Rob Rensenbrink

International career

Rensenbrink made his international debut for the Netherlands national football team against Scotland in 1968, but picked up relatively few caps due to competition for the forward positions with Johan Cruijff and Piet Keizer. However, Rinus Michels included him for the 1974 FIFA World Cup squad that made the short trip to West Germany.

The Dutch side that took part in the 1974 FIFA World Cup were the pinnacle of Total Football. Most of the 1974 team were made up of players from AFC Ajax and Feyenoord, so Rensenbrink was an outsider and was unfamiliar with playing the system. His preferred position was up front on the left, but that position was already Johan Cruijff's domain, so he played on the left-wing position in midfield, taking over from Ajax player Piet Keizer. He missed one game in the tournament (when Keizer played instead) and was only half-fit for the final after picking up an injury during the semi-final against Brazil. Rinus Michels gambled on Rensenbrink's fitness and played him from start – however he only lasted until half-time and was replaced by René van de Kerkhof. The Netherlands took an early lead through a Johan Neeskens penalty, but goals from Paul Breitner and Gerd Müller gave West Germany a 2–1 victory. Rensenbrink's performances saw him named to the team of the tournament and he was sought by Ajax as a replacement for Keizer. However, contract negotiations fell through and he remained at Anderlecht.

Rensenbrink stayed in the Netherlands national team during the qualifiers and finals of the 1976 European Football Championship. However, the Netherlands fell at the semi-final stage to Czechoslovakia.

In the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina, the Netherlands again reached the final, but this time without Cruijff (who decided to retire from international football) and under the guidance of Ernst Happel rather than Michels. Out of the shadow of Cruijff, Rensenbrink found more room to showcase his own considerable talent, playing on the left-hand side of a front three alongside Johnny Rep and René van de Kerkhof. He scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Iran, a penalty against Scotland which was goal number 1,000 in FIFA World Cup history and another spot-kick in the 5–1 win over Austria. In the final against Argentina, the Netherlands yet again met the hosts. The Netherlands fell behind to a first-half Mario Kempes strike. After Dick Nanninga's equalizer nine minutes from time, a long pass from the Dutch captain Ruud Krol in the last 30 seconds of normal time gave Rensenbrink a half-chance, but his shot from a very narrow angle hit the post and was cleared by a defender. Had he scored, it is almost certain that the Netherlands would have won the World Cup with Rensenbrink being top goal scorer. Argentina scored twice in extra-time for a 3–1 victory and the Netherlands again had to settle for the runners-up spot.

Rensenbrink played some of the qualifiers for Euro 80, but after earning his 46th cap in 1979 (a 2–0 defeat by Poland in a qualifier for Euro 80), he retired from international football at the age of 32, having scored 14 times for his country. He along with Eusébio are the only players to score the most goals from a penalty spot in a tournament (4 in 1978).

He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He was also named Anderlecht's greatest ever foreign player in 2008.

Personal life Rensenbrink was married with Corrie van der Ley and they had two children. They lived a "quiet, family life" in the town of Oostzaan in North Holland.

In 2012, Dutch news sources reported that Rensenbrink had been diagnosed with progressive muscular atrophy. In the summer of 2015, he publicly confirmed that he had been diagnosed three years earlier with the neuromuscular disease. He died on 24 January 2020, aged 72. National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals

Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rensenbrink goal.

Honours

Club Brugge Belgian Cup: 1969–70

Anderlecht Belgian First Division: 1971–72, 1973–74 Belgian Cup: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76 Belgian League Cup: 1973, 1974 European Cup Winners' Cup: 1975–76, 1977–78; runner-up: 1976–77 European Super Cup: 1976, 1978 Amsterdam Tournament: 1976 Tournoi de Paris: 1977 Jules Pappaert Cup: 1977 Belgian Sports Merit Award: 1978

Toulouse Division 2: 1981–82

Netherlands FIFA World Cup: runner-up 1974, 1978 UEFA European Football Championship: third place 1976 Tournoi de Paris: 1978

Individual Belgian First Division top scorer: 1972–73 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1974 , 1978 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup All-time top scorer: (25 goals) IOC Footballer of the season: 1975–76 Belgian Golden Shoe: 1976 Onze d'Or: 1976 Ballon d'Or: runner-up 1976, third place 1978 Onze de Onze: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 Sport Ideal European XI: 1976, 1977, 1978 FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 1978 FIFA World Cup Most Assists: 1978 Onze de Bronze: 1978, 1979 France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930–1990 46th: 1994 Planète Foot's 50 of the World's Best Players: 1996 FIFA 100: 2004 Placar's 100 World Cup Stars 42nd: 2005 Best Foreign Player in the Belgian First Division of All Time: 2007 Best RSC Anderlecht Player of All Time: 2008 The Best Golden Shoe Team: 2011 Scorer of the 1000th World Cup goal DH The Best RSC Anderlecht Team Ever: 2020 Belgian Pro League Hall of Fame: 2025