Puck van Heel

Gerardus Henricus "Puck" van Heel (21 January 1904 – 19 December 1984) was a Dutch footballer. He earned 64 caps for the Netherlands national football team, and played in the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups. He also represented the Netherlands at the 1928 Summer Olympics. During his club career, he played for his home town club of Feyenoord. Normally an inside left or left wing half, Van Heel was a slow player but possessed considerable vision and technical ability and was particularly good passer.

He held the Dutch caps record from 4 April 1937 (when he equaled the total of Harry Dénis) until 22 May 1979 (when his total was surpassed by Ruud Krol).

Van Heel was born on the southside of Rotterdam, the fourth of eleven children, into a Roman Catholic family. His father worked in the shipyards of Rotterdam. He joined the amateur club Sportclub Feyenoord, a youth academy for Feyenoord Rotterdam, and made his amateur debut in the red and white on 12 October 1919.

Playing career Van Heel was a cornerstone of the Feyenoord success preceding World War II, winning five national titles and two KNVB Cups. During his time there, he became the team captain and a figurehead for the club. and would earn his 57th on 2 May 1937, both of these games were against Belgium.

Van Heel played at the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups under English manager Bob Glendenning.

Career honours

Club Feyenoord Eredivisie: 1923–24, 1927–28, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1939–40; runner-up: 1930-31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1936–37 KNVB Cup: 1930, 1935; runner-up: 1934