Johan Neeskens (born 15 September 1951) is a former Dutch football player. He has played for Netherlands national team. He is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation as well as being regarded as one of the best Dutch players of all time. This is the definition that Neeskens gave for himself, which however appears too reductive. He knew how to best interpret that universality of role preached at the time in Holland: a true all-round wildcard, Neeskens was a complete and continuous player, capable of adapting to play almost anywhere on the pitch.
He possessed remarkable athletic skills thanks to which he gave support and completeness to the technical skills of his teammates. Ideal fulcrum of the midfield, with his passes and high-precision shots he enhanced the qualities of his colleagues: speed and fluidity. Neeskens perfectly expressed what Michels and Kovacs preached in the Netherlands: "a player must be complete and continuous, able to adapt to play in any area of the pitch". He was also a good header and an infallible penalty taker.
His roughness came to light with the expulsion in the semi-final of the 1976 European Championships against Czechoslovakia. His determination on the pitch also made him a true leader when it was necessary to take the team by the hand in the most difficult moments of the match.
Club career
Raised in the RCH youth academy, at 19 he won his first Eredivisie with Ajax. From there the following year begins the great cycle of lancers who win three European Cups in a row. In recent years Neeskens stands out as "one of the best defenders of the Old Continent".
On the eve of the German World Cup Neeskens had signed for Barcelona, yielding to the court of his old teacher Rinus Michels, anxious to reunite him and Cruyff. Upon his arrival he meets a Camp Nou saddened by the departure of the Peruvian Hugo Sotil due to the limit of foreigners in the team but Neeskens does not take long to become an idol of the Barça fans, not only for his qualities as a footballer but also for his willingness to identify with the club and with the Catalan nation. This combination makes him one of the most emblematic players in the history of the club. For him in Spain a King's Cup, a Cup Winners' Cup and 219 games with 53 goals. To remember in 1979 the spectacular final in Basel against Fortuna Düsseldorf ended 4-3 in extra time. It would have been his last match with the blaugrana shirt.
Like other great champions of his generation, in the late 1970s Neeskens continued his career in the North American league, with the NY Cosmos shirt. After the New York experience, he returns home to Groningen for a season. He returns again to the United States where he plays in the South Florida Sun, a United Soccer League team, with him he won the 1985 championship. In America he also plays in indoor soccer, playing in the KC Comets.
Finally, he returned to Europe to end his competitive career in Switzerland in 1991.
International career
A precocious talent, he made his senior international debut at the age of 19 on 11 November 1970 against East Germany. Neeskens became a star of the international firmament in 1974, participating in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. In the first group stage he scored two goals (both from penalties) in the 4-1 win against Bulgaria; in the second group stage he scored as many goals, opening the scoring against East Germany and Brazil (both ended 2-0 for the "oranje"), ultimately being much more decisive than Johan Cruijff. This last goal, scored with a precise diagonal, was celebrated in an exuberant way by the whole Dutch team. The Netherlands thus reached the final where they faced the hosts of West Germany. It was Neeskens who scored the penalty caused by a foul of Uli Hoeneß on Cruyff, giving him the advantage in the second minute of play. Despite this episode, the match will end 2-1 for the Germans. Neeskens thus closed the world championship as top scorer of the "oranje" with 5 goals, a good booty for a midfielder.