 Suurbier in 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilhelmus Lourens Johannes Suurbier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1945-01-16)16 January 1945 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Eindhoven, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 12 July 2020(2020-07-12) (aged 75) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | Metz | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1981 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 73 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | →Sparta Rotterdam (loan) | 11 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982 | San Jose Earthquakes | 23 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982 | Tung Sing | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor) | 28 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (indoor) | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 577 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1978[1] | Netherlands | 60 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Kerala Blasters (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wilhelmus Lourens Johannes Suurbier (Dutch pronunciation:[ʋɪmˈsyːrbiːr]; 16 January 1945 – 12 July 2020) was a Dutch professionalfootballer and among others assistant coach of theAlbania national team. He played as aright back and was part of theNetherlands national team andAFC Ajax teams of the 1970s.
Suurbier was born inEindhoven. He made his debut forAjax 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" ofAjax Amsterdam led byJohan Cruijff, which lifted theUEFA European Cup three times in a row. In 1977, he moved toFC Schalke 04 for one season.[2]
In 1979, Suurbier transferred to theLos Angeles Aztecs of theNorth American Soccer League. He played three seasons in Los Angeles before moving to theSan Jose Earthquakes for the 1982 season. In the fall of 1982, the team was renamed theGolden Bay Earthquakes and entered theMajor 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 theTampa Bay Rowdies in theAmerican Indoor Soccer Association.
Suurbier played 60 matches and scored three goals for theNetherlands national team from 1966 to 1978. He played in both the1974 and1978 World Cups[3] where the Dutch finished second, and also the1976 UEFA European Football Championship.
In 1983, Suurbier was an assistant coach with theGolden Bay Earthquakes.[4] In 1984, theTulsa Roughnecks of theNorth 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 theLos Angeles Heat of theWestern Soccer League.[7] In the fall of 1986, he was hired by theTampa Bay Rowdies as the team entered theAmerican Indoor Soccer Association. In November 1987, Suurbier became the head coach of the newly establishedFort Lauderdale Strikers in preparation of the team's first season in 1988.[8] That season, the Strikers finished and went to theAmerican Soccer League championship before falling to theWashington Diplomats. In January 1989, Suurbier resigned as coach of the Strikers.[9] In February 1989, he was named the new head coach of theMiami Sharks.[10] After starting the season at 2–3, the Sharks fired Suurbier.[11] In 1994, he became the head coach of theSt. Petersburg Kickers.[12] In 1999 Suurbier joined Al Etehad (Qatar) as an assistant coach to Rene Meulensteen. Together they won the Arab Cup and H.H. Apparent Cup that season. The year after they joined Al Sadd (Qatar) and in season 2000–01 they won the Emir cup. From 2001 to 2002 Suurbier worked for Heerenveen as an assistant for the U-20 squad. In 2017, he was a part of the coaching staff for the pre-season preparations of theIndian Super League clubKerala Blasters in Spain, where he served as a mentor to the Blasters' head coachRené Meulensteen during the preseason.[13]
In May 2020, it was reported that Suurbier was in intensive care after having suffered a "major"intracerebral haemorrhage.[14] He died on 12 July 2020.[15]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1966 | 2 | 0 |
| 1967 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1968 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1969 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1970 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1971 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1972 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1973 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1974 | 12 | 0 | |
| 1975 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1976 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1977 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1978 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 60 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 May 1967 | Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 1–2 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 1968 qualification |
| 2 | 4 October 1967 | Copenhagen, Denmark |  Denmark | 1–3 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 1968 qualification |
| 3 | 24 February 1971 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Luxembourg | 6–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 1972 qualification |
Ajax
Netherlands
Individual
Netherlands squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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