Johnny Rep

John Nicholaas Rep, born 25 November 1951, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a right winger. He holds the Netherlands’ all-time record for FIFA World Cup goals, with seven. Rep was a right-footed striker in the Dutch squads that reached the World Cup finals in 1974 (West Germany) and 1978 (Argentina), finishing as runners-up both times. In the 1973 European Cup Final in Belgrade, he netted the winning goal for Ajax Amsterdam against Juventus. He also helped SC Bastia reach the 1978 UEFA Cup final. His attacking partnership with Rob Rensenbrink was considered a formidable force.

Rep later said his stint at Valencia was poor, claiming the club’s only benefit was teaching him Spanish. He stated that SC Bastia suited him best. After Bastia, he joined AS Saint-Étienne, playing alongside Michel Platini. Off the pitch, Rep liked to relax by reading Harold Robbins novels and playing cards.

His club career included Eredivisie titles with Ajax (1971–72, 1972–73), European Cup wins (1971–72, 1972–73), European Super Cups (1972, 1973), and the Intercontinental Cup (1972). With Bastia, he was a UEFA Cup runner-up (1977–78). At Saint-Étienne, he won the French Division 1 title (1980–81). For the Netherlands, he was a World Cup runner-up (1974, 1978), a UEFA European Championship third-place finisher (1976), and a Tournoi de Paris winner (1978). Individually, he was named French Division 1 Foreign Player of the Year for 1977–78.

In popular culture, Rep appears as “Rak” in the “Classic Netherlands” team of the video game Pro Evolution Soccer 6. The Irish indie pop band Jonny Rep is named after him, and French rock band Mickey 3D—hailing from Saint-Étienne—wrote a song in his honor. In 2024, Wilfred Genee released the single “Johnny Rep,” an adaptation of “Johnny Däpp” by Austrian DJ Lorenz Büffel.