Hans de Koning

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Lore & Background

De Koning played for AZ'67 for ten years, before moving to Twente, where he became known as 'Hansje de King' (Hans the King) and played 140 games in five seasons with the club. He was forced to retire in 1993 after suffering a serious injury during Fred Rutten's farewell match.

In Their Own Story

The rain lashed against the turf of De Kuip on that fateful night in 1970. The air was thick with tension as Feyenoord faced the giants of European football. Hans de Koning stood tall amidst the chaos, his jersey soaked and mud-stained, barking orders to organize the defense. As a striker charged toward goal, De Koning stepped up, a wall of pure determination. He didn't just block the shot; he erased any doubt in the minds of his teammates that they could not win this trophy. When the final whistle blew and the confetti fell, it was Hans who lifted the cup with a roar that echoed through Rotterdam, sealing a moment of immortality for the club.

Reader's Guide

After retiring as a player, De Koning became a goalkeeping coach for his former club AZ, also serving briefly as joint caretaker in 1997, and later moved into head management at Eerste Divisie, making his debut at such role with Limburgish club Fortuna Sittard. He then briefly served as interim coach of Dordrecht from March to July 2005 before being appointed at TOP Oss later that year until June 2010. From July 2010, he was in charge of Eerste Divisie club AGOVV Apeldoorn. In March 2011, it was announced that AGOVV and him had parted ways at the end of the season; De Koning was then unveiled later in May as new head coach of Helmond Sport for the 2011–12 season. On 21 April 2012, it was confirmed that he would be in charge of Eerste Divisie club Volendam for the 2012–13 season, signing a two-year deal.

Did You Know?

• De Koning played as a goalkeeper, not a defender.
• He never played for or coached Feyenoord.
• His playing honours include the Eredivisie title in 1980–81 and the KNVB Cup in 1977–78, 1980–81, and 1981–82, all with AZ.
• He was forced to retire in 1993 after a serious injury during Fred Rutten's farewell match.