Johan Neeskens, a midfield luminary of the Netherlands' iconic "Clockwork Orange" teams of the 1970s alongside Johan Cruyff, has passed away at the age of 73.
The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced on Monday that Neeskens died the previous day in Algeria while participating in a coaching project it organized. No cause of death has been disclosed.
"Words fail to capture the enormity and suddenness of this loss,” the KNVB stated on its website. “Our thoughts are with his wife, Marlis, and his children, family and friends. The world bids farewell not only to a gifted athlete but, above all, to a compassionate, driven and remarkable person.”
Neeskens was a two-time World Cup finalist, falling short in consecutive tournaments. He scored from the penalty spot to give his team an early 1-0 lead in the 1974 showpiece, but the Netherlands, known for its fluent brand of "total football,” went on to lose to West Germany 2-1 in Munich.
"The most beautiful football doesn't always win,” he said later, according to the KNVB. "But it’s incredible to me that people all over the world still talk about that Dutch team. The best and most beautiful football, total football.”
Neeskens was part of the team four years later when they fell agonizingly short of the world title, losing to host Argentina 3-1 after extra time in Buenos Aires.
Neeskens played 49 matches for the Netherlands, including 12 at World Cups, and scored 17 goals.
Current Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman paid tribute to Neeskens, calling him "a small man who was my big idol.”
"As a young boy, you played football on the street and you asked, ‘Who wants to be Cruyff? Who wants to be (Willem) van Hanegem?’ I wanted to be Johan Neeskens," Koeman added.
Neeskens won the European Cup, the predecessor of the Champions League, three times as part of the dominant Ajax team of the early '70s and went on to play for Barcelona and then the New York Cosmos, among other teams.
"We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Johan Neeskens. Our thoughts are with his family at this time. Rest in peace, Ajax legend,” the Amsterdam club said on X.
Barcelona, referring to the club's nickname, called Neeskens "a Blaugrana legend who will forever be in our memory. Rest in peace.”
At a reunion of the players from the 1974 World Cup final, Neeskens explained what he believed was the key to a team's success.
"The collective, that's what it's all about,” he said, according to the KNVB. "You need each other on the field. You can only become a champion as a team. There is only one star, and that is the team.”
After his playing career, Neeskens served as an assistant coach for both the Netherlands and Australia.
