René van de Kerkhof explained

René van de Kerkhof
Fullname:Reinier Lambertus van de Kerkhof
Birth Date:16 September 1951
Birth Place:Helmond, Netherlands
Position:Right winger
Youthclubs1:Twente
Years1:1970–1973
Clubs1:Twente
Caps1:99
Goals1:34
Years2:1973–1983
Clubs2:PSV Eindhoven
Caps2:278
Goals2:85
Years3:1983–1984
Clubs3:Apollon Smyrnis
Caps3:23
Goals3:3
Years4:1984–1985
Clubs4:Seiko
Caps4:14
Goals4:8
Years5:1985–1988
Clubs5:Helmond Sport
Caps5:61
Goals5:8
Years6:1988–1989
Clubs6:FC Eindhoven
Caps6:30
Goals6:3
Totalcaps:505
Totalgoals:141
Nationalyears1:1973–1982[1]
Nationalteam1:Netherlands
Nationalcaps1:47
Nationalgoals1:5

Reinier Lambertus van de Kerkhof (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈrɛiniːr rəˈneː lɑmˈbɛrtʏs fɑn də ˈkɛr(ə)kɦɔf/;[2] born 16 September 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a right winger for FC Twente, PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands national team.

Career

Van de Kerkhof and his twin brother Willy were squad members of the Dutch national team that made the World Cup final in 1974 and became key players in the team that made the 1978 final, losing to hosts West Germany and Argentina, respectively. He also played for the Netherlands at the Euro 1976 and Euro 1980. Overall, van de Kerkhof appeared 47 times for his country, scoring five goals.

He is well remembered due to the incident before the 1978 World Cup final, when the opponent Argentina national team objected to the cast he wore on his injured forearm since it could have injured an Argentinian player. Despite the bandage having been passed by FIFA and worn in previous matches, the referee, Italian Sergio Gonella vacillated. The Dutch players threatened to walk off the field in protest, delaying the kickoff of the game. Finally an extra layer of padding was applied to the bandage as a solution, and the match could start.[3]

1978 was his most successful year, besides becoming runners-up at the World Cup, he also won the UEFA Cup, the Dutch championship and the KNVB Beker with PSV that year: "we had won everything possible – the title, the Dutch Cup and the UEFA Cup, and we had five or six players who had been runners-up at the FIFA World Cup in Argentina with the Netherlands. It was a beautiful period under coach Kees Rijvers", van de Kerkhof later would tell to Berend Scholten.[4]

Van de Kerkhof was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Twente1970–71Eredivisie3312
1971–723210
1972–733412
Total9934
PSV Eindhoven1973–74Eredivisie3120
1974–75309
1975–76348
1976–77289
1977–782910
1978–79278
1979–80293
1980–81181
1981–82299
1982–83238
Total27885
Apollon Smyrnis1983–84Alpha Ethniki233
Seiko1984–85First Division14861
Helmond Sport1985–86144
1986–87233
1987–88241
Total618
FC Eindhoven1987–88111
1988–89192
Total303
Career total505141

Honours

PSV Eindhoven

1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78

1973–74, 1975–76

1977–78

Seiko

1984–85

1984–85

Netherlands

1978[5]

Individual

Notes and References

  1. News: Rene van de Kerkhof – International Appearances . The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20121101065839/http://rsssf.com/miscellaneous/rvdkerkhof-intl.html . 1 November 2012 .
  2. Van in isolation: in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /vɑn/.
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/jun/04/worldcup2006.football4 Salvation army: part two
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20110309011003/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/matches/season=2011/round=2000130/match=2003803/prematch/preview/index.html PSV smell danger as Rangers visit stirs memories by Berend Scholten
  5. News: 1978 Tournoi de Paris. RSSSF. 28 February 2017.