Hollandais du Championnat de France d'hier à aujourd'hui/ Dutch players of the French League from yesterday to today.

Tout d'abord, le 11 de tous les temps des Hollandais du championnat de France de D1/ L1. Puis une liste complète ou presque des joueurs ayant évolué dans les clubs français. Enfin, le tableau d'honneur avec les photographies des joueurs les plus marquants.

First of all, the all-time XI of the Dutches of the French League (Division I, Ligue 1). Then a complete (or almost complete) list of the players who played for French clubs. At last, roll of honour with the photographs of the most outstanding players.

Onze de tous les temps des Hollandais du Championnat de France de Football de D1/ L1 :

All-time eleven of the Dutches of the French First League :

 

Onze de tous les temps des Hollandais du Championnat de France

 Afin de distinguer ceux qui furent effectivement les meilleurs, ce pyramidal 2-3-5 s'imposait. En effet, c'est surtout en quête de talents offensifs que la France s'est tourné vers le football hollandais.

C'est à ce type de poste qu'il y a eu en tous cas le plus de succès. Ainsi le milieu particulièrement offensif proposé dans ce 11 également.

Parenthèse, celà aurait pu être présenté tout aussi bien dans un schéma en W.M, mais il s'agissait d'insister sur le fait qu'à l'image d'un Ronald Koeman, Cor van der Hart était quasiment un homme du milieu de terrain. Et puis, Richard Witschge évoluait habituellement sur les côtés, du moins en France, et c'est bien là le sujet.

To distinguish those who were actually the best, this pyramidal 2-3-5 was needed. Indeed, it is mainly seeking offensive talents that France turned towards the Dutch football.

It is in this type of position that there was in any case the most successesful players/ signings. So the very offensive midfield here, in this 11, equally.

A parenthesis, it could have been presented in a W.M scheme as well, but it was to emphasize that, at the image of a Ronald Koeman, Cor van der Hart was almost or practically a man of the midfield. And Richard Witschge usually evolved on the sides, at least in France, and it is well the topic.

 

 

The 11 (in "English" only for now, I mean international version) :

 

G : Stanley Menzo : not a great performer at all in D1 (a handful of games with Bordeaux during the 1997-1998 season, year of French World Cup, for a 5th place in D1) but the only one goalie of Dutch nationality to my knowledge who ever played in the First Division (Stekelenburg played one game, well, 9 games more and it would have been a match).

D : Frank Verlaat : played for AJ Auxerre between 1992 and 1995. The elegance, the composure on the ball and some important goals for his team, especially in Coupe de France or on the European stage.

He knew some of the best years of the club but missed the "doublé Coupe-Championnat 96" when he was gone for Stuttgart and replaced by Laurent Blanc who arrived from Saint-Etienne.

D : Adick Koot : the perfect complement for Verlaat in this ideal eleven. Understand the "steel". A defender feared by his direct opponents and very good in his field. He's also the owner of the record of matches played for AS Cannes (around 250 from 1991 to 1998), a team of wich he was the captain and even player-coach for his last season at the club...that ended with a 18th place on 18 and a relegation. He ended his career with a last season for Lille, in D2.

D/ M/ CH : Cor van der Hart : aptly named since he was at the heart of his teams. A centre-half who like the Italian-Argentine Monti in the 30s, for example, or, again,  like Koeman, never missed a chance to shoot at the goals. A great leader, at the transition between the defence and the attack. Cultured defender, organizer, and strong shooter in sum. Champion with Lille OSC in 1954, 2nd in '51, 3rd in '52, 4th in '53, year of victory in "Coupe".

AM/ W/ M : Richard Witschge : a natural talent all in suppleness, in his runs, in his passes, very "aerial" who, maybe lacked of bite and consistancy. An exceptionnal technician however who knew the fantastic European Campaign of Girondins de Bordeaux in 1996 finishing runner-up of the UEFA Cup, beaten by Bayern but after having swept-off Milan out of the competition alongside the trio Lizarazu-Zidane-Dugarry. Less succesfull in League season despite some individual performances of great factory, but only at times, at the image of what his team produced. 4th in his first season (1993-94) then 7th and 16th, in 1995-96, season after wich many players were sold. In his case, he moved back to Ajax where he became more midfielder at the centre of the field, organizing the plays from a quite deep position, when he was more used on the sides in Bordeaux or at least more as an attacking mid' who could combine with Zidane for example as to know who occupies the wings and who occupies the centre. So the hesitations of this Bordeaux maybe, between the attack at will and... the (traditional by the way) exact contrary, so maybe a lack of balance. But in a situation where their team dominated, it could become very spectacular with these two players.

M/ AM/ W : Kizito "Kiki" Musampa : played for Bordeaux as well. That was from 1997 to 1999 so he was of the national title of 1999. This Dutch of Congolese origins (Kinshasa) played with the Dutch youth national teams but never with the senior team of the "Oranje". He never was a sure starter with Bordeaux neither, but it is clear that, if sometimes average, he was most of the time very good - so when he played. In any case, he has his share in the 1999 title. Could have had a bigger career even if already an interesting one. Maybe Ajax knew it already in 1997 when they sold him to the Girondins.

Now, the fantastic line of attack :

Bram Appel : Dutch international player from 1948 to 1957 (12 matches/ 10 goals), attacker of Stade de Reims from 1949 to 1954 (154 matches/ 96 goals), he was an inside-right or a "false right-wing", let say a centre-forward, whose game was a combination of force and deftness. Particularly adroit in front of the goals, he was a redoubtable scorer. He is the author the 500th goal of Stade de Reims in the elite, a goal that he scored in the day 2 of the 1952-53 season at the end of wich Reims is crown Champion of France. He also won the French Cup in 1950 for his first season with the Champenois.

Kees Rijvers : contemporary of Appel in the French League (Rijvers was born in 1926, Appel in 1921), and Dutch international player like him, this player gave much services to AS Saint-Etienne, starting with bringing 100 kilos of screw-in studs in his bagages, an equipment that was unknown in France.

First played at the club from 1951 to 1957 with a parenthesis at Stade Français. If he he is the first scorer in a derby Saint-Etienne-Lyon (in '51), his main claim to fame remains however the Champion of France title of '57, a year he became also the first recipient of the best League player of the year award of France Football. He then joined Feyenoord for the next season, then again played for Saint-Etienne in the next decade from 1960 to 1962 before ending his career at NAC Breda (his first club) to soon start a career of coach that would be particularly succesful towards Eindhoven in the 70s. A career to wich he was maybe intended, he who always discussed every point about everything. Technically very gifted as a player (known for his footwork and his feints), he had also his views on how football should be played and how a club should work.

As a coach he incidentally met ASSE twice in the Champions Cup, both times in the year '76, for two narrow losses, each time on the same score (0-0; 0-1). He then has beaten the Corsicans of Bastia in the 1978 UEFA Cup Final.

Bertus de Harder : the one who was the youngest player (to actually play) at the World Cup 1938 was noticed for the first time in France at the occasion of a match Netherlands B - France A played in Bordeaux in 1949. He will be signed on this same year by the star local club of Girondins. Despite the Dutch loss on the scoreline of 5-0, one player in particular distinguished out of the 22 actors, so it was him, and Bordeaux would never regret this signing, on the contrary, despite his advanced age for a footballer. He was 29 years old.

This left winger but nonetheless leader of attack would be the leader, in short, of Les Girondins de Bordeaux during the 50s who knew their first title of Champion in...1950 (just after being promoted in D1 and that for the first time in their history). There has been a true "De Harder effect" and it will be felt as well the two following years, but now for sorrowful reasons, when the club, sometimes without him who often makes the travel between Bordeaux and The Hague to accompnay his wife who was ill, knew in paralell some downs.

Bertus De Harder's wife sadly passed away in 1952. In 1953, de Harder brings back all his family with him in Bordeaux. He will be designed best player of the French League by the press at the end of this season.

After a spell at Holland Sport for the season 1954-55, now aged 36, he cannot avoid his club and his city of adoption to be relegated in the Second Division but plays one more year in Gironde (5th of D2) before becoming a player-coach in the lower divisions, always in France, where his family is implanted.

This stocky winger whose the sudden stops unhorsed his opponents, was known as well as a malicious player on the pitches than as a person with much humor, and courage in life. If he is a bit forgotten today, the one who was nicknamed "Le Divin chauve" (The Balded Divine) assuringly is a great man in the FC Girondins de Bordeaux' history, being his first great player, as well as a very important one in the Dutch football in general since it is after him and some others like Rijvers, Appel, De Kubber, Timmermans...and their success in France, that a professional football league has been created in the Netherlands in 1954 (he had participated in the inauguration of it as we have seen playing one season for Holland Sport from The Hague).

Before this wonderful trio Appel, De Harder, Rijvers, as revered in France than in Holland, there was the no less excellent  Hendrik Bakhuys, born in Indonesia, and very first Dutch to ever play in France.

Present at the World Cup 1934, this international player who scored 28 goals in 23 matches for the "Oranje" and who was selected in the European XI had to leave Dutch football as he made money of his talents in what was still amateur football at the time. Consecutively, he has been the object of a controversial affair again, in France, when Stade de Reims signed him for a salary exceeding the salary-cap that ruled at the time, then immediately placing him on the transfert market to realize a capital gain. Then the Dutch striker signs for Metz but Reims is opposed to this transfert since richer teams like RC Paris had made best offers. The Commission des statuts (literally Commission of statutes) decides this case by imposing heavy fines of 5,000 francs to Stade de Reims and to FC Metz while validating the contract with Metz. On appeal, the Bureau Fédéral (the Federal Office) confirms the judgment of the Commission des statuts and imposed a two-month suspension to the player to have signed contracts with two clubs.

The talentuous inside forward, known for his exceptional vision of the game and scoring abilities, and that from all the distances (30, 40 meters...) as well as now know for having been at the centre of many affairs,  would be a FC Metz player from 1937 to 1939. An unexpected signing given the star status of this player at the time as well as the status of the Dutch footballers supposed to remain amateurs at the risk of being ineligible to play for the National Team (Bakhuys will not be selectionnable anymore in 1938, for the World Cup held in...France).

Because he is the first Dutch to have ever played in France and because he was known for his "een kopbal à la Bakhuys" (understand a diving header, like he scored one against Belgium in 1934), he is the centre forward of our XI. And despite he played a few games and finally scored a few goals for Metz between his initial suspension and a career that would be interrupted when Europe and soon the world would know his second grand peril.

Here's some footage of Elisa Hendrik Bakhuys, better known under his nick "Beb" Bakhuys but presented as Hendrik Bakhuys at his arrival by the French press, in a match for FC Metz against RC Paris, wich wanted to sign him.

Now, this is the description of Bakhuys that we can find in "Le Livre d'or du FC Metz", by René Bour (not Roger Moore) : "The fabulous Bep Bakhuys, best player in Holland and probably in Europe, was as much known and admired as Johan Cruijff at his time. With a phenomenal strike force, he could shoot in all positions from 30 to 40 meters and he scored goals...or assisted it.

Strangely built - a small head adorned with large ears, a long neck resting on a narrow bust, and with powerful thighs - he was moving slowly, but his passes came with incredible accuracy and speed.
Bep Bakhuys, said "Man with big ears", died in The Hague July 7, 1982, at 73 years".

About his slowness, here is a caricature of him being dribbled past by the fast Faas Wilkes (who played later, in Italy).

From the same source used here (link at the end of the article), there is a picture of his famous diving-header against Belgium in 1934 (placed in parallel with the no less famous diving-header of Robin Van Persie at the last World Cup for that goal against Spain, but here is only kept the picture of Bakhuys).

That's 10 players. And last but not least, on the right wing of our 11, here is Johnny Rep. Probably the biggest Dutch star France ever knew, with Dave (a singer).

After two seasons with Valencia, Rep, a product of Ajax with whom he was European champion in 1973 (scoring the only goal in the Final against Juve), surprisingly signed for S.E.C Bastia in 1977. He succeeds here to another foreign star, Dzajic, who travelled back to Belgrad after he had reached a 3rd place in the French League with the Corsican club (6th in his first season in 1974-75, 8th in 1975-76, 33 goals in 71 matches in all competions).

There will be no lesser results with now Rep as jewel of the attack. For his first season at the club, Bastia finishes 5th in the League and, most of all, knew a fantastic epic in the UEFA Cup beating successively Sporting Clube de Portugal, Newcastle, Torino FC, Jena, the Grasshoppers...to finally reach the Final where the Kees Rijvers' PSV Eindhoven waits for them. After a 0-0 in Corsica where it was the deluge, Bastia will be beaten 3-0 in Holland, end of the story, after a particularly exhausting season. But what a feat! With Papi, with the captain Orlanducci, the Marchionni, the Cazes, the Lacuesta, the Larios, the Krimau... and the blond haired striker from Holland.

After 65 matches, 33 goals in D1 and a 14th place in '79 with Bastia, the international player is signed by AS Saint-Etienne together with Michel Platini in order to conquer a title that the club has not won since 1976 (year of European Cup final in Glasgow against Bayern). Here he will be the partner of another sex-symbol, Dominique Rocheteau, and thence with Platini as conductor. Very promising. But "Les Verts" will only finish 3rd in this 1979-1980 season.

Without Rocheteau, gone to Paris SG but with now Battiston in defense who arrived from Metz, the next season will be finally a conclusive one with the title at the end of it (20 goals by Platini, 14 by Rep). Unfortunatelly they miss to achieve the doublé loosing the Final to...Bastia, the precedent club of Rep. The next season would be even more disillusionments with a second place in Championnat and a runner-up place again in Coupe, loosing this time against Rocheteau's PSG, on penalties. It is also the start of the affairs at ASSE, with l'affaire de la caisse noire (slush fund affair) and it is the departure of Platini for Juventus. Rep stays in the Forez one more season, a very difficult one, collectively and individually. He goes back to Holland aged 31-32 the next season.

Particularly brilliant during the European Cups nights (with Bastia, then with Saint-Etienne when demolishing Lodz, Eindhoven or Hamburg...before being demolished by others, but well...), he will remain as one of the biggest footballing star France ever knew, that for years, if not the star, until another artist joins another mythical club, OM, Chris Waddle it is, and who like Rep before him, would mark a whole generation.

Johnny Rep : the dream player.

Now, the complementary list :

1940s :

Gerrit Vreeken . Or Gerrie or Gérard, Vreken in France : RW, RB, AS Monaco 1946-48 in D3, 48-49 in D2, FC Nantes 1949-55 in D2, near 150 matches in D2.

Wilhelm van Lent : F, Lille OSC 1949-50 in D1, AS Troyes-Savinienne 50-51, now ESTAC in D2, RC lens 51-54 in D1, 62 matches/ 33 goals in D1.

 

1950s :

Joop Stoffelen : M, RC Paris 1950-51 in D1, Toulouse FC 1951-52 in D2, 12 caps between 1947 and 1950, played a few matches in France. 

 

Hendrick Den Boer : F, FC Nancy 1950-1951.

Joop or Joep Brandes : F, Nîmes Olympique 1950-51, SO Montpellier 1951-53, 3 caps/ 1 goal in '49, vice-champion of D2 in 1952, 23/ 3 in D1, 58/ 13 in D2.

Marinus, Rinus Schaap : M, Toulouse 50-51 in D1 then 51-52 in D2, RC Paris 52-53 in D1 then 53-54 in D2, 60+ matches in D1 or D2 for at least 6 goals. International player between 1948 and 1956, he earned 13 caps (1 goal) and was the captain for his 6 last selections. As player of H.V.V. t`Gooi. He was not selectionnable when playing in France due to his professional status until 1954. He came back in the National team in 1955.

Arie De Vroet : M, Le Havre 1950-52 in D1, Rouen 52-53 in D2, 64/ 2 in D1, 22/ 2 in D2, 22/ 0 in National Team between 1938 and 1949, ended his career in France after he had played for Feyenoord for more than 10 years.

Jan Van Geen : F, FC Nantes 1950-55 in D2, 147 matches/ 90 goals for the "Canaris". He has been called-up in National Team several times but never played. Mainly played for La Hague in Holland where he was born.

Theo Timmermans : W,  Olympique Nîmois 1949-1953, Champion of D2 in 1950 then 4th in D1 the next season he played a total of 94 matches in D1 for 27 goals, 12/ 3 in D2. 12 matches/ 4 goals for Holland between 1949 and 1957. Played for ADO '20 La Hague in Holland before and after his French career, wich was a success.

Piet Steenbergen : M, Le Havre AC 1950-52 in D1. Twice international player, in 1950 and in 1955. Player of Feyenoord in Holland.

Anton "Toon" Bauman : D, FC Nantes 1950-52 in D2, 41 matches/ 1 goal.

Johannes "Fred" Röhrig : F, CO Roubaix-Tourcoing 1952-53 in D1.

Albertus "Bert" Carlier : LW, RC Strasbourg 1954-1955, AS Monaco 1958-1964, Twice Champion of France (1961, 1963), twice winner of the Coupe de France (1960 and 1963), Trophée des Champions 1961, 197 matches in D1 for 48 goals, 18/ 7 in Coupe... 1/ 0 in Trophée des Champions, 9/ 3 in Coupe Charles Drago (the ancester of the League Cup)...5 times international player for Holland for 2 goals between 1955 and 1957 when a player of Fortuna 54 (Sittard). Started his career in VVV Venlo in '51-52, ended it at Fortuna '54 for a last season in '64-65. Also played in Germany at the start of his career before joining Strasbourg, at Köln ('52-53) and Pirmasens ('53-54).

Good technician, he left a mark at Monaco where he was part of a team that made a beautiful Champion of France, with an interesting way of playing football, and those jerseys, red and white, first with stripes ('59-60) then with the diagonal ('60-61).

 Petrus 'Piet' Van Rhijn or Van Rhyn : W, Valenciennes 1954-56 in D2, 1956-58 in D1 then Stade Français 1958-59 in D2, 1959-61 in D1, Grenoble '61-62 in D2 and '62-63 in D1, and finally Nîmes '62-63 (8 matches) still in D1. 295 matches for 185 goals in all competions, 133 matches/ 58 goals in D1, 132/ 113 in D2 where he has been the top scorer three times :  in 1955 (40 goals), '56 (32) and '59 (31). So a scorer-type of winger, particularly efficient between 1954 and 1960. He's born in Wassenaar in 1931 where he played before joining French football. 

 

1970s :

 

Lambert Verdonk : F, LW, Marseille 1971-1972 (8 matches/ 3 goals, Champion), AC Ajaccio '72-73 (32/ 4, 19th), Angoulême (where de Harder had been a player-coach 10-12 years earlier) in D2 in '73-74, 27/ 3, 12th. 4 caps in 1968.

Cees Van Kooten : CF, 4 matches with Lille OSC in 1971. 9 caps. Born in 1948, died in August 2015.

Wim Suurendonck : M, AS Monaco 1971-1972, 18th in D1 and relegated. Scored 1 goal for a total of appearances that varies from 19 to 21 according to the different sources. Apparently known as Ruud Suurendonk in The Netherlands.

Franciscus "Cas" Janssens : F, 27 matches/ 9 goals in D1 with Olympique Nîmois for the 1973-1974 season. Lacked of efficiency so Nîmes did not kept him. Ended his career playing for Nœux-les-Mines (where Kopa was born) in Division 2B. That was for the 1976-77 season.

Johannes "Jan" Teunis Klijnjan : M, FC Sochaux-Montbélliard 1973-1977, 104 matches/ 17 goals in D1. 3rd in the French League at the end of the season 1975-1976 (24 matches/ 1 goal). Had scored 7 then 8 goals in his two first seasons when a sure starter for a 7th then a 17th place. 11 caps/ 2 goals between 1967 and 1972.

Wilhelmus Gerardus Rijsbergen : the defender who was of the 1974 World Cup Final with Holland against West Germany (and still in the squad in '78 for 3 games in the 1st round) was a player of Bastia in the 1978-1979 season of Division I. If Bastia finished 5th, on an individual point of view, the Rijsbergen's spell in Corsica was not a success at all. He then moved to the NASL.

Wim Suurbier : on this '78-79 season, Bastia had his Rijsbergen, and Metz had the famous right wing-back of Holland and Ajax Wim Suurbier. If Rijsbergen had presumly some good years before him, Suurbier was aging. He played 26 matches for Metz for a very average rank of  #10 at the end of the season. Suurbier, him, individually, was hardly average, far below his standards...of the past. So he then moved to...the NASL. What was more of his age than Rijsbergen, to be honest.

In gross, that was not especially a good idea to sign a Dutch defender after the 1978 Wold cup, even if he was part of those teams there. Or used to be. Simply, let say that, at this moment there, that was not the good ones.

Willem Letemathulu : F, Stade Brestois 1978-1981 mostly in D2, Guingamp 1981-1983 in D2, Valence 1983-1985 in D3, Lorient 1985-1986 in D2. He starts his career at JVC Cuijk then at NEC before joining France at the age of 24 years. Champion of D2 in 1981, he played 147 matches at this level for 37 goals scored. He also played 25 matches (4 goals) in D1, that was for the season 1979-1980.

1980s :

Kees Kist : international F, CF, Paris Saint-Germain FC 1982-1983 in D1 (34 matches, 12 goals) then Mulhouse in D2 the following season for approximatively the same stats. Normally knew for his qualities as a centre forward, he was often used on the wing in France. Not unworthy after his season with Paris but finally transferred. Did not play in the 1983 French Cup Final won by PSG. Certainly very happy to have made the travel to France.

Tscheu La Ling unless it is La Ling Tscheu or Ling Tschen La, or Tchen too : recruited by Marseille together with Laurie Cunningham when the club was back from the D2 in 1985. The international Dutch forward (14 matches/ 2 goals between 1977 and 1982 for the Oranje) stood only one year on La Canebière (like Cunningham) scoring 6 goals in 27 matches. Those two precocious talents had not retrieved all their football and would never do. OM maintained in L1 in extremis (17th). By the way, La Ling gave the victory to Marseille in the Vélodromme against Paris with two goals to make it 3-1, but it was not already called the "clasico" at the time.

Jan Poortvliet : born in 1955, D (or M), Nîmes Olympique 1984-1987 (near 100 matches in D2 for 15 goals), AS Cannes 1988-1989 (36 matches/ 3 goals in D1). A solid defender (as it is liked in Nîmes) which used to meet AS Saint-Etienne in European Cup when a player of PSV Eindhoven and who was an international from 1978 (played the World Cup Final) to 1982 for a total of 19 caps (1 goal).

Pierre Vermeulen : F, AM, LW, M, Paris Saint-Germain FC 1985-1987, Champion 1986, 45 matches in D1 (1 goal) then Tours in D2, in D3, and finally Angers in D2. International player between 1978 and 1983 (9 matches/ 1 goal), he played for Roda JC ('74-80), Feyenoord ('80-84) and Maastricht VV ('84-85) in Holland winning the title in '84 alongside Gullit and Cruijff (but not the doble as he didn't play in the KNVB Beker Final against Fortuna Sittard).

Sonny Silooy : D, Matra Racing (= RC Paris before or Racing Club de France de Football de Colombes 92 now) from 1987 to 1989. Arrived from Ajax and quite quickly went back to his club of formation. Matra, so Lagardère, wich was the owner of the club of Paris between 1984 and 1989 applied the star sytem recipe to quickly build a super-team in Paris in order to make concurrence to PSG, but also to Bordeaux. But sportively it did not work, despite of the signings of the likes of Fernandez, Tusseau, Littbarski, Francescoli, Ginola...for much disappointments concerning those players, exception made, maybe, of Francescoli.

If he was not a flop like Littbarski, Silooy did not escape to this real fiasco given the money invested, never fulfilling the promesses that were seen in him. The Dutch man knew some ups, but most of all some downs at the image of his team.

This player who never made his breakthrough in National Team (23 matches from 1983 to 1993, never playing in a single international tournament) will not be of the victorious Champions League Final of 1995 against Milan with Ajax, but will be of the 11 that would be beaten one year later by Juventus in final of the same competition. He had however won the UEFA Cup in 1992 under Van Gaal's commandment and the Cup Winners Cup 1987 under Cruijff. A strange career for this player who was known for his speed and who was really quality.

Peter Bosz : M, Toulon 1988-1991. He was the engine of SC Toulon's midfield during three seasons. Back in Holland at Feyenoord in '91 he became here an international player (selected 8 times) aged 28, and won here his first major titles (Champion 1993, Dutch Cup several times). In France, he was fighting against the relegation finishing at best in the mid-table with his team but was noticed as a midifelder precious for his team. Finally, his spell in D1 (93 matches) has been a springboard for him who belatedly revealed himself.

John Lammers : this forward played at Toulon SC with Bosz, when he was not playing for the B Team. 31 matches and 6 goals in D1 between 1988 and 1990. He knew his best season in 1993-1994 scoring 19 goals in Eredevisie with NAC Breda.

Arnold Oosterveer : CB, Chamois Niortais FC 1988-1990, 91 in D2 (60 matches/ 1 goal), Stade Rennais winter 1990-91 to 1993 then Valenciennes in '93-94 for 83 matches in D1. Hard on the man, he left best memories towards Niort than of Rennes even if quite often injured.

Rob Witschge : AM, AS Saint-Etienne, Jul. 1989 to dec.1990. 2 years after he made OM suffer in the Cup Winners Cup semi-finals with Ajax ('87), the elder brother of Richard is the first to join the Division I, signed by AS Saint-Etienne wich tries to retrieve a level worthy enough of its glorious past with foreign international players like John Sivebaek (former AS Monaco), the Swiss Alain Geiger and last but not least Rob Witschge, the lefty Dutch international to wich are assigned the keys of the team's game.

Witschge produced very good performances in his first season with some crucial goals (9 in total in D1) but "Les Verts", certainly lacking of a number of players experienced enough finishes only 15th in the D1 table. In the meantime, they had reached the semis in Coupe, what could be encouraging for the future. A future wich would be finally cast in the same mould, without Witschge who left the club in December 1990 after 51 matches and 11 goals in D1.

He would continue his career at Feyenoord to finally participate to a major tournament with the "Oranje", the Euro '92 (one goal scored against Germany and semi-finalist beaten by the future final winners Denmark) then to the U.S World Cup (quarter-finals, beaten by the future champion, Brazil).

Wilbert Suvrijn : defender or (most of the time in fact) defensive midfielder, Montpellier Hérault SC 1989-93. True pilar of the team of La Paillade in his first season alongside Lemoult at midfield, he won't be of the French Cup Final won by his club against Matra Racing of Paris due to an injury. But it is with still much commitment that Suvrijn starts his second season, the 1990-91 one, year of European feats by Montpellier in the Cup Winners Cup, competition into wich they eliminated former European Champions such as PSV Eindhoven and Steaua Bucharest to finally cede before Manchester United in quarter-finals, after yet obtained a good draw game at Old Trafford. Well started, the end of the season League will be more complicated retroceding from the 4th to the 7th place.

The next year (91-92) Montpellier,with Suvrijn, confirms being a team that counts in the First Division, finishing 6th. But that's not enough to be European again. As a consolation prize, MHSC wins La Coupe d' Eté (summer cup or literally summer haircut) wich is not a fashionable haircut but the ancester of the League Cup as well as the succesor of the Coupe Drago. Difficult to imagine Suvrijn would have let someone touch his hair at this time anyway.

Out of breathe, and most of all injured, the "marathon-man" of MHSC would play only 9 games in his last season at the club. Then he made a last "freelancing" in the Belgian Third Division.

Jos van Herpen : a tough defender who was of the Brest's adventure in Division I from 1989 to 1991, that resulted in a bankruptcy filling.

1990s :

Piet den Boer : this striker with a terrific shoot who scored the only goal of the 1989 Cup Winners Cup Final (with a header) that has seen Mechelen to beat Ajax Amsterdam, played for the Girondins de Bordeaux in the 1989-1990 season, recruited by Goethals, and for Stade Malherbe de Caen the following year now aged 32 whereas Bordeaux knew a financial crisis. His season in Gironde was the most succesful with 14 goals in 37 matches for a total of 71 matches and 18 goals in D1.

Willem Cornelis Nicolaas Kieft, Wim Kieft : the international forward succeeded to den Boer in the Girondins' squad for the 90-91 season, year of administrative relegation. He had been European Champion with PSV in '88, the club from where he was coming from. And where he came back after 23 matches in Division I, and 3 goals.

Hendricus Johannes Petrus Vos, Henk Vos : F, first played in France for FC Metz in the 1990-1991 season, or one half of it before continuing his career with Standard de Liège from where he came from. Then it is a more matured player that is signed by FC Sochaux in 1993. It is always the same Vos but now he turned into a very precious pivot in attack and he even scored 12 goals in his first season in the Doubs. He scores 9 others in 94-95, then 5 in 95-96 until the winter when he is transferred to Feyenoord whilst Sochaux was now in the Second Division. A strong stature, and a good player.

Wilhelmus Edwin Görter, "Willy" : born in 1963, MF, playmaker, Stade Malherbe de Caen 1991-1993. After a good career in the Swiss League with Lugano (where he was elected best foreign player in 1991) Daniel Jeandupeux (the Swiss coach of Caen) attracts Görter in the French 1st Division. After a very good first season (5th and a qualification for the UEFA Cup) this true play-maker will knew a more difficult season the next year with an injury that never really heals (he has a groin strain) plus the eclosion of Stéphane Dedebant in a midfield where there is also the Argentine international player Gabriel Calderon who is more of a creator too. He retrieves his place in the team then due to a very serious injury of Dedebant in his third season but finally leaves Normandie in winter, what coincide with the arrival of Aleksandr Mostovoï on loan from Benfica.

Görter ended his career at Miami Fusion where he replaced Carlos Valderrama. That was in 1999.

Jerry De Jong : played for Stade Malherbe too. But this very physical player spent too few time in France. And played too few matches also : 16 matches (in '94-95). Enough to leave a big impression however thus if a 4-men defence was needed for the "Best 11 of the Dutches of France", he would have good chances to find his place in it. Yes despite the relegation of Caen at the end of the season. If only he could have played more.

This international player (3 international appearances in '90-91) would never retrieved his best level after that.

Arjan Vermeulen : defender of OGC Nice in D1 for the 1996-1997 season and in D2 in the following one. 22 matches (1 goal) in D1 then 6 matches in D2 before a return in Eredivisie where he faded away. Not a big souvenir even if presented as an interesting recruit in the summer '96, of course.

That doesn't go better with Leeroy Echteld who did not impose himself at AS Cannes. 5 matches in D1 in the first half of the 1997-98 season for this attacking mid' who quickly moved back to Holland in Waalwijk. Previously played for Heerenveen.

Quite surprising but true, the offensive midfielder Gerald Vanenburg (European Champion of clubs and of Nations '88, 42 caps) was also player of AS Cannes in that 1997-1998 season and he even played the whole competition, him. 26 matches and 6 goals. And a 18th place on 18. The club knew his decline and is still in the lowest divisions to this day, after having lost his professional status.

His former teammate at PSV, Adick Koot (player-coach), was at the origin of his coming.

Edwin van Ankeren : F, En Avant de Guingamp played 26 matches and scored 9 goals in D2 in the 1999-2000 season (vice-champion) then appeared in 7 games of D1 the following year before being transferred to AS Viterbese Calcio, in Serie C2. Yes, in Italy.

2000s :

Tarik Oulida : Ajax, Sevilla, Nagoya Grampus Eight...played for Sedan in 2002-2003. Before moving back to Japan to finish then his career at ADO Den Haag. He was a midfielder. He had been elected AFC Ajax Talent of the year 1994 (Marco van Basten award).

Patrick Paauwe : joined Valenciennes from Feyenoord in 2006 for one season in L1 before to join Moenchengladbach. With whom he knew the relegation then a title in 2. Bundesliga. A very good midfielder, 5 times international between 2000 and 2002.

Mario Melchiot : defender of Stade Rennais for the 2006-2007 season. He was coming from Birmingham City and soon went back in the Premier League, at Wigan Atletic (where Pascal Chimbonda had left an empty place). Very good defender, excellent counter-attacker and author of some goals he is probably the best Dutch right-back the French League has ever seen. Well, it is true that there is not much serious concurrence at this position so it is not really a compliment. But he was really, very, very good. He was aging but it would not have been a bad idea, on a sportive point of view...to keep him towards Rennes and in the Ligue 1. 22 times international player between 2000 and 2008.

Melchiot was a former teammate of Patrick Kluivert (when at Ajax of course) who signed for LOSC in 2007. In Lille, he had a very particular contract, indeed he was paid for each match played and had special primes for each goal scored. He scores for his first appearance against Valenciennes then knows some difficulties in the team of Claude Puel who uses him as... an attacking midfielder. A bit later, with 2 goals scored against Rennes, and now a few kilos lighter, Kluivert seems to retrieve a very interesting level of play - that he had lost since approximatively 2004, yes 2004, his last year at FC Barcelona - but he finally looses his place in the team and that was synonymous of the end of his career at the age of 32 years.

The striker who offered the European win to Ajax in 1995 against Milan and who held the record of goals scored for his National Team during some years with 40 goals (it is now Van Persie with 50) scored a total of 4 goals in L1 in 13 appearances. An experience that had the merit of being attempted.

Boudewijn Zenden : born in 1976 (like Kluivert), AM, MF. Sometimes decried, probably because he was not often decisive in terms of goals scored, Zenden did not lack of merit in the particular context of Marseille and his football team for wich he played from 2007 to 2009. A player who knew the biggest clubs (Eindhoven then Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool) and who brang his maturity and his science of the game to OM. But slighlty upset, especially with extra-sportive affairs like housebreaking or car jacking, he finally left the club after two seasons refusing the proposals of Deschamps (who just arrived at the club) to extend his contract. Zenden will also finally find a better offer in the Premier League coming from Sunderland, all happy to welcome him.

By the way, if Marseille did not win anything before the Deschamps' return as coach, the OM of Gerets, and Zenden, had finished 3rd then 2nd in the League in 2008 and 2009. And "DD", like his predecessor, assuringly knew the importance of this type of player, of the kind of "Bolo".

Rajiv van La Parra : usually, it is more the French clubs wich are stripped of their young talents but for once, it is the contrary. Caen managed to ravish van La Parra to Feyenoord whilst this talentuous offensive player, winger, was a regular of the youngster National team in his country (U17).

But, La Parra will merely play a very few games in the first team of SMC. That will not prevent him to continue to be selected in U19, nor to be Champion of Ligue 2 in 2010 (8 matches/ 1 goal certainly is enough to be declared champion) but, we can ask the question : was it really a gift from Feyenoord?

8 matches in L1 later (the same in Ligue 2) since 2008, La Parra who clearly became a player of the reserve of Caen moves back to Holland at Heerenveen in 2011. He'll be here still an international (U21) and even finds a contract to sign in the Premier League in 2014, with the Wolves (of Wolverhampton). 

Right now, he's on loan in Brighton.

Chedric Seedorf : let the fun continue! Yes, he is Clarence's brother. He played one game for Evian-Thonon-Gaillard in 2009. In D3.

John Veroek : F, played 7-8 games for Rennes in 2011. No goals. A successful winter market.

Luigi Bruins : AM, playmaker, MF. At OGC Nice from January 2013 until June 2014. Despite of remarkable debuts, Puel will employ him less and less. Because he did not defend enough? Because of some behaviour? In any case, a lack of consistancy could be noted at one point, certainly. But if Puel and Nice finished 4th of L1 in 2014, it has a little bit to do with Bruins, too, who made Cvitanich to score agaisnt Ajaccio after 2 monts of inefficiency of the Argentinean in January to start a very good 2nd half of season from the team...of wich Bruins will be absent in February and March due to injury. He will finish the season entering in some of the very last games.

The one who used to be U23 European Champion with the Netherlands in 2007, even scoring one personal goal in Final, was a very good passer of the ball but intermittent, who most of all shined at his very beginnings with the club.

Charlison Benschop : F, played for Stade brestois in the 2012-2013 season. 6 goals in 31 matches in all competitions (27/ 5 in L1, 3/ 1 in French Cup, 1/ 0 in League Cup).

Gregory van der Wiel : RB, "RWB". Runner-up in the World Cup 2010 with Holland, he signs for PSG now owned by some Qataris in 2012. Still at the club right now in January 2015, this most of all very offensive right back should certainly leave at the end of the season. After a 4th national title.

Illan Boccara : born in Boulogne-Billancourt in France in 1993, formed at PSG, this very young midifelder who has chosen the Dutch nationality (U19 and U21 international player) joined Ajax in 2012 (the young team), but still knew the joy of playing in Ligue 1 in two occasions, with Evian-Thonon-Gaillard, in 2014, when on loan. He is right now at Hapoel Kfar Saba.

Ricky van Wolfwsinkel : F, CF, on loan at AS Saint-Etienne during the 2014-2015 season. A sympathetic player without being exceptional who scored 5 goals and delivered 4 assists in 28 L1 games. Selected 2 times in his national team he is now at Sevilla FC where he doesn't play at all anymore.

Karim Rekik : presented as a big European hope at his positon of defender, he's one one of the big fails in the recruitment of the OM President Labrune. A defender that can scores goals but who lacks of defensive skills. Still very young though (22 years old). With chance, he will not be much traumatized by this experience in Marseille.

Others who played in D2 only :

 

Hans Venneker : born in 1945, F, was a player-coach of AS Montferrand in '75-77. 4 caps in '71-72. He played for Feynenoord, NEC and Sparta with whom he became an international player.

Herman Heskamp : F, Avignon Football 84 in D2 from 1976 to 1979 where he ended his career. 2nd of the Group A in '79, but Avignon did not went through the 1st Round of the barrages for the accesit in D1 where they spent only one season, in 1975-76.  Impossible to find the stats of Heskamp for now but giventhe numbers of the other strikers of the club he may have play a very few games in the first team. He had started his career in Eredevisie with Twente in the Second half of the 60s then mostly in Tweede Divisie then Eerste Divisie with Zwolle, then Groningen in '75-76 before moving to the south of France.  

Rob Rensenbrink : F, played his last season in pro for Toulouse in the French Division 2 back from one year in the NASL. 12 matches, 1 goal. Champion of France of Second Division 1982.

Karel Bonsink : CF, Stade Rennais 1981-1982. 24 matches/ 4 goals.

Ruud Kaiser : F, Nice 1982-1984. More than 30 matches in his first season (6 goals). Then a blank last season. He came from Coventry City wich bought him to Royal Antwerp wich bought him to Ajax. He ended his career in Bois-Le-Duc (Den Bosch).

Ruud Krol : D. Another star that it would have be fine to see earlier in France. He nonetheless helped AS Cannes to settle at the top of the D2 table before the club knew the D1 again some years later, for some times before to be relegated to the lower divisions again. Played on La Riviera from 1984 to 1986. Later, he was the coach of AC Ajaccio during the 2007-2008 season of... D2 (9th).

Antonius Johannes Jacobus Lokhoff, "Ton" Lokhoff, nicknamed "Tony Sixpack" : a midfielder who played for Nîmes between 1986 and 1988, so it was in D2 (63 matches/ 12 goals). Before that, he was at PSV Eindhoven where he was a regular starter (1986 champion). He earned 3 caps in '84-85. After Nîmes, he played for Feyenoord until 1991 then for NAC Breda, his first club, until 1996 .

Michel Valke : born in 1959, LM, played for Lyon in 1987-1988 (Lyon was champion in '89). Played 16 times for the Oranje between '79 and '86, the best period in the Dutch football's history.

Erik van den Boogard : F, Stade Rennais 1987-1990 has not known the D1 with Rennes which transfers him to Rouen for the season 1990-1991, replacing him by Omam-Biyik. He had scored 7, 20 then 15 goals for the Bretons. He added 10 to his record for Rouen. VDB for friends.

Erik Groeleken : MF, played for Gueugnon and Beauvais between the winter '96-97 and the winter '98-99. 19 matches and 10 goals for his first half of a season then not much : 4 matches in 97-98, 15 matches/ 3 goals with Beauvais the next season. Before moving to Caracas where this grand traveller (Israël, Germany, Austria, France) ended his career.

Mark de Vries : this forward made the happiness of Chamois Niortais during one season (1998-99) even if not scoring much (2 goals in D2). Later, he played for Scottish and English clubs like Heart of Midlothian, Leicester, Leeds and Dundee United.

Hendrick Regtop : DM, played 8 matches (1 goal) for Nice in the 1998-1999 season. Followed his formation at Ajax to wich he belonged until the end of the 1986-87 season.

Coaches :

Beb Bakhuys : coached the last club he played for, FC Metz in 1945-1946. Used to be here player-coach exactly. 17th in D1 (not relegated). And 12 matches/ 2 goals for his last season as a player during wich he knew the first jersey printed with La Croix de Lorraine wich always features on the badge of the club to this day.

Bertus de Harder : as said previously, the legendary player of Girondins de Bordeaux became a player-coach, then just coach in Angoulême in 1957 until 1960 then coach of Mulhouse from 1962 until 1964, in Championnat de France Amateur.

Hennie Hollink :  coach of RC Strasbourg from June 1974 until November 1975 then, later, coach of FC Tours between 1981 and 1983. 11th in D1 then relegated in '83.

Ruud Krol : the former player of AS Cannes was the coach of AC Ajaccio in the 2007-2008 season of L2.

Adick Koot : was player-coach of AS Cannes in the 1997-1998 season of L1. 18th on 18 and relegated. Terrible for the holder of the record of matches played in pro for this club who ended his career with Lille as a player and never coached again. He became a sports agent.

No coach has been picked to take the lead of the ideal XI. 

Now, ROLL OF HONOUR : 

 

Koot, van der Hart, Verlaat, de Kubber - Ri. Witschge, Kist, Musampa, Ro. Witschge - Timmermans, Rep, van Dijk, de Harder - Carlier, Bakhuys, Rijvers, Appel.

 Could have probably found a place in such a tableau : van Rhyn, Melchiot, even if the latter stood only one year.

 

At last, probably the most debatable choice in the "ideal XI" concerns Musampa. De Kubber (CH), a side-defender like Melchiot, Suvrijn (DM), Bosz or even Zenden, for example, each one of them, constitutes a serious choice of substitution. But Musampa was Champion de France.

 A recall of the DUTCH OF FRANCE ALL-TIME XI (but the topic is not over yet, some History again after this)

 

Onze de tous les temps des Hollandais du Championnat de France

Always on the same topic, and even beyond, our attention will be caught now on one event that took place in 1953.

This year, precisely in the night of January 31st to February the 1st, hapenned a terrible seaquake caused by the North Sea that hit the south-west of the Netherlands and caused more than 1800 deaths amongst the population. And more generally destruction from a strict material point of view.

In order to financially support the victims of this tragedy, a match will be held in Parc des Princes, Paris, between a French selection, similar to the French National Team, and a selection of professional Dutch players. Players who, by definition, play abroad. This team will be constituted with 10 players evolving in France (whose short profiles normally feature on this page) plus the goalkeeper De Munck of Köln, Germany.

More details into these articles :

Flutkatastrophe von 1953 : https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flutkatastrophe_von_1953

Inondation causée par la mer du Nord en 1953 : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inondation_caus%C3%A9e_par_la_mer_du_Nord_en_1953

North_Sea_flood_of_1953 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_flood_of_1953 

Belgium, Germany and England had been hit by the catastrophe too. In lesser proportions. The Dutch reinforced their dike system after the catastrophe.

Now about this charity match we were talking about, two online articles in particular :

In French, from Didier Braun's blog called " Une autre histoire du Foot " : http://uneautrehistoiredufoot.blogs.lequipe.fr/2013/03/12/il-y-a-60-ans-laide-des-bleus-aux-pays-bas/

And a Dutch wikipedia's article, " Watersnoodwedstrijd " : https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watersnoodwedstrijd

Now (late edit of this article in Oct. 2018) the film of the match :

At last, must be mentionned in particular online sources of infos like ASSE-live and Scapulaire.com (Gir. de Bordeaux) wich have been particularly precious, the latter site being particularly complementary to what was foundable on de Harder in France Football or Miroir du Football.

And mustn't be forgotten the link to this article on Bakhuys from wich the caricature and the photograph of him are coming from. Here is the link : http://wmphotoblog.tumblr.com/post/91022119386/een-kopbal-%C3%A0-la-beb-bakhuys