Marc Overmars has announced he is stepping down from his role as sporting director at Royal Antwerp due to ongoing health issues.
The former Netherlands, Arsenal, Barcelona and Ajax winger, who joined the Belgian club in 2022, outlined his reasons in a letter to supporters published on Wednesday, citing “all the fatigue that has built up over the years and the enormous amount of stress.”
Overmars previously recovered from a mild stroke in December 2022.
“You all know that my health has not been optimal,” he wrote. “But now I feel very clearly that I can no longer cope with this hectic, stressful professional life.”
Prior to his move to Belgium, he spent nearly ten years as director of football at Ajax, the Dutch side where he started his playing career. He resigned from that position after he was found to have sent inappropriate messages to several female colleagues, behaviour for which he apologised.
Addressing his current situation, Overmars added: “My energy is now completely depleted. If I do not listen to my body now, my doctors say there is a very high risk of things ending badly,” Overmars said. “So I have to make a drastic decision and completely stop my professional activities for the time being.”
Overmars was a popular figure at Arsenal during his playing career after joining the north London club from Ajax in 1997.
Arsenal won the Premier League and FA Cup in his debut season, with Overmars famously scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory against fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Overmars spent three years at Highbury before moving onto Barcelona in 2000, when he became the most expensive player in Dutch football history. He finished his career back in his homeland with Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles.
The pacy winger also thrived on the international stage, earning 86 caps for the Netherlands between 1993 and 2004.
Overmars scored 17 goals for his country during his international career and played in four major tournaments, helping the Netherlands reach the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.
