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Paul Van Himst

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In this article, the surname is Van Himst, not Himst.

Paul Guillaume van Himst (born 2 October 1943) is a Belgian former football player and a football manager who played as a forward, most notably for R.S.C. Anderlecht.[2] Regarded as Anderlecht's ultimate club icon, Van Himst holds the record of four Belgian Golden Shoe awards and was named best "Belgian footballer of the twentieth century".[3]

Paul Van Himst
Van Himst with Anderlecht in 1973
Personal information
Full name Paul Guillaume Van Himst[1]
Date of birth (1943-10-02) 2 October 1943 (age 81)
Place of birth Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1951–1959 Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1959–1975 Anderlecht 456 (234)
1975–1976 Molenbeek 21 (1)
1976–1977 Eendracht Aalst
Total 477 (235)
International career
1960–1974 Belgium 81 (30)
Managerial career
1983–1986 Anderlecht
1987–1988 Molenbeek
1991–1996 Belgium
Medal record
Representing  Belgium
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Belgium
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early years

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Van Himst was introduced to Anderlecht as a child because his father, who was an ardent fan of Jef Mermans, rarely missed a home match and regularly took his three children to the Émile Versé Stadium. The young Van Himst himself started to play football in a neighborhood of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and on the playground of the Sint-Niklaas Institute where national coach Bill Gormlie took care of the children. He was fully noticed when he went to the training fields of the Anderlecht youth complex with his cousin. Van Himst was able to keep a ball in the air for several minutes, which made such an impression on chairman Constant Vanden Stock that he promptly had the boy sign a membership card.

But given Van Himst was barely eight, the connection only became official two years later. In the youth series, Van Himst was always allowed to compete with older teammates.[4]

Club career

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Under manager Pierre Sinibaldi, Paul Van Himst developed into a very refined player who would dominate Belgian football for 15 years with his exceptional technique, insight into the game and precise passing.

About two months after his 16th birthday, Van Himst made his debut in the first team. In December 1959, the young striker was able to make his mark on the Beringen pitch with a promising performance. Following the example of Brazil, which had become world champions in 1958, Sinibaldi had Anderlecht play in a 4-2-4 system. In that formation, Van Himst became one of the most important pawns on the field. With his excellent technique and nose for goals, he became a standout at Anderlecht as a teenager.[5]

In the 1961–62 season, Paul Van Himst won his first trophy with Anderlecht, the national championship.

On his European debut against Real Madrid in 1962 at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, he scored the opening goal in a 3–3 draw, immediately arousing the interest of Italian topclub Modena. They made him an attractive offer, including his brother in the deal, but Anderlecht did not let its rising star leave. At the time, in addition to football, Van Himst also represented the fuel company of chairman Albert Roossens[6] The club would later also reject proposals from teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid, in their search for a successor of Alfredo Di Stéfano.[4][7]

Despite Anderlecht an early exit in the second round of the 1966–67 European Cup, Van Himst became top scorer of the tournament. His five goals in the match against Finish side FC Haka is still a (shared) record in a single European game.[8]

 
Anderlecht team in August 1967. Van Himst below, as second from right.

Anderlecht reached the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (considered as the predecessor to the UEFA Cup) in the 1969–70 season, but lost it to Arsenal F.C. Van Himst became top scorer of the tournament with 10 goals.[9]

The lost final was a disappointment sportively and marked the end of the Sinibaldi era. Most players retired or left Anderlecht, but Van Himst was one of the few to stay. In a new team that relied on young players such as Hugo Broos, Ludo Coeck, Gilbert Van Binst and François Van der Elst, he was still important with all his experience. Van Himst remained the leader on the field despite the generational change that had taken place.

With Anderlecht, Paul Van Himst would win the Belgian championship eight times. He scored 309 goals in 566 matches during 16 seasons.[10] Van Himst became the Belgian First Division's top scorer three times in 1963–64, 1965–66 and 1967–68.[11]

Van Himst was nicknamed Polle Gazon by Belgian football fans (Polle is Paul in Brussels dialect, and Gazon means lawn in Dutch and French) as he frequently lay on the field due to the large number of fouls committed on him. Later, the nickname Le Pelé blanc (the white Pelé) was introduced by French newspaper L'Équipe after a convincing performance with Belgium in Paris against France.[12]

After he left Anderlecht, he played for RWDM, another Brussels club, in 1975–76 and for Eendracht Aalst (then in the second division) in the following season. Two surgeries took their toll: neither at RWDM nor at Aalst Van Himst reached the same level as before.[13]

International career

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Van Himst with Belgium in 1964

At the age of 17, Paul Van Himst made his debut for the Belgian national team on 19 October 1960 in a match against Sweden. 11 days later, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 home victory over Hungary. In 1964, Van Himst played in the Belgium–Netherlands match alongside 10 Anderlecht players after the substitution of goalkeeper Guy Delhasse by Jean-Marie Trappeniers.

Van Himst was part of Belgium's team which qualified for the 1970 World Cup. At the Euro 1972, organized in his home country, Van Himst helped the Red Devils to reach the third place.

Between 1960 and 1974, Paul Van Himst scored 30 goals (in 81 matches) for the Belgian national team. This performance made him Belgium's second top scorer—along with Bernard Voorhoof—and the most capped player for his country between 1973 and 1989.[14]

Farewell match

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In 1975, aged 31, Paul Van Himst decided to leave Anderlecht. In a farewell match organized in the Anderlecht stadion, the then Anderlecht squad faced a "world team".[15] Rinus Michiels coached 18 international stars, including Pelé, Eusébio, Johan Cruyff, Gianni Rivera, José Altafini, Amancio, Jairzinho and Willem Van Hanegem.[16]

Managerial career

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Van Himst reunited with Anderlecht in 1982 when he started to manage the U-17 team. He did such a good job that he was appointed head coach the following season, replacing Tomislav Ivić. In his debut season 1982–83, Anderlecht won the UEFA cup, after winning 2–1 on aggregate against Benfica, with Van Himst winning a European trophy after all. The following season, Anderlecht reached the UEFA cup final again, but lost it to Tottenham Hotspur after a penalty shootout.

After winning the Belgian first division in 1984–85 and the Supercup in 1985, the ways of Anderlecht and Van Himst split up. And, as he did as a player, Van Himst continued his managerial career at RWD Molenbeek.

In 1991, Paul Van Himst was appointed as manager of the Belgian national team. He led the squad to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where the team was eliminated by Germany in the round of 16.[17] After Belgium didn't qualify for the Euro 1996, Van Himst was replaced by his assistant Wilfried Van Moer, and he quitted from professional football.

Style of play

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"The hallmark of Paul Van Himst was obviously his technique, but he was also physically very strong. Van Himst was really solidly built. That combination made him a quite unique player." reporter Frank Raes mentioned in 2023. "And of course that light-footedness made everyone enjoy. The use of the outside of the foot for passing, dribbling ánd shooting was remarkable. He was so skilled in dribbling. As an opponent you just couldn't get the ball."[18]

Van Himst preferred to "slalom" between opponents, but never lost the overview of the game when doing so. He also liked to operate from the left, where he could regularly put in splitting actions with his friend Wilfried Puis, as well with Anderlecht as with the Belgian national team.

Van Himst scored easily, but could also let others score. He performed best with more physical strikers such as Jacky Stockman, Johan Devrindt or Jan Mulder.[19]

Personal life

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Paul Van Himst in 2016

Paul Van Himst has three children (one son and two daughters) and five grandchildren.[20]

In 1990, Van Himst took over the Brésor coffee roasting company. But after he was contacted to become national coach in 1991, his son Frank became manager of the company.[21] From the moment the contract ended in 1996, the family man concentrated definitively on his coffee company, with his son keeping his position.[22]

His wife Arlette Neckebroeck died on 4 December 2013.[23]

Also in his later life, the link with Anderlecht kept present. For more than forty years, Van Himst is close friends with cycling legend Eddy Merckx. Both are regularly spotted together at Anderlecht's home games.[24] And in 2022, his grandson Amando Lapage signed a professional contract with the club.[25]

Filmography

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Career statistics

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Club

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Note: Appearances and goals in Belgian League Cup are not taken into account.

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[26][27]
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Anderlecht 1959–60 Belgian First Division 15 7 — 0 0 15 7
1960–61 Belgian First Division 30 13 — 0 0 30 13
1961–62 Belgian First Division 29 10 — 0 0 29 10
1962–63 Belgian First Division 30 14 — 6 1 36 15
1963–64 Belgian First Division 29 25 3 2 0 0 32 27
1964–65 Belgian First Division 29 24 4 5 5 4 40 32
1965–66 Belgian First Division 29 26 5 7 4 6 38 35
1966–67 Belgian First Division 30 18 5 7 4 6 39 31
1967–68 Belgian First Division 28 20 2 4 4 5 34 29
1968–69 Belgian First Division 27 10 2 2 3 0 32 12
1969–70 Belgian First Division 29 15 4 3 10 10 43 28
1970–71 Belgian First Division 30 16 5 4 6 2 41 22
1971–72 Belgian First Division 30 14 6 2 2 1 38 17
1972–73 Belgian First Division 29 7 6 4 4 1 39 12
1973–74 Belgian First Division 27 7 4 0 1 0 32 7
1974–75 Belgian First Division 35 8 6 1 6 2 47 11
Total 456 234 53 41 56 33 465 308
RWD Molenbeek 1975–76 Belgian First Division 21 1 0 0 2 0 23 1
Eendracht Aalst 1976–77 Belgian Second Division 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 477 235 53 41 8 33 588 309

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[28]
National team Year Apps Goals
Belgium 1960 3 2
1961 6 4
1962 7 2
1963 5 3
1964 6 2
1965 7 5
1966 5 3
1967 4 2
1968 5 0
1969 3 1
1970 4 0
1971 7 3
1972 8 3
1973 3 0
1974 7 0
Total 81 30
List of international goals scored by Paul van Himst[29]
No. Cap Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 30 October 1960 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium   Hungary 1–0 2–1 Friendly
2 3 20 November 1960 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium    Switzerland 1–1 2–4 1962 World Cup qualification
3 5 22 March 1961 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands   Netherlands 2–1 2–6 Friendly
4 8 12 November 1961 Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands   Netherlands 4–0 4–0 Friendly
5 9 24 December 1961 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium   Bulgaria 3–0 4–0 Friendly
6 4–0
7 11 13 May 1962 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium   Italy 1–1 1–3 Friendly
8 13 14 October 1962 Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium   Netherlands 2–0 2–0 Friendly
9 18 24 March 1963 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium   Brazil 2–0 5–1 Friendly
10 21 25 December 1963 Parc des Princes, Paris, France   France 1–0 2–1 Friendly
11 2–1
12 26 21 October 1964 Wembley, London, England   England 2–1 2–2 Friendly
13 27 2 December 1964 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium   France 1–0 3–0 Friendly
14 32 27 October 1965 Émile Versé Stadium, Anderlecht, Belgium   Bulgaria 1–0 5–0 1966 World Cup qualification
15 2–0
16 33 10 November 1965 National Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel   Israel 1–0 5–0 1966 World Cup qualification
17 3–0
18 5–0
19 38 22 May 1966 Sclessin, Liège, Belgium   Republic of Ireland 1–0 2–3 Friendly
20 39 25 May 1966 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium   France 1–0 2–1 Euro 1968 qualification
21 2–0
22 40 19 March 1967 Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg   Luxembourg 1–0 5–0 Euro 1968 qualification
23 3–0
24 50 24 April 1969 Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium   Mexico 2–0 2–0 Friendly
25 56 3 February 1971 Sclessin, Liège, Belgium   Luxembourg 2–0 3–0 Euro 1972 qualification
26 3–0
27 58 20 May 1971 Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg   Luxembourg 2–0 4–0 Friendly
28 64 13 May 1972 Émile Versé Stadium, Anderlecht, Belgium   Italy 2–0 2–1 Euro 1972 qualification
29 65 18 May 1972 Sclessin, Liège, Belgium   Iceland 1–0 4–0 1974 World Cup qualification
30 68 17 June 1972 Sclessin, Liège, Belgium   Hungary 2–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 1972 Third-place play-off

Honours and awards

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Van Himst holds the record of most Golden Shoe awards, having won it on four occasions. There could have been a few more in fact, but at a certain point the organizers decided that one could not win the Shoe more than once. A few years later, that decision was reverted with Van Himst winning a fourth award in 1974.[4]

 
Van Himst on a Ras al-Khaimah stamp, 1972

In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was named the Golden Player of Belgium by the Belgian Football Association as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.[30]

He has been an ambassador for the Belgian/South-African NGO "Born In Africa" since 2005.

In 2009, Paul Van Himst became honorary citizen of Dilbeek.[31]

Decades after retiring from professional football, Van Himst is still consistently mentioned in both Anderlecht and Belgium's "Best Team Ever" and "Best Players" lists.[32][33][34]

To celebrate the 80th birthday of their club icon, Van Himst was extensively honored for the competition match of Anderlecht against Mechelen on 7 October 2023.[35] For the occasion, the team played in a complete white "limited edition" shirts, stylized like the ones of the Van Himst era.[36]

Player

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Anderlecht[37][38]

National team

Individual

Manager

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Anderlecht[37]

Individual

Books

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  • Paul van Himst - Op Gouden Schoenen by Charles Baete and Vic Vermeir in 1971, De Schorpioen, 288 p. (Dutch, French)
  • Monsieur Football by Charles Baete, Vic Vermeir and Camille Fichefet in 1971, Editions Arts et Voyages, 111 p. (French)
  • Voetbal by Paul van Himst and Jacques Hereng in 1975, Standaard Uitgeverij, 198 p. (Dutch)
  • Paul van Himst over voetbal by Jacques Hereng and Carlos De Veene in 1985, Standaard Uitgeverij 135 p. (Dutch) ISBN 9789002151385
  • Over Mezelf by Paul van Himst in 2009, Borgerhoff & Lamberigts, 256 p. (Dutch, French) ISBN 9789089310972
  • Confidenties van Paul Van Himst by Luc Pire in 2010, Renaissance du Livre, 191 p. (Dutch, French) ISBN 9789086871797

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "P. van Himst". soccerway.com. 11 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Belgium's Player of the Century - An Exclusive La Cancha Interview". lacancha.com. 2000.
  3. ^ "Paul Van Himst en familie... voetbal". bresor.be (in Dutch). 10 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Van Himst, Paul". anderlecht-online.be (in Dutch). 10 January 2024.
  5. ^ Willems, Raf (2 October 2018). "PAUL VAN HIMST 75 JAAR – DE PAARSE PRINS VAN HET PARK". dewitteduivel.com (in Dutch).
  6. ^ Van Loock, Stefan (2008). "100 jaar Anderlecht" (in Dutch). Van Halewyck. pp. 80–81. ISBN 9789056178635.
  7. ^ "Anderlechtmonument Paul Van Himst: "De familie houdt mij overeind"". dezondag.be (in Dutch). 5 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Who has scored the most goals in a single European game?". uefa.com (in Dutch). 22 October 2018.
  9. ^ "RSCA schrijft Belgische voetbalgeschiedenis". rsca.be (in Dutch). 22 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Paul Van Himst is 75! "Mix van Will Tura en James Dean op voetbalschoenen"". Sporza (in Dutch). 2 October 2018.
  11. ^ "PAUL VAN HIMST: DE MAN VAN 9 LANDSTITELS, EN ZO VEEL MEER". www.rsca.be (in Dutch). 2 October 2018.
  12. ^ "INTERVIEW. Van Himst kende Pelé op én naast het veld: "Hij was een wereldvedette, maar je kon ermee praten"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 30 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Anderlechticoon Paul Van Himst wordt 80: "Ik verveel mij niet en geniet van mijn kleinkinderen"". vrt.be (in Dutch). 2 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Legendarische voetbalhelden van het EK 1960-2020: Paul Van Himst". dewitteduivel.com (in Dutch). 20 June 2021.
  15. ^ "INTERVIEW. Van Himst kende Pelé op én naast het veld: "Hij was een wereldvedette, maar je kon ermee praten"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 30 December 2022.
  16. ^ "De avond waarop Pelé & co met 8-3 'verzuipen' in Brussel". dewitteduivel.com (in Dutch). 22 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Throwback thursday naar de Belgen-WK's: 1994, de 9-0 recordzege, de dodelijke owngoal en die verdammte Röthlisberger!". voetbalkrant.com (in Dutch). 3 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Paul Van Himst is 80 jaar: "Hij gleed over het gras met zijn sierlijke slalommen"" [Paul Van Himst is 80 years old: "He glided over the grass with his graceful slaloms"]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2 October 2023.
  19. ^ Colin, François (30 December 2023). "Paul Van Himst wordt maandag 80" (in Dutch). dewitteduivel.com (published 2 December 2022).
  20. ^ "Van Himst verliest vrouw Arlette". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 6 December 2013.
  21. ^ "Het ondernemersbloed van voetbalicoon Paul Van Himst: "Je moet kwaliteit bieden, een bekende naam alleen volstaat niet"" [The entrepreneurial blood of football icon Paul Van Himst: “You have to offer quality, a well-known name alone is not enough”]. bloovi.be (in Dutch). 6 July 2021.
  22. ^ "'Blanke Pelé' na voetbalcarrière groot in Braziliaanse koffie" (in Dutch). parkstadactueel.nl. 25 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Paul Van Himste takes leave of his wife". Niewsblad.be. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  24. ^ "Paul Van Himst raconte les secrets de sa profonde amitié avec Eddy Merckx: "Quand j'étais aux soins intensifs, il était tous les jours près de mon lit d'hôpital"". dhnet.be (in French). 6 June 2019.
  25. ^ "De kleinzoon van Paul Van Himst tekent een profcontract bij Anderlecht" [Paul Van Himst's grandson signs a professional contract with Anderlecht]. Sporza (in Dutch). 9 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Club Appearances of Paul Van Himst". national-football-teams.com. 15 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Paul Van Himst - Statistieken". anderlecht-online.be (in Dutch). 17 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Paul VAN HIMST - Footballer stats by year". eu-football.info. 11 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Belgium football results by competition". eu-football.info. 25 January 2024.
  30. ^ "uefa.com-UEFA-News & Features-News Specific". Archived from the original on 12 March 2004.
  31. ^ "Kums in de voetsporen van Van Himst". Sport.be (in Dutch). 5 March 2016.
  32. ^ "10 Best Belgian Soccer Players of All Time". soccermavericks.com. 31 December 2023.
  33. ^ a b "La Dernière Heure | Het Beste Elftal Aller Tijden".
  34. ^ a b "IFFHS All Time Belgium Dream Team". www.iffhs.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  35. ^ "Anderlecht geeft Paul Van Himst een indrukwekkend eerbetoon". belgiumsoccer.be (in Dutch). 7 October 2023.
  36. ^ "LIMITED EDITION SHIRT TER ERE VAN PAUL VAN HIMST". rsca.be (in Dutch). October 2023.
  37. ^ a b "RSC Anderlecht | Palmares".
  38. ^ "Anderlecht | De Geschiedenis Van De Club".
  39. ^ "Tournois de Paris : une compétition opposant 4 clubs" (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  40. ^ "UEFA Euro 1972".
  41. ^ "Winnaars Gouden Schoen".
  42. ^ "Topscorer Eerste Klasse".
  43. ^ "Ballon d'Or 1964".
  44. ^ "Ballon d'Or 1965".
  45. ^ "Ballon d'Or 1963".
  46. ^ "Ballon d'Or 1966".
  47. ^ "Ballon d'Or 1967".
  48. ^ "Ballon d'Or 1972".
  49. ^ a b "Paul Van Himst: 8 Titels, 4 Bekers, een resem goals en vooral ... 75 Jaar!".
  50. ^ "Wist u dat?". rsca.be (in Dutch). 9 April 2020.
  51. ^ "Homme de la saison belge".
  52. ^ "Saviez-vous qu'en… ?". rsca.b (in French). 9 April 2020.
  53. ^ "Vertonghen wordt zevende recordinternational van de Rode Duivels".
  54. ^ "Nationale Trofee voor Sportverdienste".
  55. ^ a b "Paul Van Himst is ereburger van DILBEEK" (in Dutch). editiepajot.com. 16 June 2009.
  56. ^ "Soulier d'or belge du 20ème siècle".
  57. ^ "The Best x Players of the Century/All-Time". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  58. ^ "IFFHS History: Europe - The Player of the Century (1900-1999)". www.iffhs.com.
  59. ^ UEFA.com (15 January 2004). "Aruna voted Belgium's finest | Inside UEFA". UEFA.com. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  60. ^ "Belgium still bows to Van Himst". uefa.com.
  61. ^ "Bronzen Zinnekes voor Merckx, Van Himst en Wynants" (in Dutch). bruzz.be. 7 June 2006.
  62. ^ "Het beste Gouden Schoen-elftal ooit".
  63. ^ "Paul Van Himst erelid van Belgische trainersvereniging" (in Dutch). De Standaard. 10 March 2012.
  64. ^ "Jules Pappaert Cup".
  65. ^ "Palmares Profvoetballer van het Jaar".
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