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Piet Van Reenen

Piet Van Reenen


Piet Van Reenen is one of those legends forgotten by time, one of the best Dutch players in history, he is the top scorer in the history of the legendary club Ajax Amsterdam.


6
Trophies
281
Games
313
Goals

 1926/29 UVV (HOL) 37 matches, 30 goals


1929/43 Ajax Amsterdam (HOL) 242 matches, 283 goals


(Dutch Championship: 177 games, 214 goals)


(Championship play-off: 61 games, 64 goals)


(Dutch Cup: 4 matches, 5 goals)


With the National Team :

2 caps


(Friendlies: 2 caps)


1st cap: 8 June 1930 against Hungary (2-6)


Last cap: 9 April 1933 against Belgium (3-1)


Petrus van Reenen


Born on 17 January 1909 in Utrecht (HOL)


Died on 8 June 1969 in Amsterdam (HOL)


Dutch, Striker


Nickname: "Goaltjes-Piet"

Promising beginnings

Born in 1909 in Utrecht, he is a young player with enormous talent, nicknamed "Goaltjes-Piet" or Goal thief, he is an attacker with superb finishing.

Logically he joined his city club UVV Utrecht. Nowadays, this club plays in the amateur divisions of the country. In total, he played 37 matches for 30 goals with his first club. Where the club was in decline, Ajax Amsterdam, which was then seeking to become the best team in the country, recruited Piet Van Reenen in 1929.

A formidable offensive danger

From his first season, he established himself as a starter, the championship was then divided into sub-championships by region. Ajax Amsterdam plays in the Eerste Klasse West-I and establishes itself as the best team in this small championship. Piet Van Reenen plays every match, in total he scores 21 goals in 18 matches. He therefore joined his club in the play-offs, where he again played all the matches, despite his 9 goals in 8 matches, he could not prevent the coronation of the Go Ahead Eagles club which finished only 1 point ahead of Ajax. In the Dutch Cup, Piet Van Reenen and Ajax will disappoint every time.

Piet Van Reenen is a championship player more than a Cup player, just like his team. With his good results in the championship, he joined the Dutch national team in 1930, but did not establish himself there. He will only play 2 matches for the Oranje.

The following season that of 1930-31, he established himself as the best center forward in the country, he finished the first phase of the championship with 22 goals in 15 matches before scoring 12 goals in 8 matches in the play phase. -off, or 34 goals in 23 matches. The club won the Dutch championship with 12 points in the play-off, 4 more than Feyenoord. Piet therefore scores 41% of the goals in this play-off phase. He is the ultimate offensive weapon of this rising Ajax Amsterdam team.

A statistics machine

His club won the Dutch championships of 1932, 1934, 1937, 1939, each time with a genius Piet Van Reenen. Here are his statistics in official matches (excluding friendly matches):

- 1932-33 season: 24 goals in 18 matches.

- 1933-34 season: 28 goals in 20 matches.

- 1934-35 season: 28 goals in 25 matches.

- 1935-36 season: 25 goals in 23 matches.

- 1936-37 season: 30 goals in 25 matches.

- 1937-38 season: 17 goals in 15 matches.

- 1938-39 season: 13 goals in 23 matches.

- 1939-40 season: 8 goals in 10 matches.

A disappointing end to his career

Due to the start of the Second World War, football took a back seat. There were always opportunities to play football, but Piet Van Reenen left football at the age of 31. He still returned to his club Ajax Amsterdam 1 year later, during the 1941-42 season. But he decided to end his career again (permanently this time) on October 18, 1943 after a match against Blauw Wit.

- 1941-42 season: 4 goals in 6 matches.

- 1942-43 season: 1 goal in 3 matches.

Sad twist of fate, the cup which appears in his prize list, the Dutch Cup, is won by Ajax Amsterdam during this 1942-43 season where he unfortunately does not play any matches in the competition. This is the 6th and final trophy of his career.

Numerous outstanding services

Leading striker for this Ajax team between 1929 and 1943, he will remain as one of the best players of his generation, where he finished 9 times (in a row) as the top scorer for his club. He also holds another record, that of the most goals scored in a single match in the Netherlands: 7 goals. Latest record for him, he is the first Dutch player to reach the 300 goal mark.

In his qualities, we can speak of a complete player, very complete. He noted in particular:

- 4 goals from direct free kicks.

- 25 headed goals.

He formed a magical duo with Henk Mulders, the left winger of Ajax Amsterdam who sent him at least 27 assists. Bob ten Have was also a teammate he appreciated, since the latter gave him at least 21 assists.

Among its greatest services, we can note:

- 4 goals in the Ajax - Willem II 7-2 victory in 1930.

- 2 goals in the Ajax - Go Ahead 5-2 away victory in 1931.

- 7 goals in the Ajax - Veendam 9-1 away victory in 1932.

- 3 goals in the Ajax - Feijenoord 4-2 away victory in 1932.

- 4 goals in the Ajax - Willem II 5 - 0 victory in 1934.

- 2 goals in the Ajax - PSV 3-2 away victory in 1937.

- 3 goals in the Ajax - Go Ahead 3-0 away victory in 1937.

Trophies :

Eredivisie x5

- 1931 (Ajax Amsterdam)

- 1932 (Ajax Amsterdam)

- 1934 (Ajax Amsterdam)

- 1937 (Ajax Amsterdam)

- 1939 (Ajax Amsterdam)

Vice-Champion Eredivisie x3

- 1933 (Ajax Amsterdam)

- 1938 (Ajax Amsterdam)

- 1941 (Ajax Amsterdam)

Dutch Cup x1

- 1943 (Ajax Amsterdam)

Carlos Valderrama