Faas Wilkes facts for kids
Wilkes in 1960
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Servaas Wilkes | ||
| Date of birth | 13 October 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Rotterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Date of death | 15 August 2006 (aged 82) | ||
| Place of death | Rotterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1940–1945 | Xerxes Rotterdam | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1945–1949 | Xerxes | 71 | (49) |
| 1949–1952 | Internazionale | 95 | (47) |
| 1952–1953 | Torino | 12 | (1) |
| 1953–1956 | Valencia | 62 | (38) |
| 1956–1958 | VVV | 64 | (23) |
| 1958–1959 | Levante | 34 | (20) |
| 1959–1962 | Fortuna '54 | 88 | (33) |
| 1962–1964 | Xerxes | 28 | (10) |
| Total | 454 | (221) | |
| National team | |||
| 1946–1961 | Netherlands | 38 | (35) |
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Servaas "Faas" Wilkes (born October 13, 1923 – died August 15, 2006) was a famous Dutch football forward. He played for the Dutch national team 38 times, scoring an amazing 35 goals. This means he scored almost one goal in every game he played!
For a while, from 1949 to 1955, Faas Wilkes was not allowed to play for the national team. This was because the KNVB (the Dutch football association) did not let professional players join the team back then. He also played for the Netherlands at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Faas Wilkes' Football Journey
Faas Wilkes started his football career playing for Xerxes Rotterdam. In 1949, he moved to Italy to play for Internazionale, a big club in Milan. He played 95 games there and scored 47 goals.
After his time at Internazionale, he played one season for Torino. When he was 30 years old, he moved to Spain to play for Valencia. He scored 38 goals in 62 games for Valencia between 1953 and 1956. Fans loved him so much that he became the first foreign idol of the club!
Later in his career, he also played for other teams like VVV, Levante, and Fortuna '54. Faas Wilkes passed away in 2006 when he was 82 years old.
His Amazing Playing Style
Many people believe Faas Wilkes was one of the best footballers the Netherlands ever had. He was especially known for his creative way of playing and his incredible dribbling skills. He was so good at moving the ball past opponents!
Faas Wilkes was also one of the first Dutch players to go and play football in another country. He was the fourth Dutch player to do so.
The Cartoon Character Connection
Did you know that a Dutch cartoon character named Kick Wilstra was partly named after Faas Wilkes? The "Wil" in Wilstra comes from Wilkes! The character was also named after two other famous Dutch footballers, Kick Smit and Abe Lenstra.
Faas Wilkes' Achievements
Faas Wilkes won several awards and helped his teams achieve great things:
- Serie A (Italian League):
- Second place: 1950–51
- Third place: 1949–50, 1951–52
- La Liga (Spanish League):
- Third Place: 1953–54
- Other Trophies:
- Concepción Arenal Trophy: 1954
- Segunda División (Spanish Second Division):
- Runner-up: 1958–59
Individual Awards
Faas Wilkes also received some special awards just for himself:
- He was the all-time top scorer for the Dutch national team for many years (from 1959 to 1998).
- He was named the Spanish Player of the Year in 1954.
- He was the top scorer for Internazionale in the 1950–51 season.
- He was the top scorer for Valencia in the 1953–54 and 1955–56 seasons.
- He was the top scorer for Levante in the 1958–59 season.
See also
In Spanish: Faas Wilkes para niños
