Wim Suurbier

Wim Suurbier
Wim Suurbier in 1978
Personal information
Full name	Wilhelmus Lourens Johannes Suurbier
Date of birth	(1945-01-16) 16 January 1945 (age 69)
Place of birth	Eindhoven, Netherlands
Playing position	Right back
Youth career
	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1964–1977	Ajax	392	(16)
1977–1978	Schalke 04	12	(0)
1978–1979	FC Metz	24	(0)
1979–1981	Los Angeles Aztecs	73	(3)
1981	Sparta	11	(1)
1982	San Jose Earthquakes	23	(0)
1982–1983	Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor)	28	(0)
1986–1987	Tampa Bay Rowdies (indoor)	10	(0)
Total		573	(20)
National team
1966–1978[1]	Netherlands	60	(3)
Teams managed
1983	Golden Bay Earthquakes (assistant)
1984	Tulsa Roughnecks
1986	Los Angeles Heat
1986–1987	Tampa Bay Rowdies
1988	Fort Lauderdale Strikers
1989	Miami Sharks
1994	St. Petersburg Kickers
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Wilhelmus "Wim" Lourens Johannes Suurbier (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪm ˈsyːr.ˌbiːr]) (born 16 January 1945 in Eindhoven, North Brabant) is a former Dutch football player and among others assistant coach of the Albanian national team.

He was a wingback who was part of the Dutch national team and AFC Ajax teams of the 1970s.

Player

Professional

Suurbier made his debut for Ajax Amsterdam when he was 19 and played with them for 13 years, all throughout the most successful era until 1977 when he was 32 years old. Usually a right back, Suurbier was renowned for his pace and stamina. Suurbier was a big part of the 70's total football team the 'Twelve Apostles' of Ajax Amsterdam led by Johan Cruijff, which lifted the UEFA Champions League three times in a row. In 1977, he moved to Schalke 04 for one season.^[2] In 1979, he transferred to the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League. He played three seasons in Los Angeles before moving to the San Jose Earthquakes for the 1982 season. In the fall of 1982, the team was renamed the Golden Bay Earthquakes and entered the Major Indoor Soccer League. He retired at the end of the season to become an assistant coach with the Earthquakes. He later resumed his playing career as a player-coach of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the American Indoor Soccer Association.

National team

He played 60 matches and scored 3 goals for the Netherlands national football team from 1966 to 1978. He played in both the 1974 and 1978 World Cups^[3] where the Dutch finished second, and also the 1976 UEFA European Football Championship.

Manager

In 1983, he was an assistant coach with the Golden Bay Earthquakes.^[4] In 1984, the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League hired Suurbier as head coach.^[5] He took the team to a 10–14 record.^[6] In 1986, he became the head coach of the Los Angeles Heat of the Western Soccer League.^[7] In the fall of 1986, he was hired by the Tampa Bay Rowdies as the team entered the American Indoor Soccer Association. In November 1987, Suurbier became the head coach of the newly established Fort Lauderdale Strikers in preparation of the team's first season in 1988.^[8] That season, the Strikers finished and went to the American Soccer League championship before falling to the Washington Diplomats. In January 1989, Suurbier resigned as coach of the Strikers.^[9] In February 1989, he was named the new head coach of the Miami Sharks.^[10] After starting the season at 2–3, the Sharks fired Suurbier.^[11] In 1994, he became the head coach of the St. Petersburg Kickers.^[12]

Honours

• Eredivisie winner (7): 1965–66, 66–67, 67–68, 69–70, 71–72, 72–73, 76–77
• KNVB Cup winner (4): 1967, 1970, 1971 & 1972
• UEFA Champions League winner (3): 1971, 1972 & 1973
• European Super Cup winner (2): 1972 & 1973
• Intercontinental Cup winner (1): 1972

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wim Suurbier.

• Wim Suurbier at National-Football-Teams.com
• `Suurbier Appreciated`^{[dead link]}
• 1974 FIFA World Cup final appearance
• 1978 FIFA World Cup final appearance
• 1976 Euro 3rd Place winners
• NASL/MISL stats
• Profile - FC Metz