The Kluivert Dynasty: Kenneth, Patrick, Quincy, Justin, Ruben & Shane
In the autumn of 2025, the name Kluivert appeared in all the top football media outlets. On 1 October, Shane Kluivert scored for Barcelona U19 in a Champions League Youth match against PSG. On 2 October, Ruben Kluivert of Lyon scored in a Europa League match against Salzburg. On 3 October, Justin Kluivert scored for Bournemouth against Fulham. The famous father of these boys, Patrick Kluivert, was clearly proud of his sons’ performance. But the Kluivert family’s football history did not begin with Patrick.
Kenneth Kluivert
The Kluivert family’s football pedigree has its roots in Suriname. In 1941, a boy named Kenneth was born there. At the age of 20, he made his professional football debut for Robin Hood, where he spent his entire career. It was there that Kenneth revealed himself to be a fast and skilful winger.
Kluivert won the Surinam championship with Robin Hood and was called up to the national team, even scoring against Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Kenneth played for nine seasons and in 1970, together with his wife and two children, he moved to the Netherlands. The family settled in Amsterdam. There, Kluivert worked at a shipyard and as a postman, but he did not forget about football — he played for an amateur club of the Surinamese diaspora.
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Patrick Kluivert
In 1976, Kenneth had his third child, Patrick. The boy learned to play football on the streets of his hometown. His main companion in this endeavour was Edgar Davids, who lived next door. Together, they honed their skills in the courtyard and attended training sessions at the amateur club Schellingwoude. In 1984, their paths diverged — Patrick was accepted into the Ajax academy, while Edgar was not. But the persistent Davids tried again a year later and joined his friend, who was almost three years older than him.
Victories with Ajax
Playing for Ajax’s youth teams, Kluivert tried his hand at almost every position — he even played as a centre-back. As he grew older, Patrick began to stand out for his technique, speed and accuracy, so he was moved up to the front line.
The transition to adult football came when he reached the age of majority. In the summer of 1994, Ajax planned to sign Kluivert’s talented peer, Brazilian Ronaldo. Ajax representatives flew to South America and agreed on a transfer for $6 million, but at the last moment, the player’s agent asked for an additional $1 million. As a result, Ronaldo ended up at PSV, and the Amsterdam club decided to bet on their own player.
Kluivert played for Ajax’s first team for the first time on 21 August 1994. It was a dream debut: Patrick scored against Feyenoord in the Dutch Super Cup and won a trophy in his very first professional game. That season, the team also won the championship, and the 18-year-old striker scored 18 goals. Ronaldo scored 30 goals, but PSV finished third.
But the main event for Kluivert did not happen on the domestic stage. In the 1994/95 season, Ajax reached the Champions League final. The striker had scored only one goal in the group stage, so head coach Louis van Gaal left him on the bench for the decisive game of the tournament. In the match against Milan, the more experienced Ronald de Boer started in the number nine position.
Before the game, Kluivert was very upset about the coach’s decision — even Davids’ consolation did not help. But Patrick still got his chance. In the 69th minute, Van Gaal took Yari Litmanen off and sent on the fired-up teenager. Fifteen minutes later, Kluivert pushed the ball past Sebastiano Rossi, scoring the only goal of the match.
The forward not only won the European Cup for his team but also became the youngest goalscorer in a Champions League final. This achievement has not been surpassed to this day. ‘I was only 18 years old, and I achieved one of the main goals of any footballer. It was incredible,’ Patrick recalled.
In the 1995/96 season, Kluivert confirmed his level and scored 23 goals in all competitions for the club. Ajax reached the Champions League final again, and Patrick was again left on the bench. He came on after the first half, but this time the Italian team proved stronger, with Juventus winning on penalties. One of the penalties was missed by Davids.
In his third year with the Ajax senior team, there was a slump. Kluivert missed a lot of games due to injuries, and after his return, he faced serious competition in the attack. Despite scoring only eight goals in the season, the club offered the forward a contract extension. Patrick refused and took advantage of the Bosman ruling, which had just come into force, to leave for another club for free.
Ruben Kluivert
There is also a centre-back in the Kluivert family. Unlike his older brothers and father, Ruben received his football education at Utrecht. The defender is now 24 years old and plays for Lyon after playing in the Netherlands and Portugal for Casa Pia. Kluivert respects his father, but looks up to another compatriot: ‘Virgil van Dijk is an example for me. He is good at everything: he is fast, strong in the air and on the ground. I see a lot of similarities between us.’
