Think of the Ajax side that lined up for the 1971 European Cup final against Panathinaikos. The swaggering, omniscient Johan Cruyff, for example. Johan Neeskens, nimble-footed yet hard as nails, who would go on to play in two World Cup finals. Sjaak ‘Mr Ajax’ Swart, whose tally of 603 appearances for the club is still a record.
Or consider the various Dutch players who’ve scored in European Cup deciders: Cruyff, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Dirk Kuyt and Arjen Robben. There’s another name that belongs to both lists, but one which may not spring quite so readily to mind. And yet his header after only five minutes against the Greek champions that June evening was of monumental importance, because it laid the foundation for Ajax’s coronation as European champions.
It was the hors d’oeuvre in what would become a sumptuous three-course feast of final triumphs. Who knows, without that early goal to settle nerves and free his team up to play their unfettered Total Football, the outcome could have been very different.
So take a bow, Dick van Dijk.
The prolific striker had been a thorn in Ajax’s side before becoming the man who paved the way for their first European silverware. On a misty November day in 1968, the Dutch champions travelled to Enschede, where they were hammered 5-1 by Twente in a league match. Van Dijk bagged a hat-trick, and went on to finish the season as joint-top scorer in the division with 30 goals. Ajax duly made their move for him the following summer.
Playing as a deep-lying centre-forward for the Amsterdam side, Van Dijk freed up Cruyff to drift and orchestrate in the spaces around him. He did, however, admit that the switch wasn’t without its hiccups. “I was one of the big names at Twente,” he later explained during an interview with Veronica TV. “But at Ajax I joined a team full of stars who were not going to adapt their way of playing for me.”
There was also a more reserved mentality he had to get used to. “I scored my first goal for Ajax, an important one, and I did a somersault to celebrate,” he recalled. “Other players came up to me and said ‘Doe normaal!’ (‘Cut that out!’), and made it clear that showy celebrations were neither welcome nor necessary.”
Think of the Ajax side that lined up for the 1971 European Cup final against Panathinaikos. The swaggering, omniscient Johan Cruyff, for example. Johan Neeskens, nimble-footed yet hard as nails, who would go on to play in two World Cup finals. Sjaak ‘Mr Ajax’ Swart, whose tally of 603 appearances for the club is still a record.
Or consider the various Dutch players who’ve scored in European Cup deciders: Cruyff, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Dirk Kuyt and Arjen Robben. There’s another name that belongs to both lists, but one which may not spring quite so readily to mind. And yet his header after only five minutes against the Greek champions that June evening was of monumental importance, because it laid the foundation for Ajax’s coronation as European champions.
It was the hors d’oeuvre in what would become a sumptuous three-course feast of final triumphs. Who knows, without that early goal to settle nerves and free his team up to play their unfettered Total Football, the outcome could have been very different.
So take a bow, Dick van Dijk.
The prolific striker had been a thorn in Ajax’s side before becoming the man who paved the way for their first European silverware. On a misty November day in 1968, the Dutch champions travelled to Enschede, where they were hammered 5-1 by Twente in a league match. Van Dijk bagged a hat-trick, and went on to finish the season as joint-top scorer in the division with 30 goals. Ajax duly made their move for him the following summer.
Playing as a deep-lying centre-forward for the Amsterdam side, Van Dijk freed up Cruyff to drift and orchestrate in the spaces around him. He did, however, admit that the switch wasn’t without its hiccups. “I was one of the big names at Twente,” he later explained during an interview with Veronica TV. “But at Ajax I joined a team full of stars who were not going to adapt their way of playing for me.”
There was also a more reserved mentality he had to get used to. “I scored my first goal for Ajax, an important one, and I did a somersault to celebrate,” he recalled. “Other players came up to me and said ‘Doe normaal!’ (‘Cut that out!’), and made it clear that showy celebrations were neither welcome nor necessary.”
This notwithstanding, Van Dijk hit form relatively quickly, scoring 23 times that season, and 18 the next, earning him a starting berth at Wembley. Coach Rinus Michels’ faith was quickly repaid. Van Dijk’s goal in the 1971 final has an overpowering whiff of old-school simplicity about it. Long pass, cross, header: boom!
Central defender Barry Hulshoff carries the ball over the halfway line before launching a looping, diagonal pass to Piet Keizer out wide on the left. Keizer — a left-footer — briefly shapes to cut infield, unbalancing the Panathinaikos defensive midfielder Aristidis Kamaras sufficiently to nip past him on the outside.
“I could see what was coming next,” said Van Dijk a number of years later. “I knew that after Piet had beaten his man, his next touch would be to cross it. I had a feeling he wouldn’t hit it deep, so I made a run to the near post.”
Van Dijk is typically understated about his role, merely saying that he “got his head to it”. But it was actually a masterful finish, angled cleverly and disguised so well that the goalkeeper went the wrong way, leaving the ball to arc unhindered into the net.
Ajax were largely in control for the rest of the match, and when Arie Haan’s 87th-minute shot deflected off defender Anthimos Kapsis and looped over Takis ‘the Bird’ Ikonomopoulos in the Panathinaikos goal, the outcome was sealed. The Cup With The Big Ears was heading to Amsterdam.
His goal, and the match, marked the apex of Van Dijk’s time at Ajax. The following season, he was mainly used as a substitute, and didn’t feature in the 1972 European Cup final triumph against Inter. He subsequently moved to Nice and then to Real Murcia, where he ended his career. Thereafter he settled in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a beautiful medieval village just inland from Nice, selling real estate until his untimely death at the age of 51 in 1997.
In the same Veronica TV interview, Van Dijk was asked whether he would prefer his legacy to be as a professional footballer or as an estate agent in southern France. “Estate agent,” he answered without hesitation. “One who did his job well. I’m not really the type that needs to be remembered as a former player.”
With all respect to estate agents, few live long in the public memory. And so, despite his wishes, Van Dijk is always likely to be feted not as a peddler of Côte d’Azur properties, but as the centre-forward whose cultured finish set Ajax up for a hat-trick of European Cup conquests.
Think of the Ajax side that lined up for the 1971 European Cup final against Panathinaikos. The swaggering, omniscient Johan Cruyff, for example. Johan Neeskens, nimble-footed yet hard as nails, who would go on to play in two World Cup finals. Sjaak ‘Mr Ajax’ Swart, whose tally of 603 appearances for the club is still a record.
Or consider the various Dutch players who’ve scored in European Cup deciders: Cruyff, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Dirk Kuyt and Arjen Robben. There’s another name that belongs to both lists, but one which may not spring quite so readily to mind. And yet his header after only five minutes against the Greek champions that June evening was of monumental importance, because it laid the foundation for Ajax’s coronation as European champions.
It was the hors d’oeuvre in what would become a sumptuous three-course feast of final triumphs. Who knows, without that early goal to settle nerves and free his team up to play their unfettered Total Football, the outcome could have been very different.
So take a bow, Dick van Dijk.
The prolific striker had been a thorn in Ajax’s side before becoming the man who paved the way for their first European silverware. On a misty November day in 1968, the Dutch champions travelled to Enschede, where they were hammered 5-1 by Twente in a league match. Van Dijk bagged a hat-trick, and went on to finish the season as joint-top scorer in the division with 30 goals. Ajax duly made their move for him the following summer.
Playing as a deep-lying centre-forward for the Amsterdam side, Van Dijk freed up Cruyff to drift and orchestrate in the spaces around him. He did, however, admit that the switch wasn’t without its hiccups. “I was one of the big names at Twente,” he later explained during an interview with Veronica TV. “But at Ajax I joined a team full of stars who were not going to adapt their way of playing for me.”
There was also a more reserved mentality he had to get used to. “I scored my first goal for Ajax, an important one, and I did a somersault to celebrate,” he recalled. “Other players came up to me and said ‘Doe normaal!’ (‘Cut that out!’), and made it clear that showy celebrations were neither welcome nor necessary.”
Think of the Ajax side that lined up for the 1971 European Cup final against Panathinaikos. The swaggering, omniscient Johan Cruyff, for example. Johan Neeskens, nimble-footed yet hard as nails, who would go on to play in two World Cup finals. Sjaak ‘Mr Ajax’ Swart, whose tally of 603 appearances for the club is still a record.
Or consider the various Dutch players who’ve scored in European Cup deciders: Cruyff, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Dirk Kuyt and Arjen Robben. There’s another name that belongs to both lists, but one which may not spring quite so readily to mind. And yet his header after only five minutes against the Greek champions that June evening was of monumental importance, because it laid the foundation for Ajax’s coronation as European champions.
It was the hors d’oeuvre in what would become a sumptuous three-course feast of final triumphs. Who knows, without that early goal to settle nerves and free his team up to play their unfettered Total Football, the outcome could have been very different.
So take a bow, Dick van Dijk.
The prolific striker had been a thorn in Ajax’s side before becoming the man who paved the way for their first European silverware. On a misty November day in 1968, the Dutch champions travelled to Enschede, where they were hammered 5-1 by Twente in a league match. Van Dijk bagged a hat-trick, and went on to finish the season as joint-top scorer in the division with 30 goals. Ajax duly made their move for him the following summer.
Playing as a deep-lying centre-forward for the Amsterdam side, Van Dijk freed up Cruyff to drift and orchestrate in the spaces around him. He did, however, admit that the switch wasn’t without its hiccups. “I was one of the big names at Twente,” he later explained during an interview with Veronica TV. “But at Ajax I joined a team full of stars who were not going to adapt their way of playing for me.”
There was also a more reserved mentality he had to get used to. “I scored my first goal for Ajax, an important one, and I did a somersault to celebrate,” he recalled. “Other players came up to me and said ‘Doe normaal!’ (‘Cut that out!’), and made it clear that showy celebrations were neither welcome nor necessary.”
Think of the Ajax side that lined up for the 1971 European Cup final against Panathinaikos. The swaggering, omniscient Johan Cruyff, for example. Johan Neeskens, nimble-footed yet hard as nails, who would go on to play in two World Cup finals. Sjaak ‘Mr Ajax’ Swart, whose tally of 603 appearances for the club is still a record.
Or consider the various Dutch players who’ve scored in European Cup deciders: Cruyff, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Dirk Kuyt and Arjen Robben. There’s another name that belongs to both lists, but one which may not spring quite so readily to mind. And yet his header after only five minutes against the Greek champions that June evening was of monumental importance, because it laid the foundation for Ajax’s coronation as European champions.
It was the hors d’oeuvre in what would become a sumptuous three-course feast of final triumphs. Who knows, without that early goal to settle nerves and free his team up to play their unfettered Total Football, the outcome could have been very different.
So take a bow, Dick van Dijk.
The prolific striker had been a thorn in Ajax’s side before becoming the man who paved the way for their first European silverware. On a misty November day in 1968, the Dutch champions travelled to Enschede, where they were hammered 5-1 by Twente in a league match. Van Dijk bagged a hat-trick, and went on to finish the season as joint-top scorer in the division with 30 goals. Ajax duly made their move for him the following summer.
Playing as a deep-lying centre-forward for the Amsterdam side, Van Dijk freed up Cruyff to drift and orchestrate in the spaces around him. He did, however, admit that the switch wasn’t without its hiccups. “I was one of the big names at Twente,” he later explained during an interview with Veronica TV. “But at Ajax I joined a team full of stars who were not going to adapt their way of playing for me.”
There was also a more reserved mentality he had to get used to. “I scored my first goal for Ajax, an important one, and I did a somersault to celebrate,” he recalled. “Other players came up to me and said ‘Doe normaal!’ (‘Cut that out!’), and made it clear that showy celebrations were neither welcome nor necessary.”
This notwithstanding, Van Dijk hit form relatively quickly, scoring 23 times that season, and 18 the next, earning him a starting berth at Wembley. Coach Rinus Michels’ faith was quickly repaid. Van Dijk’s goal in the 1971 final has an overpowering whiff of old-school simplicity about it. Long pass, cross, header: boom!
Central defender Barry Hulshoff carries the ball over the halfway line before launching a looping, diagonal pass to Piet Keizer out wide on the left. Keizer — a left-footer — briefly shapes to cut infield, unbalancing the Panathinaikos defensive midfielder Aristidis Kamaras sufficiently to nip past him on the outside.
“I could see what was coming next,” said Van Dijk a number of years later. “I knew that after Piet had beaten his man, his next touch would be to cross it. I had a feeling he wouldn’t hit it deep, so I made a run to the near post.”
Van Dijk is typically understated about his role, merely saying that he “got his head to it”. But it was actually a masterful finish, angled cleverly and disguised so well that the goalkeeper went the wrong way, leaving the ball to arc unhindered into the net.
Ajax were largely in control for the rest of the match, and when Arie Haan’s 87th-minute shot deflected off defender Anthimos Kapsis and looped over Takis ‘the Bird’ Ikonomopoulos in the Panathinaikos goal, the outcome was sealed. The Cup With The Big Ears was heading to Amsterdam.
His goal, and the match, marked the apex of Van Dijk’s time at Ajax. The following season, he was mainly used as a substitute, and didn’t feature in the 1972 European Cup final triumph against Inter. He subsequently moved to Nice and then to Real Murcia, where he ended his career. Thereafter he settled in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a beautiful medieval village just inland from Nice, selling real estate until his untimely death at the age of 51 in 1997.
In the same Veronica TV interview, Van Dijk was asked whether he would prefer his legacy to be as a professional footballer or as an estate agent in southern France. “Estate agent,” he answered without hesitation. “One who did his job well. I’m not really the type that needs to be remembered as a former player.”
With all respect to estate agents, few live long in the public memory. And so, despite his wishes, Van Dijk is always likely to be feted not as a peddler of Côte d’Azur properties, but as the centre-forward whose cultured finish set Ajax up for a hat-trick of European Cup conquests.
Think of the Ajax side that lined up for the 1971 European Cup final against Panathinaikos. The swaggering, omniscient Johan Cruyff, for example. Johan Neeskens, nimble-footed yet hard as nails, who would go on to play in two World Cup finals. Sjaak ‘Mr Ajax’ Swart, whose tally of 603 appearances for the club is still a record.
Or consider the various Dutch players who’ve scored in European Cup deciders: Cruyff, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Dirk Kuyt and Arjen Robben. There’s another name that belongs to both lists, but one which may not spring quite so readily to mind. And yet his header after only five minutes against the Greek champions that June evening was of monumental importance, because it laid the foundation for Ajax’s coronation as European champions.
It was the hors d’oeuvre in what would become a sumptuous three-course feast of final triumphs. Who knows, without that early goal to settle nerves and free his team up to play their unfettered Total Football, the outcome could have been very different.
So take a bow, Dick van Dijk.
The prolific striker had been a thorn in Ajax’s side before becoming the man who paved the way for their first European silverware. On a misty November day in 1968, the Dutch champions travelled to Enschede, where they were hammered 5-1 by Twente in a league match. Van Dijk bagged a hat-trick, and went on to finish the season as joint-top scorer in the division with 30 goals. Ajax duly made their move for him the following summer.
Playing as a deep-lying centre-forward for the Amsterdam side, Van Dijk freed up Cruyff to drift and orchestrate in the spaces around him. He did, however, admit that the switch wasn’t without its hiccups. “I was one of the big names at Twente,” he later explained during an interview with Veronica TV. “But at Ajax I joined a team full of stars who were not going to adapt their way of playing for me.”
There was also a more reserved mentality he had to get used to. “I scored my first goal for Ajax, an important one, and I did a somersault to celebrate,” he recalled. “Other players came up to me and said ‘Doe normaal!’ (‘Cut that out!’), and made it clear that showy celebrations were neither welcome nor necessary.”
