Feyenoord legend Rinus Israël dead at age 83

Feyenoord icon and former Oranje international Rinus Israël has passed away at 83 years of age, his family has confirmed to ANP. Israël was known as a hard defender; he won the league title on three occasions with Feyenoord and also won the European Cup I in 1970. “IJzeren Rinus” also won the club World Cup and the UEFA Cup with the club in Rotterdam. He played 47 games for the Dutch national team.

Israël played for Feyenoord from 1966 to 1974. He formed an illustrious duo with his center back partner, Theo “the tank” Laseroms. He played for Excelsior after this and spent many years at PEC Zwolle, where he ended his career in 1982.

Israël played at the World Cup of 1974 with the Dutch national team. However, he was struggling with injuries at the time and did not contribute more than a few substitute appearances. The team’s manager at the time, Rinus Michels, often picked Arie Haan and Wim Rijsbergen as the two center backs.

The highlight of Israël’s career was the final of the European Cup I against Celtic. Israël scored in the game to make it 1-1 before Ove Kindvall scored the winning goal in extra time. It was the first time that a Dutch team had won the highest-ranked competition in Europe.

Israël became a manager after his playing career had ended. The clubs he managed included Feyenoord, FC Den Bosch, and ADO Den Haag. He also had a short spell as the manager of the Ghanaian national team. He led ADO Den Haag, the Romanian club Dinamo Bucharest, and Al-Wahda from the United Arab Emirates to league titles during his managerial career.

His grandson, Davey de Haze, published a message about the death of his grandfather on Facebook. “Dear Grandpa, you fought until the very end, but even you couldn’t win this impossible battle. So many beautiful memories together. So proud of you."

The Dutch football association, the KNVB, released a statement regarding Israël’s passing. “To speak only of the footballer Rinus Israël by his nickname would not do him justice. Few players could deliver such a beautiful long pass. He dominated in the air and was exceptionally strong with his head, both in attack and defense. We wish all his relatives and loved ones strength during this time.”

Feyenoord honored Israël with photos and videos on the club’s social media channels. Captions for the videos included: “At the front of the battle. Always.” And “Winner. World Champion.”