Aiming for a place in the 'Orange'

With an ability to terrorise defences with his spectacular play, Marc Overmars is one of the last few remaining players of his type : the overlapping winger.

On the left or the right, the "orange arrow" is the principle purveyor of quality passes to teammate and compatriot Dennis Berkamp, both at club and international level.

A quick player whose technical abilities are second to none, Overmars takes his explosive running from his mother, a former athlete.

His ability to control and shoot the ball with both feet is just one of the qualities that makes the former Arsenal no.11 quite capable of turning the fortune of the game in his team's favour.

Game satisfaction

Despite his obvious qualities, and the effect he has on matches, the former Dutch national coach Frank Rijkaard sided more and more with Lazio midfielder, Boudewijn Zenden, who he deemed a more consistent player.

Overmars' defensive game, it has been said, also leaves a lot to be desired.

The former Gunners winger, however, is not in the habit of hiding his frailties and on the pitch, he likes to enjoy himself.

"It's why I chose to play in England after my time at Ajax," he admits. "I had offers from several Italian clubs, but there, football is like a game of chess, very tactical. You always have to be thinking about defence."

"In England, the game is more open and I'm able to count more on my speed."

Having injured his knee just a few months from the start of the Euro, Overmars worked immensely to return to his previous form.

He was given his chance to shine at Euro 2000, where Holland reached the semi-finals.

Two penalty misses in normal time against a ten-man Italian side led to further heartbreak when the co-hosts eventually lost a penalty shoot-out to send a nation into mourning.

However following the tournament interest came pouring in for Overmars from some of Europe's biggest clubs, with Spanish giants Barcelona eventually winning the race for his signature prying him away from Arsenal.

One of Holland's most-capped players, he remains an integral part of the national set-up but his career is currently under threat after a series of crippling knee injuries.