Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst, known as Gio in Spain, is a retired Dutch footballer and the current manager at Feyenoord. Formerly a midfielder, he moved to left-back later in his career.
During his club career, Van Bronckhorst played for RKC Waalwijk (1993–94), Feyenoord (1994–98), Rangers (1998–2001), Arsenal (2001–03), FC Barcelona (2003–07), and again Feyenoord (2007–10). He was an instrumental player in Barcelona's 2005–06 UEFA Champions League victory, being in the starting line-up of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League final against his old club Arsenal, having played every Champions League match for Barcelona that season.
He earned 106 caps for the Dutch national team, and played for his country in three World Cups (1998, 2006 and 2010), as well as three European Championships (2000, 2004, and 2008). After captaining the Oranje through the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, he was elected into the Order of Orange-Nassau. |
