Feyenoord Greatest All-Time Team
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| European Cup Winner 1970 |
This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club. The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.
Feyenoord is one of the most successful clubs in the Netherlands, winning 14 Eredivisie titles, 12 KNVB Cups and two Johan Cruyff Shields, having won in the international stage one European Cup, two UEFA Cups and one Intercontinental Cup. The club have played continuously in the top tier of the Dutch football system since gaining promotion to Eerste Klasse, the Eredivisie's forerunner competition, in 1921, more time than other club in the country, which has dominated alongside Ajax and PSV Eindhoven.
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| UEFA Cup 2001-2002 |
Team
GK: Eddy Pieters Graafland (Holland)
He played for Ajax and Feyenoord. He was part of Feyenoord's European Cup victory in 1970. He also won 4 Eredivisie: 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1968–69. He earned 47 caps for the Netherlands national football team between 1957 and 1967. He did not attend any major tournament.
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| Eddy Pieters Graafland |
De Goey played for both Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord. He later spent 6 seasons with Chelsea during the pre-Roman Abramovich days, winning the Cup Winners' cup in 1998. He had 31 caps for the Dutch national team. He went to USA 1994, starting all of Oranje's games.
GK: Eddy Treijtel (Holland)
Treijtel went to Feyenoord from Xerxes/DHC in 1968 along with Willem van Hanegem, and moved to AZ'67 in 1979. Treijtel's best years were spent at Feyenoord. He won the UEFA Cup in 1974. He was remembered by killing a gull with a goal kick in 1970. He went to the WC Finals in 1974 as a backup.
RB: Ben Wijnstekers (Holland)
Wijnstekers was considered among the greatest defenders in Feyenoord's history. He made his professional debut at Feyenoord Rotterdam, but also played for K.R.C. Mechelen and Germinal Ekeren. He was capped between 1979 and 1986. he went to Euro 1980, but otherwise, in a period between two Golden Generations of Dutch players.
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| Ben Wijnstekers |
RB: Sjaak Troost (Holland)
Troost appeared in 397 official matches for Feyenoord, retiring in June 1992 at nearly 33. He appeared in 29 games in 1983–84 as the Rotterdam club won the league after a 10-year wait. Troost earned four caps for the Dutch national team. He was a part of the team that won the Euro 1988.
CB: Rinus Israel (Holland)
Nicknamed "IJzeren Rinus (Iron Rinus)". He had 47 caps for Holland. He was a part of the 1974 World Cup team that finished second at the WC Finals in West Germany. During his career he played for DWS (1962–66), Feyenoord Rotterdam (1966–74), Excelsior Rotterdam (1974–75) and PEC Zwolle (1975–82). He won an European Cup with Feyenoord.
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| Rinus Israel |
CB: Wim Rijsbergen (Holland)
He later played in the North American Soccer League, for the New York Cosmos. Rijsbergen began his professional career at PEC Zwolle, and ended it in 1986 at FC Utrecht. He played for Feyenoord between 1971 and 1978. From 1979 to 1983, he joined NY Cosmos. He had 28 caps. He was a part of Oranje's WC team on both 1974 and 1978.
CB: John De Wolf (Holland)
De Wolf began his professional career with Sparta Rotterdam, making his senior debut in 1983. After two seasons in the team, he departed for FC Groningen. He moved on to Feyenoord in 1989 and won the Dutch league championship in 1992–93 with the club. He also won three Dutch Cups during a stay of four full seasons and made it to the 91–92 Cup Winners' Cup semi-final. He also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, VVV-Venlo, Hapoel Ashkelon and Zwart Wit'28. Capped 6 times.
CB/LB: Cor Veldhoen (Holland)
Veldhoen spent his entire career with Feyenoord. He played over 380 games for them. He earned 27 caps between 1961 and 1967 for the Dutch national team. He was a member of the team that won the European Cup join 1970. The trophy was the first ever European title won by a Dutch club team.
LB/DM: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Holland)
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst played for his country in three FIFA World Cups, in 1998, 2006 and 2010, as well as three UEFA European Championships, in 2000, 2004 and 2008. He was the captain of Holland at World Cup 2010, where Holland finished second. He played 106 times for Holland. He won the Champions' League for Barcelona in 2005-2006. He also played wirh Feyenoord, Arsenal and Rangers.
DM: Theo De Jong (Holland)
During his career he played for NEC Nijmegen and Feyenoord Rotterdam. He earned 15 caps and scored 3 goals for the Netherlands national football team, and played for them in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final. De Jong was a member of the Feyenoord team that won the UEFA Cup in 1974, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the then two-legged final. He later played 3 seasons in Hong Kong for Seiko.
DM: Paul Bosvelt (Holland)
He played for Go Ahead Eagles and Twente before making his big move to Feyenoord in 1997, making 167 appearances, during which he led Feyenoord to the league title in 1999 and won the UEFA Cup. He spent two seasons with Manchester City and finished his career at Heerenveen. Capped 24 times. He played in Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.
CM: Franz Hasil (Austria)
Hasil started his career at local giants Rapid Wien before moving abroad to play for Schalke 04. After one season in Germany, he moved to Feyenoord and was part of their European Cup victory in 1970. He also played for Austria Klagenfurt. Capped 21 times.
CM: Wim Jansen (Holand)
Jansen was a part of the great Feyenoord team of the late 1960's and early 1970's. He formed a great midfield with Willem van Hanegem and Theo De Jong. They became the first Dutch club to win the European Cup in 1970. He later joined Washington Diplomats and then, Ajax where he played as a libero. He was an important of Holland's WC team in 1974. He earned 65 caps.
CM: Willem Van Hanegem (Holland)
In Holland, he was widely considered the second best Dutch player in the 1970's and perhaps, the greatest player for Feyenoord. He won the European Cup with Feyenoord in 1970. He was capped 52 times between 1968 and 1979. He was an important player at the World Cup Finals in 1974, but he missed the WC Finals in 1978. He also played in NASL.
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| Willem Van Hanegem |
CM/LM: Puck Van Heel (Holland)
Puck Van Heel was an inside-left and left wing-half in the 1930's. He spent his entire career with Feyenoord. Van Heel was a cornerstone of the Feyenoord success preceding World War II, winning five Dutch Eredivisie Championships and two KNVB Cups. During his time there, he became the team captain and a figurehead for the club. He was capped 64 times, a record until 1979. He went to the WC finals in 1934 and 1938.
LW: Coen Moulijn (Holland)
He was considered the best left winger in Dutch football. He started his career with Xerxes in 1954. A season later, he joined Feyenoord. He stayed there until 1972. He won the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup with them in 1970. He had 38 caps at a time when Holland was not considered a major power in football. He scored 4 goals for the Netherlands national football team.
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| Coen Moulijn |
From 1938 and 1950, he played for Feyenoord with the war in between. After the War, he became the captain of National Team. In 1950, he left for France and became a professional player, ending his amateur status and his career with the national team. He played for La Havre and Rouen in France.
AM: Ruud Gullit (Holland)
He was the iconic captain of Holland 1988. In 1987, he moved from PSV Eindhoven to A.C. Milan for a world record transfer fee. He was an important player for AC Milan during the 1980's where they won two straight European Cups. He was the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. He spent one season with Sampdoria winning the Italian Cup in 1994.
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| Ruud Gullit |
RW/ST: Dirk Kuyt (Holland)
Kuyt started as a striker, but played mainly as right wing. started his career with FC Utrecht, but the peak of his career was spent with Feyenoord, Liverpool FC and Fenerbahce. He went to WC in 2006, 2010 and 2014 as well as Euro 2008 and 2012. He played a big role in both WC Finals, where Holland finished 2nd and 3rd.
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| Dirk Kuyt |
His most notable run of football came in his first stint at Feyenoord, with whom he won the 2002 UEFA Cup, and Italian club Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League and reached the final in 2005. He was also honoured with the Danish Player of the Year award in both 2002 and 2004. Tomasson scored a total of 52 goals in 112 games for Denmark throughout his career, which spanned from March 1997 to June 2010, making him Denmark's joint all-time top scorer. He played at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup.
ST: Robin Van Persie
Van Persie started with Feyenoord, but spent the cream of his career playing in England for Arsenal and Manchester United. He spent 8 seasons with Arsenal, winning both PFA Player of the Year and the FWA Player of the Year in 2011-2012. Immediately after winning the two awards, he made a controversial transfer to rival Manchester United after the season. He won the Premiership in his first season with Manchester United. At the time of writing, he has earned 98 caps. He was a key player for the Oranje from the WC Finals 2006 to now.
ST: Cor van der Gijp (Holland)
Van der Gijp made his professional debut at SC Emma and also played for Feijenoord and Blauw Wit. He played 13 times for the Dutch national team between 1954 and 1961. He represented them at the 1952 Olympic Games held in
ST: József Kiprich (Hungary)
He started with Tatabánya and stayed there for 10 seasons when Feyenoord Rotterdam signed him in 1989. It was the worst period in Feyenoord's history. He helped the club to regain its former glory. He earned 70 caps and 28 goals for Hungary. He was a participant at the 1986 FIFA World Cup Finals in Mexico, where Hungary failed to progress from the group stage.
ST: Ove Kindvall (Sweden
He started his career at IFK Norrköping, where he played until he joined Feyenoord in 1966. The same year, he won the Guldbollen, as the best Swedish footballer of the year. With Feyenoord he won two national championships as well as the 1970 European Cup. In the final against Celtic he scored the winning goal in extra time. In his five seasons with the club, Kindvall scored 129 league goals in 144 games. He returned to Sweden and Norrköping 1971, where he played for three years, until ending his career in IFK Göteborg. He was the first non-Dutchman to be named Eredivisie top scorer, doing so in 1968, 1969 and 1971. Capped 43 times. He went to the WC Finals in 1970 and 1974.
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| Ove Kindvall |
Honorable Mention
Joop Hiele, Ivan Nielsen, Dick Schneider, Gerard Kerkum, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Robin Van Persie.
Squad Explanation
-- Ivan Nielsen deserved to be on the team, but I have no space for him.
-- Paul Bosvelt is underrated due to missing out a World Cup Finals in 2002. His reputation outside of Holland was limited.
-- Jon Dahl Tomasson was a star for their UEFA Cup's victory in 2002.
-- Johan Cruyff's stay was too brief. I would have selected him, regardless of his association with Ajax.
-- Willem Van Hanegem is their greatest players.
-- I watched Theo De Jong as a kid while he played in Hong Kong. He formed a midfield with Willem Van Hanegem in Feyenoord that gave them an European Cup.
Formation
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