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Frank de Boer (born May 15, 1970 in Hoorn,
Netherlands) is a Netherlands national football
team|Dutch Football (soccer)|football defender
(football)|defender. He is the younger twin
brother of Ronald de Boer.

He is the most-cap (football)|capped player in the
history of Dutch football, having represented his
national team 112 times. He made his debut in
September 1990 against Italy national football
team|Italy.

He began his career as a left back at Ajax
Amsterdam|Ajax before switching to centre back, a
position he made his own for many years in the
national team. After winning both the UEFA
Champions League|Champions League and UEFA Cup
while at Ajax, he then joined FC
Barcelona|Barcelona where he was unable to repeat
his earlier triumphs and, in fact, suffered the
ignominy of testing positive for the banned
substance nandrolone. He briefly moved to
Galatasaray in the summer of 2003 before joining
Rangers F.C.|Rangers in January 2004. He left
Rangers in 2004 after 2004 European Football
Championship|Euro 2004 along with twin brother
Ronald (his teammate at Ajax, Barcelona, and
Rangers) to play the rest of his football in Qatar
with Al-Rayyan. 

De Boer was a natural leader and held the
captaincy of the Dutch national team until his
retirement after Euro 2004. He is considered a
talented defender as what he makes up for lack of
speed and pace, he makes up for in tenacity and
extra work rate. De Boer performed best when
partnering Jaap Stam in the Dutch national team
central defence. 

He ended his international career in disappointing
fashion after an injury forced him to be replaced
in a quarterfinal game with Sweden national
football team|Sweden at Euro 2004. The injury
ruled him out of the semifinal match with Portugal
national football team|Portugal which Netherlands
national football team|the Netherlands lost 2-1 to
go out of the tournament.

De Boer also played for the Netherlands in the
Football World Cup 1994|1994 and Football World
Cup 1998|1998 World Cups, 1992 European Football
Championship|Euro 92, and 2000 European Football
Championship|Euro 2000. He had a memorable assist
on Dennis Bergkamp's last-minute goal that beat
Argentina national football team|Argentina in the
quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup.

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ir. Frank De Winne (born April 25, 1961) is an
officer in the Belgian Air Force and Belgium's
second man in space (after Dirk D. Frimout). 

==Personal==
Frank De Winne was born April 25, 1961 in Ledeberg
near Ghent. He is married and has three children.
He enjoys football, small PC applications and
gastronomy.

==Education==
Frank De Winne graduated in 1979 from the Royal
School of Cadets. In 1984 he graduated from the
Military Academy with the degree of engineer.

==Military Career==
Frank De Winne followed the elementary flying
school of the Belgian Airforce at Goetsenhoven.
After graduating he flew Mirage 5 airplanes for
the Belgian Airforce untill he was attached to
SAGEM in Paris to work on the safety of the
Mirage. In 1991, De Winne completed the Staff
Course at the Defence College, in Brussels with
the highest distinction. In 1992 De Winne received
his degree as test pilot from the Test Pilot
School in Boscombe Down, UK, receiving the McKenna
Trophy as well.

From december 1992, De Winne operated as a test
pilot for the Belgian Airforce. From January 1994
until April 1995, he was responsible for flight
sfety of the 1st Fighter Wing operating from
Beauvechain. From April 1995 to July 1996, he was
attached as senior test pilot to the European
Participating Air Forces at Edwards AB in
California.

On February 12, 1997 De Winne encountered motor
problems while flying in an F-16 over densely
populated area near Leeuwarden. After the board
computer failed, De Winne was faced with the
choice of crashing in the Ijselmeer or of ejecting
over densely populated area. However, Frank De
Winne was able to land his crippled plane at a
Dutch Air Base, a feat which brought him the Joe
Bill Dryden Semper Viper Award, the first non
American ever to get this award.

In Augustus 1998 De Winne became commander of the
349 Squadron operating from Kleine Brogel. During
the NATO operation Allied Force in the Balkan, De
Winne commanded the Dutch-Belgian Deployable Air
Task Force. For his achievement during this
operation, the Dutch government awarded him the
degree of Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau.

Frank De Winne has collected over 2.300 flying
hours in Mirage, F-16, Tornado and Jaguar. He
currently ranks a colonel in the Belgian Air
Force. He also serves as the Chairman of the
Belgian Armed Forces Flying Personnel Association.

==Astronaut==
In October 1998, Frank De Winne was selected as an
astronaut for ESA. He graduated as an astronaut in
2000. In 2001 he wa slected for the Yuri A Gagarin
training centre near Moscow.

De Winne's sole spaceflight (30 October - 10
November 2002) has been a trip as a flight
engineer to the International Space Station in
2002, travelling to the station aboard Soyuz TMA-1
and back aboard Soyuz TM-34. During his time in
space De Winne carried out successfully a
programme of 23 experiments in the fields of life
and physical sciences and education.

==Honors==
*McKenna Trophy
*Joe Bill Dryden Semper Viper Award
*Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau
*On December 20, 2002 Frank De Winne was enobled a
viscount as a reward for his space achievements.
*He was awarded the Medal of Friendship from the
Russian Federation. 
*In 2003 Frank De Winne received an honorary
doctorate from the University of Limburg.

==External link==
*http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/ESA0EUZUMOC_astro
nauts_0.html ESA Astronauts: Frank De Winne