Kees Rijvers

Lore & Background

Rijvers made his debut at NAC Breda and also played for AS Saint-Étienne, Stade Français and Feijenoord. He was a member of the Netherlands team at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games. In 1950 he became one of the first Dutch players to turn professional with his transfer to AS Saint-Étienne. The KNVB suspended him from playing in the national team in response because at the time they didn't allow professional players to play in the national team and it wasn't until 1957 he would play in the national team again.

With Faas Wilkes and Abe Lenstra, Rijvers formed the renowned 'The Golden Inner Three' of the Dutch national team between the late 1940s and 1950s; though the three only played together in ten matches, they scored 23 goals. Together with other Dutch professional players from foreign leagues, Rijvers was one of the players to play the match on 12 March 1953 in the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris to raise money for the victims of the North Sea flood of 1953.

While the KNVB forbade the match, it went ahead after a personal intervention from Prince Bernhard. Following the death of Marcelino Campanal in May 2020, Rijvers became the final surviving player (and the first ever Dutch player) who received at least one vote during the inaugural edition (1956) of the Ballon d'Or. As a manager, Rijvers started at FC Twente and coached the team for six years, with good results. After those successful seasons, he moved to PSV Eindhoven in 1972.

He led the team to win the 1977–78 UEFA Cup and he also won three Eredivisie titles, in 1975, 1976 and 1978, and the double in 1976 with PSV. After leaving PSV and a short stint at Beringen in Belgium, he took over the Dutch national team in February 1981 and introduced young players like Ronald Koeman, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and Marco van Basten. Under Rijvers' management, the Netherlands national team failed to qualify for both 1982 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1984.

Whilst having better goal difference than Spain until the last day of the qualification for UEFA Euro 1984, the Netherlands ended second in the group due to Spain's controversial 12-1 win against Malta. Rijvers still started the qualification for 1986 FIFA World Cup, but resigned in November 1984 after the Dutch team lost the first home match of the qualification against Hungary in October 1984.

Reader's Guide

Rijvers played as a midfielder. His playing career included NAC Breda, AS Saint-Étienne, Stade Français, and Feijenoord. He was a member of the Netherlands team at the 1948 Summer Olympics. As a manager, he coached FC Twente, PSV Eindhoven, Beringen, and the Netherlands national team. At PSV, he won the 1977–78 UEFA Cup, three Eredivisie titles (1975, 1976, 1978), and the double in 1976. He introduced young talents like Ronald Koeman, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and Marco van Basten to the national team.

Did You Know?

• Rijvers became the final surviving player from the inaugural 1956 Ballon d'Or voting after Marcelino Campanal's death in 2020.
• His granddaughter Antje Veld published a biography of Rijvers in May 2016.