1. Johan Neeskens was head coach of NEC Nijmegen, the Netherlands B national team, and Mamelodi Sundowns.
25 Facts About Johan Neeskens
1. 2.
Johan Neeskens was born in Heemstede in North Holland on 15 September 1951.
3.
Johan Neeskens was gifted at sports as a child, including gymnastics and baseball.
4.
Johan Neeskens represented the Netherlands at a youth European Championship in the latter sport.
5.
Johan Neeskens started his career at Racing Club Heemstede in 1968, before being spotted by Rinus Michels and signed for Ajax in 1970.
6.
Johan Neeskens adapted well to his new central midfield role because he was a tireless runner, had great technical skills and scored his fair share of goals.
7.
Ajax completed a hat-trick of European Cup wins between 1971 and 1973, and Johan Neeskens moved on to FC Barcelona in 1974 to join Cruyff and Michels.
8.
Johan Neeskens earned the equivalent of 600,000 Dutch guilders per year at the club.
9.
Johan Neeskens then played for FC Baar and FC Zug in Switzerland, finally retiring in 1991.
10.
Johan Neeskens was capped 49 times for the Netherlands national team, scoring 17 goals.
11.
Johan Neeskens made his debut against East Germany in 1970, and played a crucial role in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups, playing in central midfield.
12.
Johan Neeskens scored the opening goal of the 1974 World Cup final against West Germany with a penalty kick after only two minutes of play.
13.
Four years later, Johan Neeskens was a crucial player for the Netherlands, in the absence of Cruyff who had retired from international football in 1977.
14.
Johan Neeskens declined the key UEFA Euro 1980 qualifier against East Germany in November 1979, citing physical and emotional exhaustion.
15.
Johan Neeskens remained in the role under successor Frank Rijkaard, who led the national team in its co-hosting of Euro 2000.
16.
In December 2005, Johan Neeskens was appointed assistant coach of the Australia national team, at the request of Guus Hiddink, the Socceroos's manager.
17.
Johan Neeskens worked alongside Hiddink and Graham Arnold as part of their World Cup 2006 campaign, and was desired by Football Australia to replace Russia-bound Hiddink after the tournament.
18.
Johan Neeskens joined Frank Rijkaard at Galatasaray as his assistant manager in 2009, and left the club alongside Rijkaard in October 2010.
19.
Johan Neeskens became the coach of South African club Mamelodi Sundowns in 2011.
20.
Johan Neeskens was sacked in December 2012 with the team second from bottom after 12 games and having lost the League Cup final to Bloemfontein Celtic.
21.
Johan Neeskens had begun his career as a right-back for Heemstede, but was moved into midfield by Ajax manager Stefan Kovacs.
22.
Johan Neeskens played in the Total Football team designed by Kovacs's predecessor Rinus Michels, in which players were expected to change position fluidly.
23.
Johan Neeskens was married twice: to Marianne Schiphof in 1974 with whom he had a son, and to Swiss-born Marlis von Reding in 1985, with whom he had two daughters and a son.
24.
Johan Neeskens died while in Algeria on 6 October 2024, at the age of 73.
25.
Johan Neeskens was in the country as part of a KNVB coaching project, and had suffered a heart attack.