The “Flying Tobacconist” who played two World Cups!

September 15, 2024

Jan Jongbloed has been one of the special goalkeepers in world football. With bandaged knees and number 8 on the yellow jersey in the World Cup 1974…..

Born on November 25, 1940, he practiced this sport only for pleasure. Active with the DWS clubs and then with FC Amsterdam, he has only a brief moment of glory. On October 26, 1962, he played for the national team “Oranje” in Copenhagen, replacing the goalkeeper Lagatade 5 minutes before the end.

The Dutch lose deeply 4-1. Jongbloed once again returns to anonymity as a goalkeeper, to appear after 12 years, when just one week before the 1974 World Cup, in a friendly match against Argentina, coach Rinus Michels tests her and remains so pleased to make her the starter. in front of goalkeepers like Schrivers (Twente) and Treytel (Feyenoord).

This is a surprise for everyone. It turns out that his first passion is fishing and then football. He is given a semi-professional contract because he owns a tobacconist’s shop in Amsterdam. What has amazed coach Michels is the special ability of this goalkeeper to control and maneuver the ball with his feet outside the goal area, becoming an added defender. After the retirement of Hulshoff, the bearded man of Ajax, and without the possibility of activating Mansveld and Drost, Michels has decided to return the midfielder Arie Haan to the defense, where he will be assisted by the goalkeeper Jongbloed, who is good at covering the role of the central defender (always with the risk of a bitter loss with a heavy result).

In the world, there are those who laugh at the elections and recoveries of the strange Dutch coach, the “crazy” Michels. But based on the facts, Jongbloed suffer only 3 goals in the entire World Cup tournament, even one of them is Krool’s own goal against Bulgaria and the other two in the final against the West Germans! There are those who do not consider it, others appreciate it, but Jongbloed himself, the current world runner-up, after the world cup, decides to dedicate himself to professional football. He spends time with the Dutch club “Roda”, extends his training hours, completely neglecting his tobacco shop. And here at the age of 38, he wins his place again as the starter of the national team “Oranje”, losing in the final against Argentina 1-3.

His career as a footballer will continue even longer without asking about his age. He broke the attendance record in the Dutch “Eredivisie” championship and when he was close to the age of 45, he was stopped by an accident in September of last year. 1985. During a training session with his “Go Ahead Eagles” team, the “flying” goalkeeper suffered a heart attack. He overcomes the crisis, but he has to finally give up football.

However, a year ago the Dutch goalkeeper had a great misfortune, when he lost his son, at the age of 21, a goalkeeper too, while he was struck by lightning during a match!

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Sportis Vision + / The Hour of Champions
Reference: “Calcio 2000” magazine, personal collection.