Piet Keizer facts for kids
Keizer in 1973
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Petrus Johannes Keizer | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 June 1943 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 10 February 2017 (aged 73) | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Left winger | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1953–1955 | Amstel | |||||||||||||||
| 1955–1961 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1961–1974 | Ajax | 365 | (146) | |||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1962–1974 | Netherlands | 34 | (11) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Petrus Johannes "Piet" Keizer (born June 14, 1943 – died February 10, 2017) was a super talented Dutch football player. He played as a left winger, which means he mostly played on the left side of the field, helping to attack and score goals.
Piet Keizer was a key player for the famous Ajax Amsterdam team in the 1960s and 1970s. This team was known for its "Total Football" style, where players could switch positions easily. Many people think he was one of the best Dutch footballers ever. A Dutch writer once said, "Cruyff is the best, but Keizer is the better one."
Contents
Playing for Ajax
Piet Keizer played an amazing 490 official matches for Ajax between 1961 and 1974. During this time, he scored 189 goals. He was a big part of Ajax's success, especially when they won the European Cup three times in a row! This was in 1971, 1972, and 1973. They had also reached the final in 1969.
With Ajax, Piet also helped his team win the Eredivisie (the top Dutch league) six times. They also won the KNVB Cup five times, the UEFA Super Cup twice, and the Intercontinental Cup once.
In 1973, the Ajax players voted for Keizer to be their new captain. This happened before Johan Cruyff left Ajax to join Barcelona.
Playing for His Country
Piet Keizer also played for the Dutch national team. He played 34 games and scored 11 goals for his country. His first game was in 1962, where the Netherlands won 8-0 against the Netherlands Antilles.
He was chosen to play in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. However, he only started in one game, which was a 0-0 draw against Sweden.
Piet Keizer suddenly stopped playing football in October 1974. This happened after he had a disagreement about team tactics with the Ajax manager, Hans Kraay.
His Style of Play
The UEFA website described Piet Keizer as a "genius on the left wing." They called him a "skillful flanker" and a "superb foil" (meaning a great partner) to Johan Cruyff.
Even Johan Cruyff himself, in his book, said that Piet Keizer was in his "ideal squad" as the left winger. This shows how highly other great players thought of him.
Personal Life
Piet Keizer married Jenny Hoopman on June 13, 1967. They had two sons together.
Sadly, Piet Keizer passed away in February 2017 after a long battle with lung cancer.
What He Won
Club Honours
- Ajax
- Eredivisie: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73
- KNVB Cup: 1960–61, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72
- European Cup: 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73; runner-up: 1968–69
- UEFA Super Cup: 1972, 1973
- Intercontinental Cup: 1972
- Intertoto Cup: 1961–62, 1968 (Group A2 winner)
International Honours
- Netherlands
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1974
See also
In Spanish: Piet Keizer para niños
- List of one-club men
