Wilhelmus Antonius van de Kerkhof (Dutch pronunciation: [ʋɪlˈɦɛlmʏs ɑnˈtoːnijəs ˈʋɪli vɑn ˈkɛr(ə)kɦɔf]; born 16 September 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Willy van de Kerkhof
Van de Kerkhof in 1974
Personal information
Full name Wilhelmus Antonius van de Kerkhof
Date of birth (1951-09-16) 16 September 1951 (age 73)
Place of birth Helmond, Netherlands
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Twente
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1970–1973 Twente 93 (14)
1973–1988 PSV Eindhoven 418 (57)
Total 511 (71)
International career
1974–1985 Netherlands 63 (5)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1974 West Germany
Runner-up 1978 Argentina
European Championship
Third place 1976 Yugoslavia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Van de Kerkhof and his twin brother René were squad members of the Netherlands national team that made the World Cup final in 1974 and became key players in the team that made the 1978 final. He also played for the Netherlands at the Euro 1976 and Euro 1980. Overall, van de Kerkhof appeared 63 times for his national team, scoring five goals.[1]

He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.[2]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League KNVB Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Twente 1970–71 Eredivisie 27 6 7[a] 1 34 7
1971–72 32 6 32 6
1972–73 34 2 10[b] 1 34 2
Total 93 14 17 2 110 16
PSV Eindhoven 1973–74 Eredivisie 31 10 31 10
1974–75 32 7 7[c] 2 39 9
1975–76 33 6 8[d] 2 41 8
1976–77 31 1 4[d] 0 35 1
1977–78 32 5 12[b] 1 44 6
1978–79 30 3 4[d] 0 34 3
1979–80 30 2 4[b] 1 34 3
1980–81 27 4 4[b] 0 31 4
1981–82 29 8 4[b] 1 33 9
1982–83 26 2 2[b] 1 28 3
1983–84 23 3 4[b] 0 27 3
1984–85 33 2 4[b] 0 37 2
1985–86 29 0 4[b] 0 31 0
1986–87 19 3 2[d] 0 21 3
1987–88 12 1 4[d] 0 16 1
Total 418 57 67 8 486 65
Career total 511 71 84 10 597 81
  1. ^ Appearances in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in European Cup Winners' Cup
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearances in European Cup

Honours

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Willy van de Kerkhof in 1978

PSV Eindhoven

Netherlands

References

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  1. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (6 February 2008). "Willy van de Kerkhof – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  2. ^ "Article: FIFA top 120 list". Associated Press. 4 March 2004. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  3. ^ "1978 Tournoi de Paris". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 February 2017.