Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 13, 2026

Kees Rijvers

Cornelis Bernardus "Kees" Rijvers was a Dutch footballer who was active as a midfielder and later as coach for PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands national team.

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Kees Rijvers
Rijvers in 1982
Personal information
Full name Cornelus Bernardus Rijvers
Date of birth (1926-05-27)27 May 1926
Place of birth Princenhage, Breda, Netherlands
Date of death 4 March 2024(2024-03-04) (aged 97)
Place of death Breda, Netherlands
Position Midfielder
Youth career
Groen Wit
NAC Breda
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1944–1950 NAC Breda ? (?)
1950–1953 Saint-Étienne 76 (20)
1953–1955 Stade Français ? (?)
1955–1957 Saint-Étienne 66 (16)
1957–1960 Feijenoord 92 (36)
1960–1962 Saint-Étienne 57 (15)
1962–1963 NAC Breda 14 (1)
International career
1946–1960 Netherlands 33 (10)
Managerial career
1964–1966 Willem II (assistant)
1966–1972 FC Twente
1972–1980 PSV Eindhoven
1980–1981 Beringen
1981–1984 Netherlands
1986–1989 FC Twente (technical director)
1994–1995 PSV Eindhoven
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cornelis Bernardus "Kees" Rijvers (27 May 1926 – 4 March 2024) was a Dutch footballer who was active as a midfielder and later as coach for PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands national team.1

Playing career

Rijvers in 1957 source ↗

Rijvers made his debut at NAC Breda and also played for AS Saint-Étienne, Stade Français and Feijenoord. He was a member of the Netherlands team at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games.2

In 1950 Rijvers became one of the first Dutch players to turn professional with his transfer to AS Saint-Étienne.3 The KNVB suspended him from playing in the national team in response because at the time they didn't allow professional players to play in the national team4 and it wasn't until 1957 he would play in the national team again.5 With Faas Wilkes and Abe Lenstra, Rijvers formed the renowned Gouden Binnentrio (The Golden Inner Three) of the Dutch national team between the late 1940s and 1950s; though the three only played together in ten matches, they scored 23 goals.6

Together with other Dutch professional players from foreign leagues, Rijvers was one of the players to play the Watersnoodwedstrijd on 12 March 1953,7 a match played in the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris to raise money for the victims of the North Sea flood of 1953.8 While the KNVB, which still did not want to be connected to the professional players in any way, forbade the match, it went ahead after a personal intervention from Prince Bernhard.910

Following the death of Marcelino Campanal in May 2020, Rijvers became the final surviving player (and the first ever Dutch player) who received at least one vote during the inaugural edition (1956) of the Ballon d'Or.11

Coaching career

As a manager, Rijvers started at FC Twente and coached the team for six years, with good results. After those successful seasons, he moved to PSV Eindhoven in 1972.12 He led the team to win the 1977–78 UEFA Cup and he also won three Eredivisie titles, in 1975, 1976 and 1978, and the double in 1976 with PSV.

After leaving PSV and a short stint at Beringen in Belgium, he took over the Dutch national team in February 198113 and introduced young players like Ronald Koeman, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and Marco van Basten.11 Under Rijvers' management, the Netherlands national team failed to qualify for both 1982 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1984. Whilst having better goal difference than Spain until the last day of the qualification for UEFA Euro 1984, the Netherlands ended second in the group due to Spain's controversial 12-1 win against Malta. Rijvers still started the qualification for 1986 FIFA World Cup, but resigned in November 1984 after the Dutch team lost the first home match of the qualification against Hungary in October 1984.14

Erik ten Hag has named Rijvers among the managers who have inspired his coaching career.15

Personal life and death

Rijvers was born in Breda on 27 May 1926.1 He died on 4 March 2024, at the age of 97.16617 In the weekend after Rijvers' death, all matches in Dutch professional football observed a one-minute silence prior to kick-off.18

His granddaughter Antje Veld published a biography of Rijvers in May 2016.19

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year20
National team Year Apps Goals
Netherlands 1946 3 2
1947 4 2
1948 7 0
1949 1 0
1950 4 1
1951 0 0
1952 0 0
1953 0 0
1954 0 0
1955 0 0
1956 0 0
1957 2 1
1958 0 0
1959 6 2
1960 6 2
Total 33 10
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rijvers goal.
List of international goals scored by Kees Rijvers20
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 March 1946 Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg  Luxembourg 4–1 6–2 Friendly
2 12 May 1946 Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam, Netherlands  Belgium 4–3 6–3 Friendly
3 21 September 1947 Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam, Netherlands   Switzerland 3–1 6–2 Friendly
4 5-2
5 15 October 1950 Stadion Rankhof Basel, Switzerland   Switzerland 3–2 5–7 Friendly
6 11 September 1957 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Luxembourg 5–1 5–2 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 4 October 1959 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Belgium 1–0 9–1 Friendly
8 4 November 1959 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Norway 1–1 7–1 Friendly
9 24 April 1960 Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium  Belgium 1–1 1–2 Friendly
10 18 May 1960 Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland   Switzerland 1–0 1–3 Friendly

Honours

Player

NAC Breda

Saint-Étienne

Manager

PSV

Individual

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Kees Rijvers". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kees Rijvers". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
  3. "Rijvers (95) kijkt niet naar Oranje: 'Ik hou niet van schuifie-schuifie-voetbal'". nos.nl (in Dutch). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. "Eindelijk is er de biografie van voetbalpionier Kees Rijvers". nos.nl (in Dutch). 13 May 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. "Het Gouden Binnentrio". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  6. "Met Rijvers verdwijnt het laatste lid van het 'Gouden Binnentrio' van Oranje". nu.nl (in Dutch). 4 March 2026.
  7. Robert Daniels (16 March 2018). "Bredanaar Kees Rijvers speelde mee in de watersnoodwedstrijd: 'uitschot' schittert in Parijs". bndestem.nl (in Dutch).
  8. Een sentimenteel feest van herkenning Archived 5 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine, nos.nl
  9. "Watersnoodwedstrijd leidt profvoetbal in". knvb.nl (in Dutch). 22 March 2016.
  10. Jurryt van der Vooren (13 December 2006). "Cor van der Hart en de Watersnood". nu.nl (in Dutch).
  11. "Voetbalwereld rouwt om overlijden van pionier Kees Rijvers". vi.nl (in Dutch). 4 March 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  12. "Kees Rijvers trainer PSV". Trouw (in Dutch). 1 March 1972.
  13. Jan de Deugd (18 February 1981). "Rijvers bondscoach tot en met WK'86, maar..." Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch).
  14. "Rijvers stapt op bij KNVB". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 2 November 1984.
  15. Adam Marshall (10 January 2023). "Erik ten Hag reveals four coaching inspirations". manutd.com.
  16. "PSV-legende Kees Rijvers op 97-jarige leeftijd overleden". Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  17. "Former Netherlands player and coach Rijvers dies aged 97". reuters.com. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  18. "Betaald voetbal herdenkt Kees Rijvers met een minuut stilte". knvb.nl (in Dutch). 5 March 2024.
  19. "Eindelijk is er de biografie van voetbalpionier Kees Rijvers". nos.nl (in Dutch). 13 May 2016.
  20. "Kees Rijvers - Interlands Nederlands Elftal". voetbalstats.nl (in Dutch).
External links