Summer 1973. Ajax above allwinner of three C1s in a row in 1971, 1972 and 1973, is training at De Lutte, near the German border. New coach George Knobel finished his speech by announcing that the new captain would be chosen by the players. Johan Cruyff, wearer of the armband, is outraged by this crime of lèse-majesté which forces him to vote against Barry Hulshoff and Piet Keizer. The latter is elected with a dozen votes. Cruyff, beaten and then decided to leave Ajax for Barça, only collected between three and five. Including that of Johan Neeskens, loyal and faithful squire who passed away this Monday, at the age of 73.
Neesken, the gifted Ajacide
The story of quasi-fraternal friendship between Johan 1is et Johan second (« Johan le second », his nickname in Dutch) began at the start of the 1970-1971 season. It was the Ajax coach, Rinus Michels, creator of total football soon to be at the top in the world, who spotted the tireless 18-year-old midfielder who played in D2, at RC Heemstede, 20 kilometers from Amsterdam. In August 1970, Rinus started Johan in a pre-season friendly against Chelsea. Just the first period, time for the rookie to make a decisive pass to Johan-le-Grand. Banco! The handsome blond kid with bright blue eyes, four years younger, is dubbed by the boss.
The rest is a football reverie for Johan II whose versatility (total football, right?) allows him to move back to right side, in place of the immense Ruud Krol, injured and withdrawn, during the 1971 Champion Clubs’ Cup final (ancestor of the Champions League). At 19, at Wembley, the new kid took part in Ajax’s first European title by beating Panathinaikos (2-0)! Two other C1s will follow, as well as two UEFA Super Cups (1972, 1973) and an Intercontinental Cup (1972). John the Second will therefore earn this nickname by remaining close to “Cruyffie”, whose sometimes hurtful authoritarianism does not please all of his teammates.
It is the boundless admiration for his elder that will seal their pact of loyalty. « Johan Cruyff read the game as if he knew in advance what was going to happen, he said in The Team. And he wasn’t wrong. When he told you: “Vas-y fonce!”you could say to yourself: “But why me, what now?” A few seconds later, you had the explanation: you had, for example, created a space for another. » Tactically, in the 4-3-3 midfield that he occupied with Arie Haan and Gerrie Mühren, Rinus Michels had given his young defensive midfielder a rather destructive role: it was he who activated the carnivorous pressing, as an outfielder . As the first aggressive hunter, he perfectly symbolized the bipolar aspect of the great Ajax of the 1970s: endowed with very good technique and an occasional scorer, this precursor of the register of box to box in the manner of Paul Scholes also put a beating impact in the duels, thus damaging the too polite vision of a “ Ajax nicely aesthetic ».
Netherlands–Brazil 1974: signed Johan & Johan!
At the 1974 World Cup in Germany, Johan Neeskens was a fabulous concert performer in the Orange Orchestra, half of which was made up of Ajacides. In number 13 close to the Master’s 14, he stands out for the incredible power of his two penalties converted against Bulgaria in group play (4-1). He is still maneuvering in the middle to chase the opposing carrier and bring the block up, like an orange tide sweeping over the opponent. But it is in the second round, in a quasi-semi-final against Brazil, that Johan II will cease to be the shadow of Johan 1is by also accessing the eternal light of his elder, which he will have shared at least once: he scores with a splendid recovery after a one-two with Cruyffie (1-0) and the latter will complete the Selection by scoring with a feline leap (2-0).
In the final, against the RFA, after two minutes, the two friends will prematurely offer, it was believed, the supreme title to a “ Hollande » favorite before playing. Johan Neeskens transformed the penalty acquired from a smashing of Cruyff, who had gone on a raid, after 50 seconds of play. Johan’s violent strike raised a cloud of chalk like a still smoking gun… But the RFA would come back to 2-1 at half-time, and the desperate chase in the second failed in particular on an overpowering volley from Neeskens, repelled almost at point blank range by Sepp Maier! This July 7, 1974, the “ romantic football » had the disappointed face of Johan Neeskens, long hair, light eyes and sideburns seventies like Led Zep…
After the World Cup, Johan Neeskens will join Cruyff (and Rinus Michels) at FC Barcelona for a half-baked lease, since he and his elder will only win a Spanish Cup in 1978. After the departure of Johan 1is for the USA, Neeskens won the 1979 C2 with Barça. In the meantime, he had played in the World Argentinian 1978 where, reaching the final again with the Orangehe will fail against an overexcited Argentina carried by an entire people (3-1 AP). Johan had been among the leaders of the group who made a point of not going to shake hands with the dictator Videla…
Then, Johan II also went to the USA, at the New York Cosmos, winning two NASL championship titles (1981 and 1982). In November 1981, he had honored his 49e and last selection at the Parc against France « Yes, Michael! » on a 2-0 defeat synonymous with elimination for the 1982 Mundial. After freelance work in Groningen (1985) and in the USA (South Florida Sun, and indoors with the Kansas City Comets), he officially hung up his position in 1991 at FC Zug, in Switzerland, at almost 40 years old. He will return in the game as assistant coach of Guus Hiddink with the Orange at the 1998 World Cup, then Frank Rijkaard at Euro 2000. He then assisted the latter again at Barça (2006-2008). In recent years, Johan Neeskens has discreetly engaged with his wife Marlis in charitable projects with underprivileged urban youth. Gentleman to the end.
Johan Neeskens, former Dutch midfielder, dies
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