The Dutch football association (KNVB) announced on Thursday that former Netherlands goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed, who participated in two World Cup finals, has passed away at the age of 82 following a protracted illness.
“It is with sadness that we have learned of the death of 24-time ‘Oranje’ international Jan Jongbloed (82),” the federation said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The KNVB wishes the relatives a lot of strength in processing this great loss.”
Jongbloed, a member of the “Oranje” golden generation of the 1970s, had a reputation for being a goalie who transcended his locality.
In 1974 and 1978, they advanced to the World Cup finals, but they fell to West Germany and Argentina on both occasions.
Jongbloed created a name for himself by playing sans gloves during the 1974 final in Munich, which the Dutch lost 2-1. He claimed that doing so was necessary “because otherwise you can’t feel the ball.”
A talented Argentina team defeated the Netherlands 3-1 four years later.
His international career, however, got off to a rocky start when he appeared for Piet Lagarde for six minutes in a 1962 friendlies match against Denmark.
He went 12 years without being selected, during which time he earned the reputation of having the Netherlands’ shortest-ever international playing career.
When Jan van Beveren withdrew, Rinus Michels, the national coach, invited Jongbloed back for the 1974 World Cup. He played regularly for the following four years, once going 683 minutes without giving up a goal.
“As a ‘flying goalkeeper’, Jongbloed was a perfect fit for the attacking total football with which the Netherlands conquered the world, despite losing the final against West Germany,” the Dutch federation said in a statement.
After playing as a winger up to the age of 15, Jongbloed made his debut in goal for DWS Amsterdam as an 18-year-old in 1958 and went on to play across four decades.
He broke the record for the oldest player in the Dutch league when he played for Go Ahead Eagles in 1983 at the age of 43.
He declined a move to Ajax in 1974 because, he claimed, he did not want to give up one fishing day for an additional day of football practice.
The 1964 national championship win for DWS Amsterdam was Jongbloed’s best accomplishment.
Between 1962 and 1978, Jongbloed received 24 caps for his country and competed in 717 professional games before retiring from Go Ahead Eagles in 1985 due to a heart attack he had while playing.
Nearly a year ago, during a friendly game, his son Eric, a 21-year-old amateur player, was struck by lightning in a stadium in Amsterdam.
Jongbloed held a number of positions at Vitesse Arnhem and Go Ahead Eagles following his football career.
