Feyenoord icon Rinus Israel (83) passed away

Feyenoord icon Rinus Israel (83) passed away

Rinus Israël has passed away at the age of 83. The former defender achieved great success as a player for Feyenoord. “Iron Rinus” played 47 times for the Dutch national team.

Israël won the European Cup 1, the predecessor of the Champions League, with Feyenoord in 1970, the first Dutch club ever to do so. The Rotterdam club won the final 2-1 against Celtic. Israël scored the equalizer. The captain was then the first player to lift the coveted trophy.

Later that year, Feyenoord also won the world cup for club teams. In 1974, the UEFA Cup win followed. In addition, Israël became national champion three times with the Rotterdam club: in 1969, 1971 and 1974. The Amsterdam native played more than two hundred games for Feyenoord between 1966 and 1974.

Israël was also active as a player for DWS, Excelsior and PEC Zwolle. The former defender became national champion with DWS from Amsterdam in 1964. Israël played 47 games for Orange, in which he scored three times. He was part of the selection that reached the World Cup final in 1974.

Israël was nicknamed “Iron Rinus” because of his ruthless playing style. He formed a feared defensive duo with Theo Laseroms at Feyenoord for many years. Israël combined his hardness with, among other things, good game insight and strong passing. As a result, he grew into one of the best Dutch defenders ever.

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