Jan van Roessel

Jan van Roessel (7 April 19253 June 2011) was a Dutch footballer who played as a forward.

Club career A big forward and fierce header of the ball, Van Roessel was picked up at LONGA by local rivals Willem II in Tilburg in 1951, and won the 1952 Dutch (then still amateur) league title and in 1955 the first professional Eredivisie championship. He formed a potent strike force with Toon Becx and and was reportedly linked to neighbours PSV Eindhoven and some Italian clubs, most notably Sampdoria and Torino, but Czech coach František Fadrhonc convinced him to stay in Tilburg.

Van Roessel was named Player of the Century of Willem II.

International career Van Roessel made his debut for the Netherlands in a June 1949 friendly match against Finland and had earned a total of six caps, scoring five goals. He represented his country at the 1952 Summer Olympics, where he scored against Brazil.

His final international was a May 1955 friendly match against Switzerland.

Personal life and death Van Roessel married Louisa van Laarhoven in 1956 and the couple had one daughter, who died of leukemia in 1988. In his later years, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Van Roessel died on 3 June 2011 of a lung disease at the age of 86.

Career statistics Scores and results list Holland's goal tally first. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 16 June 1949 Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland 1–0 4–1 Friendly 2 3–0 3 16 July 1952 Kupittaa, Turku, Finland 1–0 1–5 1952 Summer Olympics 4 21 September 1952 Idraetsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark 1–0 2–3 Friendly 5 15 November 1952 Boothferry Park, Hull, England England Amateurs 1–0 2–2

Honours Willem II Netherlands Football League Championship: 1951–52, 1954–55