Feyenoord legend Ove Kindvall, hero of 1970 European Cup final, dies at 82

Feyenoord club legend Ove Kindvall has passed away at 82 years of age, the club has reported. The Swede etched his name into the club’s history by scoring the winning goal in the European Cup final against Celtic in 1970. The goal marked the first time that a Dutch club had won the trophy for the highest level of European competition.

Kindvall was an important player in the successful Feyenoord sides of the late 1960s and early 70s, a side that also included Coen Moulijn, Willem van Hanegem, and Wim Jansen. Incidentally, the other goal scorer in that 2-1 win against Celtic, Rinus Israël, also passed away last month.

The legendary goal from Kindvall came in the final minutes of extra time of the final played in Milan. The Swedish forward controlled a long ball from the defense with his shoulder and then placed the ball high into the goal. Feyenoord also won the Club World Cup by defeating Estudiantes de La Plata following the Europa Cup win.

Kindvall played for Feyenoord from 1966 to 1971. He won two league titles at the club. Swede played for Norrköping and Göteborg in his home country. He played for his national side at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico and the 1974 World Cup in Germany.

Feyenoord responded to the news by expressing that they are "eternally grateful to former striker Ove Kindvall for his contribution to one of the most glorious chapters" in the club's history. "His name will forever be linked to the moment he truly put Feyenoord on the map of international top-level football."

The club also praised Kindvall as "one of the greatest players and most effective strikers in the club's history." He scored 129 goals in 144 matches. According to statistics agency Opta, no Feyenoord player with at least 25 goals for the club has recorded a better average. Kindvall was the Eredivisie’s top scorer three times.