Rinus Israël, the legendary Dutch defender, has passed away at the age of 83. Israël made his professional debut in 1962 with DWS and transferred to Feyenoord four years later. Known for his tough and uncompromising playing style, he won the Dutch league title three times with the Rotterdam club.
The pinnacle of his career came in the 1969/70 season, when he captained Feyenoord to victory in the European Cup — the first time a Dutch club had ever won the prestigious trophy. In the final against Celtic, Israël scored the equalizer to make it 1-1 after half an hour, and later lifted the trophy as captain following a 2-1 win after extra time. That same year, Feyenoord also won the Intercontinental Cup, solidifying their place in world football history.
After eight seasons at Feyenoord, Israël joined local rivals Excelsior in 1974 and later played for PEC Zwolle, where he ended his playing career in 1982.
Rinus Israel at the Dutch National Team
Israel also played 47 international matches for the Dutch national team and played three matches at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. With the Dutch national team, Israël was part of the squad that reached the 1974 World Cup final. The 1974 World Cup should also have been a highlight for Israel, but he did not start the tournament in top condition due to recurring knee problems. Although not a regular starter, coach Rinus Michels used him as a substitute during the tournament — but not in the final, which the Netherlands lost to West Germany.
But Rinus Israël also went down in history as a rock-hard and ruthless centre-back with a telling nickname: ‘Iron Rinus’. That hardness, combined with an excellent vision of the game and a beautiful long pass, made him one of the best defenders the Netherlands has ever produced.
Coaching Career
In the mid-1980s, Israël began his managerial career with FC Den Bosch. He later returned to Feyenoord as head coach for two seasons. Much of his coaching journey unfolded abroad, with stints in Greece, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates.
In 2001, he returned to the Netherlands to coach ADO Den Haag, guiding the team to promotion to the Eredivisie in 2003. His coaching honors also include league titles with Dinamo Bucharest (1992) and Al-Wahda (2001).
Nice you are posting on legends of Dutch football. More such unheard players are brought to light.
Hi Manoj
This was a very famous Dutch player in the 60/70s, maybe one of the best defenders we ever had. Dutch people for sure hearded about him.
Wonderful article, Johan. Thank you.
btw: Milambo to the EPL (Brentford).
Manoj is a big Messi fan,so its normal that a messi fan would be never heard of Him..Rinus Israel Was an iron man,no nonsense tough guy..i First heard him about 19 years ago..before that i didnt knew about him..Indian media is joke.they will never cover football..
Great post, thank! Rinus was from Amsterdam and had that typical Amsterdam cynical humor. He was a tough guy on the pitch and a warm, loving “uncle” off the pitch. He played for DWS before Feyenoord nicked him. He was a tough defender, a true leader but also had a sensational long pass (see pass on Kindvall in CL finals versus Celtic). He paired with Theo The Tank Laseroms in Feyenoord’s defence but Rinus also scored: long distance shots and headers. He was the Ronald Koeman of the 1970s. He became a coach and coached Feyenoord, FC Den Bosch and a couple of lesser known clubs in Europe for a spell.