Barcelona Appoint Former Striker Patrick Kluivert as New Director of Youth Football

​Barcelona have officially appointed former striker Patrick Kluivert as the club's new director of youth football on a two-year contract until the end of the 2020/21 season.

Kluivert, who is well versed in the importance of youth development after he himself rose through the ranks of Ajax in the 1990s, left Camp Nou in 2004 after six years, over 120 Barça goals and the 1998/99 La Liga title.

In his new role, the 43-year-old will oversee the development of the next generation of Barça players in the club's famed La Masía academy.

Still the youngest ever goalscorer in a European Cup final after hitting the winner for Ajax against AC Milan at the age of 18 in 1995, Kluivert's post-playing career has seen him work in a variety of different roles at different levels in preparation for this job.

He started out as an assistant to mentor and former Barça coach Louis van Gaal at Dutch club AZ as soon as he retired from playing in 2008. He also later worked with Van Gaal in the Dutch national team and has worked at youth level for both Ajax and FC Twente.

Kluivert's travels have also taken him to Curacao and Cameroon, the latter alongside ex-Ajax teammate Clarence Seedorf, while he was also sporting director at Paris Saint-Germain.

"I am very happy to be back home and looking forward to this new era, with the challenge of keeping Barça among the top teams in the world," Kluivert told FCBarcelona.com.

"I grew up at the Ajax academy, which is very similar to La Masía, and I think I can do a lot for the development of young Barça players."