Piet Keizer

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Lore & Background

Keizer totalled 489 official matches for Ajax, scoring 189 goals between 1961 and 1974, and is a member of the Club van 100 at Ajax. He made his debut in the first team on 5 February 1961 against Feyenoord. Playing predominantly on the left-wing, he won three consecutive European Cups (1971, 1972, 1973), having lost the 1969 European Cup final to AC Milan. In addition, he won six Eredivisie titles, five KNVB Cups, two European Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and one Intertoto Cup. In March 1964, Keizer got seriously injured during a KNVB Cup match against DWS; a critical surgery was needed due to a skull fracture and a blood clot in his brains. In August 1973, under new Ajax manager George Knobel, the Ajax players voted in a secret ballot for Keizer to be the team's next captain, ahead of Johan Cruyff. Just weeks later Cruyff left Ajax to join Barcelona. Keizer suddenly retired from football in October 1974, shortly after a row over tactics with Ajax manager Hans Kraay. UEFA website has described Keizer as "the genius on the left wing, the skillful flanker, the superb foil to Johan Cruyff". Cruyff, in his posthumously released autobiography, placed Keizer, as left winger, in his "ideal squad".

In Their Own Story

The 1973 captaincy vote was a quiet earthquake in Amsterdam. Ajax players, in a secret ballot under new manager George Knobel, chose Keizer as their next captain ahead of Johan Cruyff. Just weeks later, Cruyff left Ajax to join Barcelona. Keizer, the left winger who had made his debut against Feyenoord on 5 February 1961, now carried the armband for the club where he would total 489 official matches and 189 goals. Earlier, in March 1964, his career nearly ended before it truly flowered. During a KNVB Cup match against DWS, Keizer suffered a skull fracture and a blood clot in his brains, requiring critical surgery. He returned to become the "genius on the left wing" that UEFA would later describe, the "superb foil to Johan Cruyff". His international career spanned 34 caps and 11 goals, beginning with an 8–0 friendly win against the Netherlands Antilles in 1962. Selected by Rinus Michels for the 1974 FIFA World Cup squad, Keizer only started in the 0–0 draw against Sweden. He retired suddenly in October 1974 after a row over tactics with Ajax manager Hans Kraay.

Reader's Guide

Piet Keizer played as a left winger for Ajax from 1961 to 1974. He made his first-team debut on 5 February 1961 against Feyenoord. Over his Ajax career, he totalled 489 official matches and scored 189 goals. He is a member of the Club van 100 at Ajax, the list of players with more than 100 official games for the club. His trophy haul with Ajax includes: six Eredivisie titles (1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73), five KNVB Cups (1960–61, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72), three consecutive European Cups (1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73), two UEFA Super Cups (1972, 1973), one Intercontinental Cup (1972), and one Intertoto Cup (1961–62, plus 1968 Group A2 winner). He also lost the 1969 European Cup final to AC Milan. With the Netherlands, Keizer played 34 times, scoring 11 goals. He made his international debut in an 8–0 friendly win against the Netherlands Antilles in 1962. He was selected for the 1974 FIFA World Cup squad, starting only in the 0–0 draw against Sweden, and was part of the squad that finished as runner-up. Keizer married Jenny Hoopman on 13 June 1967; the couple had two sons. He died of lung cancer in February 2017 after a long illness. Football player and manager Marcel Keizer, who played in the Ajax youth academy and managed the first team in 2017, is his nephew.

Did You Know?

• Keizer made his Ajax first-team debut on 5 February 1961 against Feyenoord.
• In March 1964, he suffered a skull fracture and brain blood clot during a KNVB Cup match, requiring critical surgery.
• In August 1973, Ajax players voted in a secret ballot for Keizer to be captain ahead of Johan Cruyff; Cruyff left for Barcelona weeks later.
• Dutch writer Nico Scheepmaker said: 'Cruyff is the best, but Keizer is the better one'.
• Keizer retired suddenly in October 1974 after a row over tactics with Ajax manager Hans Kraay.