Wim Suurbier facts for kids
Suurbier in 1978
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Wilhelmus Lourens Johannes Suurbier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 January 1945 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Eindhoven, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 12 July 2020 (aged 75) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Right back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1977 | Ajax | 392 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Schalke 04 | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1979 | Metz | 24 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1981 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 73 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | → Sparta Rotterdam (loan) | 11 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982 | San Jose Earthquakes | 23 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982 | Tung Sing | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor) | 28 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (indoor) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 577 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1978 | Netherlands | 60 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983 | Golden Bay Earthquakes (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Los Angeles Heat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Miami Sharks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | St. Petersburg Kickers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Kerala Blasters (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Wim Suurbier (born January 16, 1945 – died July 12, 2020) was a famous Dutch football player. He was known for playing as a right back. Wim was a key part of the Dutch national team and the Ajax team during the 1970s. He also worked as an assistant coach for different teams, including the Albania national team.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Wim Suurbier was born in Eindhoven, a city in the Netherlands. He started playing for Ajax Amsterdam when he was 19 years old. He stayed with Ajax for 13 years, which was a very successful time for the club. He played until he was 32.
Wim was known for being very fast and having lots of energy on the field. He was a big part of Ajax's "total football" team in the 1970s. This team, sometimes called the "Twelve Apostles," was led by the legendary player Johan Cruijff. They won the UEFA European Cup three times in a row!
In 1977, Wim moved to FC Schalke 04 in Germany for one season. Later, in 1979, he went to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs in the United States. He played there for three seasons. After that, he joined the San Jose Earthquakes in 1982. He even played indoor soccer for the Golden Bay Earthquakes. Wim stopped playing for a while to become a coach. However, he later played again as a player-coach for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Playing for His Country
Wim Suurbier played 60 matches for the Netherlands national team. He scored three goals for his country between 1966 and 1978. He played in two World Cups, in 1974 and 1978. In both of these tournaments, the Dutch team finished in second place. He also played in the 1976 UEFA European Football Championship.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Wim Suurbier became a football coach. In 1983, he was an assistant coach for the Golden Bay Earthquakes. In 1984, he became the head coach for the Tulsa Roughnecks.
He also coached the Los Angeles Heat in 1986. Later that year, he joined the Tampa Bay Rowdies as a coach. In 1987, Wim became the head coach of the new Fort Lauderdale Strikers team. They did very well, reaching the championship game in their first season.
In 1989, he coached the Miami Sharks. He also coached the St. Petersburg Kickers in 1994. Wim worked as an assistant coach for teams in Qatar, like Al Etehad and Al Sadd, where they won several cups. In 2017, he helped coach the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters during their pre-season training.
His Life
In May 2020, news came out that Wim Suurbier was in intensive care after a serious health issue. He sadly passed away on July 12, 2020.
Awards and Trophies
Wim Suurbier won many awards and trophies during his football career:
With Ajax
- Eredivisie (Dutch League Title): 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1976–77
- KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup): 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972
- European Cup: 1971, 1972, 1973
- European Super Cup: 1972, 1973
- Intercontinental Cup: 1972
With Netherlands National Team
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1974, 1978
- UEFA European Championship third place: 1976
See also
- In Spanish: Wim Suurbier para niños
