Wim Suurbier

Wilhelmus Lourens Johannes Suurbier (; 16 January 1945 – 12 July 2020) was a Dutch professional footballer. He played as a right back and was part of the Netherlands national team and AFC Ajax teams of the 1970s.

Club career Suurbier was born in Eindhoven, but moved to Amsterdam with his family at a young age. He made his debut for Ajax Amsterdam when he was 19 and played with them for 13 years, all throughout the most successful era until 1977 when he was 32 years old. Suurbier was a big part of the 70's "total football" team the "Twelve Apostles" of Ajax Amsterdam led by Johan Cruijff, which lifted the UEFA European Cup three times in a row. In 1977, he moved to FC Schalke 04 for one season.

In 1979, Suurbier transferred to the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League. where the Dutch finished second, and also the 1976 UEFA European Football Championship.

Managerial career In 1983, Suurbier was an assistant coach with the Golden Bay Earthquakes. In 1984, the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League hired Suurbier as head coach. He took the team to a 10–14 record. In 1986, he became the head coach of the Los Angeles Heat of the Western Soccer League. In the fall of 1986, he was hired by the Tampa Bay Rowdies as the team entered the American Indoor Soccer Association. In November 1987, Suurbier became the head coach of the newly established Fort Lauderdale Strikers in preparation of the team's first season in 1988. That season, the Strikers finished and went to the American Soccer League championship before falling to the Washington Diplomats. In January 1989, Suurbier resigned as coach of the Strikers. In February 1989, he was named the new head coach of the Miami Sharks. After starting the season at 2–3, the Sharks fired Suurbier. In 1994, he became the head coach of the St. Petersburg Kickers. In 1999 Suurbier joined Al Etehad (Qatar) as an assistant coach to Rene Meulensteen. Together they won the Arab Cup and H.H. Apparent Cup that season. The year after they joined Al Sadd (Qatar) and in season 2000–01 they won the Emir cup. From 2001 to 2002 Suurbier worked for Heerenveen as an assistant for the U-20 squad. In 2017, he was a part of the coaching staff for the pre-season preparations of the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters in Spain, where he served as a mentor to the Blasters' head coach René Meulensteen during the preseason.

Personal life Suurbier married Maya Verkaart in 1967 and divorced in the 1980s; he had one daughter from this marriage.

When playing in the United States, Suurbier befriended George Best, and called Best's lifestyle a "bit boring".

Suurbier was known for his humor and practical jokes, He died on 12 July 2020.

Career statistics International

Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Suurbier goal. + List of international goals scored by Wim Suurbier KNVB Cup: 1966–67, 1969-1970, 1970–71, 1971–72 European Cup: 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73; runner-up: 1968-69 European Super Cup: 1972, 1973 Intercontinental Cup: 1972

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

Individual Sport Ideal European XI: 1972, 1974