certainly missed him in the last few weeks because of a knee injury.

The 27-year-old hasn’t played since the draw against Burton Albion at the start of March but looks set to return to the side for the visit of Newcastle this weekend – a huge boost for Carvalhal considering he has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 30 Championship appearances.

He is likely to be used behind the striker for the visit of the Magpies, and it could be down to the impressive Shelvey to keep a close watch on the Italian.

This is certainly going to be a key battle between two of the best players in the division.

Due to the intense rivalry between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, fans will take any opportunity they can to kick their enemies while they are down.

At the weekend, Arsenal dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City, while Spurs moved to within seven of Premier League leaders Chelsea after defeating Burnley 2-0 on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were helped along when the Blues suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace on home soil.

Despite Arsenal coming from behind twice to draw with City at the Emirates on Sunday, maximum points were needed as their chances of finishing in the top four dwindle.

As it stands, Arsene Wenger’s men are sixth in the standings, seven points adrift of fourth-placed City with 10 matches left to play.

Frustrated is probably the best way to describe Arsenal fans this season as they continue to be disappointed by the club’s failure to launch a title challenge, while others are desperate for the manager to call time on his 20-year spell in charge.

After Sunday’s game, a video emerged on Twitter showing a brawl between Arsenal supporters, indicating that views are very-much mixed within the club’s following.

As expected, plenty of Tottenham fans took enjoyment out of Arsenal’s result at the weekend and some mocked the rifts between the Gunners’ own supporters.

Chelsea simply didn’t turn up at Old Trafford on Sunday as Manchester United produced a solid 2-0 win. Nothing should be taken away from the Red Devils who were fantastically organised and controlled the match throughout, but it was nonetheless a disappointing performance from the Premier League’s pace-setters considering how well they’ve played throughout Antonio Conte’s first season.

Chelsea didn’t produce a single shot on target as their attack struggled to develop any rhythm, with Diego Costa particularly struggling. He had just one effort at goal throughout the ninety minutes, didn’t win a single aerial duel and also completed just 29 passes.

Worryingly, it’s not the first time Costa has struggled to deliver in 2017. In fact, it’s been a very disappointing year for him thus far, now going goalless for five Premier League fixtures – his longest top-flight drought since arriving in England from Atletico Madrid.

We asked our Chelsea readers last week whether Antonio Conte should sell the misfiring Spaniard this summer and according to our exclusive poll, a whopping 75% of Chelsea fans would back a departure in the next transfer window.

Should Costa’s Chelsea career come to an end this summer? Let us know by commenting below!

For much of Jose Mourinho’s first season at Manchester United, Antoine Griezmann has been billed as the poster-boy signing to truly mark the Portuguese’s tenure as Red Devils boss, reportedly requiring an indulgently expensive £155million package to bring him to Old Trafford and seen as the perfect addition to inject world-class netting prowess to the Red Devils’ unconvincing forward cast.

The France international lit up Euro 2016 last summer and has been nothing short of phenomenal at club level since signing for Atletico Madrid in 2014, going on to notch up 82 goals in 156 appearances across all competitions for the Mattress Makers.

But for such a lofty release clause, you’d expect Griezmann to consistently deliver on the big occasions. And although it would be wrong to suggest a failure to do so has been a recurring trend throughout his career, United fans will have been concerned with the 26-year-old’s performance against Real Madrid in Tuesday night’s Champions League semi-final.

In fairness, Griezmann can only do so much. Atletico were collectively poor at the Bernabeu, struggling to make use of what little of the ball they saw whilst finding themselves continually pinned back by the hosts in a 3-0 victory. They finished up with just 38% possession and four shots on goal.

But considering Real Madrid hadn’t recorded a single clean sheet in the Champions League before last night and have only the fifth-best goals conceded record in La Liga, Griezmann’s inability to impact the match in the final third is a little concerning.

Indeed, Griezmann didn’t have a single effort at goal, failed to complete a single dribble and could only conjure up one chance for his team-mates. He was also dispossessed three times and drew just the one foul – which is disappointing for a counter-attacking outlet away from home in a Champions League semi-final.

Of course, Manchester United’s interest in the 41-cap international won’t be deterred by just one performance; but it did highlight how simply signing Griezmann isn’t the answer to all of the Red Devils’ problems in attack.

Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez will be handed the chance to sign Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez this summer, with the one-cap England international on the verge of leaving St. Mary’s this summer, according to reports from Chronicle Live.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have been preparing for their Premier League return ever since they dropped out the top flight last summer, spending around £55m with the likes of Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle coming with the years beyond promotion in mind.

Now they have been crowned champions on the second tier and are back in the big time Rafa Benitez will have to continue to spend what money he has on offer as he looks to build far stronger foundations at St. James’ Park than were in place upon his arrival.

With that in mind, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss is set to be offered the chance to bring in Saints striker Jay Rodriguez, who has been on the fringes of Claude Puel’s squad this season.

The former Burnley striker, who was at the peak of his powers under Mauricio Pochettino before being sidelined for almost two years after two separate long-term injuries.

Would it work?

The 27-year-old was in scintillating form before his injury blow but has struggled to find his feet ever since returning. Puel’s rotation early in the season restricted his chances to find form and, even after bagging early goals in both the Premier League and Europa League could not nail down a spot.

However, his stunning brace at Bournemouth around Christmas showed that the Saints No.9 still had the goal-scoring touch.

Given a run in the side by Rafa, the English forward could well get back to his best, playing a crucial role in the next stage of the Spaniard’s plan.

It shouldn’t be too hard for the Toon Army to take to Rodriguez, given that he’s already scored against north east rivals Sunderland and Middlesbrough this season.

If the latest reports are to be believed, Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the capture of a new teenage starlet.

Earlier this week, The Mirror claimed that Liverpool have pulled out of the race to sign 17-year-old Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham, paving the way for Spurs to swoop in.

The British publication reports that the left-back is likely to sign for the North London outfit after the Reds learned that he was not committed to a switch to Anfield.

Tottenham may well be in the market for a new left-back this summer amid reports that injured Danny Rose could be on his way.

According to The Mirror, Manchester United are leading the race for the England international, who is believed to be keen on returning to the North.

Spurs have had success recruiting young talent in recent years, most notably the capture of Dele Alli, who at the age of 21 has become an integral member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

Amid reports that Sessegnon, who made 30 appearances for Fulham in all competitions this season, could be on his way to Spurs, supporters have had their say.