RUUD KROL

Rudolf ("Ruud" or "Rudi") Jozef Krol (born 24 March 1949) is a Dutch retired footballer who was capped 83 times for his native country. Most of his career he played for his home town club, Ajax, and he became a coach after retirement. Regarded as one of the best defenders of all time, Krol mainly played as a sweeper or left-back, however he could play anywhere across the back line, or in midfield as a defensive midfielder, due to his range of passing with both feet, temperament, tactical intelligence, and ability to start attacking plays after winning back the ball.

Krol began his career at Ajax where the departure of left back Theo van Duivenbode in the summer of 1969 to Feyenoord allowed Krol became a regular player. When Ajax reached the UEFA European Cup in 1971, and won, Krol did not play because of a broken leg. Krol did play in the European Cup finals of 1972 and 1973. While others such as Johan Cruijff and Johan Neeskens left for new pastures, Krol, captain since the departure of Piet Keizer in October 1974, stayed at Ajax until 1980. He then moved to the North American Soccer League to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps for one season. He then joined S.S.C. Napoli where he played for the next four seasons as a sweeper to great acclaim. His last club before he retired in 1986 was the French club AS Cannes, at the time in Ligue 2 (the French 2nd division).

Internationally, Krol made his debut for the Netherlands in 1969 against England,retiring from international football in 1983. He was a crucial component in the Total Football side of the 1970s. A versatile defender, he could play in any position along the back four or midfield. In the 1974 FIFA World Cup, in which the Netherlands reached the final, Krol primarily played at left-back. He created Cruijff's goal against Brazil and scored a 25-yard screamer against Argentina. By the time the 1978 FIFA World Cup came about, Krol had switched to playing as a sweeper and had earned the captain's armband after the retirement of Cruijff. Krol played for the Netherlands as captain at the 1980 European Championship. He played for part of the qualifying for Euro 84, and played his last international in 1983.