Wim Jansen

Dutch association football player and manager (1946–2022)


Wilhelmus Marinus Antonius Jansen[1] ([ʋɪmˈjɑn.sə(n)]; 28 October 1946 – 25 January 2022) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a midfielder or defender, he spent most of his career at Feyenoord, winning honours including the European Cup in 1970. He earned 65 international caps with the Dutch national team and played in the teams that reached the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cup finals. He was known for his exceptional vision, his mentality, ball-winning ability, stamina, and his defensive ability. He was considered irreplaceable. Widely regarded to be one of the best Dutch football players of all time.

Wim Jansen
Jansen in 1978
Personal information
Full name Wilhelmus Marinus Anthonius Jansen
Date of birth (1946-10-28)28 October 1946
Place of birth Rotterdam, Netherlands
Date of death 25 January 2022(2022-01-25) (aged 75)
Place of death Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, Defender
Youth career
1956–1965 Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1965–1980 Feyenoord 415 (33)
1980 Washington Diplomats 27 (0)
1980–1982 Ajax 49 (0)
Total 491 (33)
National team
1967–1980 Netherlands 65 (1)
Teams managed
1982–1986 Feyenoord (youth coach)
1986–1987 Feyenoord (assistant)
1987–1988 SC Lokeren
1988–1990 SVV (technical director)
1990–1993 Feyenoord
1993–1994 Saudi Arabia (assistant)
1995–1996 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
1997–1998 Celtic
2002–2003 Urawa Red Diamonds (assistant)
2005–2008 Feyenoord (technical advisor)
2008–2009 Feyenoord (assistant)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1974
Runner-up 1978
UEFA European Championship
Third place 1976
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

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He spent most of his playing career with his hometown team, Feyenoord, between 1965 and 1980. At Feyenoord, Jansen won four League Championships, one Dutch Cup, one UEFA Cup in 1974, and the European Cup in 1970 when Feyenoord defeated Celtic 2–1 in Milan.[2] He was the captain of their 1974 team which defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 on aggregate.[3]

After a brief spell in the North American Soccer League with the Washington Diplomats, he moved to Feyenoord's rivals Ajax, where he won a league title in 1981–82.[2] His debut for Ajax was against his former club in De Kuip in December 1980; a fan of Feyenoord threw an icy snowball at Jansen's eye during warming-up which finally resulted in Jansen being substituted within 20 minutes into the game.[3][4]

Dutch teammate Johan Cruyff considered Jansen to be one of only four men worth paying attention to when they spoke about football.

International career

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Jansen in 1974

Jansen earned his first of 65 caps for the Netherlands on 4 October 1967, in a 2–1 loss away to Denmark in UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying. He scored his only international goal in his eighth game on 4 September 1968, a 2–0 win over Luxembourg in his hometown for 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification.[5]

Jansen played all seven games as the Dutch finished runners-up to hosts West Germany at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and repeated the feat in 1978 as they lost to hosts Argentina.[5] He committed the foul on Bernd Hölzenbein in 1974 which allowed Paul Breitner to equalise with a penalty as the Germans came from behind to beat the Dutch.[3] He also played both games of their bronze-medal finish at UEFA Euro 1976 in Yugoslavia.[5]

Managerial career

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Jansen began his managerial career at his old club Feyenoord, where he worked as a coach, and then as assistant manager, between 1983 and 1987. He also had a season as manager of Belgian club SC Lokeren.[6] In 1991, he returned to Feyenoord as manager, winning the KNVB Cup in 1991. The result was a surprise as the club had been near bankruptcy in the preceding years.[7]

 
Jansen in 2013

The team also won the cup in 1992 and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1991–92.[6] He became Technical Director in 1992, and his old teammate, Willem van Hanegem coached the team to the league in 1993 and the Dutch Cup again the following season. Jansen disagreed with van Hanegem's physical tactics, and argued with chairman Jorien van den Herik when the coach was given a contract extension. He left to work as assistant manager of Saudi Arabia alongside compatriot Leo Beenhakker, and also managed Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima, where he struggled with the language.[8]

On 3 July 1997, Wim Jansen was appointed head coach of Celtic, replacing the sacked Tommy Burns.[9] He was their first manager from outside Great Britain and Ireland,[2] and only the second to have never played for the club.[10] He went on to guide them to their first Scottish league championship in ten years, ending the hopes of rival Rangers to win a tenth consecutive championship.[9] Despite winning the league and the Scottish League Cup during his only season in charge, Jansen left the club less than 48 hours after the title was secured as he was unable to work with general manager Jock Brown.[11] His most notable transfer was the signing of Henrik Larsson from Feyenoord.[12]

At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Jansen took up the position of assistant to the head coach of the Feyenoord first team, Gertjan Verbeek.[13] He resigned in solidarity when the coach was fired in 2009.[8]

Personal life

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Jansen and his family were not religious, and he would practice kicking a ball at a pole on Sundays while all his neighbours were at church.[1] As a child, he lived on the same street (Bloklandstraat), just as Feyenoord teammate Coen Moulijn.[1]

Jansen lived in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht from the 1970s. In late 2021, he released the biography Meesterbrein ("Mastermind"), written alongside Yoeri van den Busken.[7][8]

Jansen died on 25 January 2022 at his home in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands from problems caused by dementia, aged 75.[14]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[15][16][17][18]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Feyenoord[a] 1965–66 Eredivisie 2 0
1966–67 34 2
1967–68 34 6
1968–69 33 3 2 0
1969–70 34 8 9 1
1970–71 34 2 1 1 4 1
1971–72 34 2 6 0
1972–73 27 3 4 2
1973–74 30 0 12 0
1974–75 28 3 4 0
1975–76 26 1 2 0
1976–77 21 1 6 1
1977–78 32 0
1978–79 30 1
1979–80 16 1 5 0
Total 415 33 52 5
Washington Diplomats 1980 NASL 27 0 27 0
Ajax 1980–81 Eredivisie 17 0
1981–82 32 0 2 0 2 0 36 0
Total 49 0 2 0
Career total 491 33 54 5
  1. "Feijenoord" until 1974

International career statistics

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Jansen (centre), Dutch teammates and manager Rinus Michels (second from left) before the 1974 World Cup
Appearances and goals by national team and year[5]
National team Year Apps Goals
Netherlands 1967 3 0
1968 5 1
1969 3 0
1970 5 0
1971 5 0
1972 1 0
1973 1 0
1974 11 0
1975 4 0
1976 5 0
1977 4 0
1978 12 0
1979 5 0
1980 1 0
Total 65 1

Honours

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Player

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From left to right: Jansen, manager Kurt Linder and Jesper Olsen ahead of Ajax's winning 1981–82 season

Feyenoord[2][6]

Ajax[2][6]

Netherlands[2][6]

Individual

Manager

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Feyenoord[7][6]

Celtic[2][6]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 van der Busken, Yoeri (16 October 2021). "Als oer-Feyenoorder Wim Jansen zijn auto parkeert, doet hij dat het liefst bij het portret van Coen Moulijn". de Stentor (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Wim Jansen: Former Celtic manager dies at 75, announce Feyenoord". BBC Sport. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Former Netherlands midfielder Wim Jansen dies at 75". Associated Press. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  4. "Feyenoord-Ajax en de ijsbal van Wim Jansen: "Huilbui Coby staat me bij"" (in Dutch). NOS. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Wim Jansen – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "Décès de l'ancien international néerlandais Wim Jansen, icône de Feyenoord". Le Soir (in French). 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Vissers, Willem (25 January 2022). "Wim Jansen (1946-2022) was als stille kracht onmisbaar in de topelftallen van de jaren zeventig". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Bloembergen, Jaap (25 January 2022). "Wim Jansen, het Feyenoord-icoon dat niet graag op de voorgrond trad". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch).
  9. 9.0 9.1 Watt, Martin (1 June 2020). "When Celtic stopped Rangers' 10-in-a-row title bid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  10. English, Tom (26 January 2022). "Wim Jansen: Tribute to Celtic manager who stopped Rangers' 10 in a row". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  11. "Celtic fans cry foul as Jansen quits". The Herald. Glasgow. 11 May 1998.
  12. "On this day… Celtic sign Henrik Larsson". The Irish Post. 25 July 2015.
  13. "Feyenoord-icoon en oud-international Wim Jansen (74) lijdt aan dementie" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  14. Former Celtic manager Wim Jansen dies aged 75
  15. Wim Jansen at National-Football-Teams.com
  16. "Wim JANSEN". Football Database. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  17. "Wim Jansen" (in Dutch). Voetbal.com. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  18. "1980 Washington Diplomats Statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  19. "FIFA World Cup All-Star Team – Football world Cup All Star Team". Football.sporting99.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  20. "FIFA World Cup All-Star Team – Football world Cup All Star Team". Football.sporting99.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2012.