Neeskens: The Other Dutch Johan
Netherlands are one of the pioneers of world football. With world class players from Ruud Gullit to Van Basten, the Dutch have offered us some of the finest kickers of the ball we have ever seen. Perhaps non finer than a certain Johan Cruyff. But what about another midfielder of the same name? Someone who formed a formidable partnership with Jopie in both his Ajax and Barca days, as well as the Dutch national team. Someone whose performances were so dominant, that Ajax one-club man described as being “worth two men in midfield”. That man is non other than Johannes Jacobus Neeskens.
Johannes was born in Heemstede, a town of rougly 30,000 people. on 15 Septemper 1951. He started playing for his local side, before being noticed by the great Rinus Michels, who brought him to Amsterdam. There, the versatile Johan featured predominantly at right back in his first season, winning his first European Cup against Greek side Panathinaikos in 1971. The next season, he got moved into the centre of the midfield, with his incredible stamina and work ethic, providing cover for the more attack-minded Cruyff. That proved to be a stroke of genius by Ajax, as they completely dominated european football, winning 2 more European Cups, to complete a hitoric 3-peat. Neskeens completed 124 appearances for the Dutch giants, scoring 33 goals, before following his compatriot and teammate Cruyff to Spain. He won a total of 10 trophies in 4 seasons in Holland.
Neeskens’ time at Catalonia could be described as a dissapointment on a team level, winning just 2 trophies in 5 seasons, but that didn’t stop the fans from falling in love with his performances. His excellent technique and passing range, as well as his excellent tackling combined with his iron lungs, left such a permanent mark on football, that he is still believed to be the pioneer of the box-to-box midfielder playstyle. New York Cosmos signed him in 1979, after he had made 140 appearances, scoring on 45 ocassions and had established himself as one of the best in the world.
The twillight years of his career were not fitting to a man of his talents. After spending another 5 years in the United States, he got released by Cosmos and became a bit of a journeyman, playing in the US, Netherlands and Switzerland, before hanging up his boots in 1991. In no way, shape or form did he stop being an amazing player after leaving Barcelona, still being called up to the national team until 1981,having won 49 caps scoring 17 times, but it would be fair to say his career at the top level was over at the age of 28.
So how does a man, who revolutionized an entire position, won almost everything there is to win, get so overlooked? Let me give you a hint. When he joined Barcelona in 1974, he was nicknamed Johan Segon, literally meaning Johan the Second. Throughout his playing career, Neeskens was sometimes experimented with to suite his more talented teammate, for both club and country, despite the fact that he was much more than just a utility player. That was proven when he drove a Cruyff-less Oranje to the 1978 World Cup final, while being injured.
However you choose to view it, you can never deny Johan Neeskens’ impact and gracefulness in all its glory. He was, after all, the first great B2B central midfielder.
