Theo Laseroms
Matheus Wilhelmus Theodorus "Theo" Laseroms (8 March 1940 – 25 April 1991) was a Dutch football defender who made a name for himself when he played for Feijenoord. He gained six caps for the Netherlands national team.
| Laseroms in 1965 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matheus Wilhelmus Theodorus Laseroms | ||
| Date of birth | 8 March 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Roosendaal, Netherlands | ||
| Date of death | 25 April 1991 (aged 51) | ||
| Place of death | Zwolle, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1952–1957 | RBC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1958 | RBC | ||
| 1958–1963 | NAC | 129 | (28) |
| 1963–1967 | Sparta | 104 | (11) |
| 1967 | Pittsburgh Phantoms | 13 | (3) |
| 1968–1972 | Feijenoord | 123 | (4) |
| 1972–1974 | Gent | 56 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 1965–1970 | Netherlands | 6 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1974–1975 | Ieper | ||
| 1975–1979 | Vlaardingen '74 | ||
| 1979–1981 | Heracles Almelo | ||
| 1982–1984 | West Riffa | ||
| 1985–1986 | Bahrain | ||
| 1986–1987 | Al-Nahda Club | ||
| 1987–1988 | Helmond Sport | ||
| 1988–1989 | PEC Zwolle | ||
| 1989–1990 | Trabzonspor | ||
| 1990–1991 | Çengelköyspor | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career Edit
Laseroms, nicknamed De Tank or Theo de Tank,[2] was famous for his sliding tackle. His career had started in 1956 at RBC, followed in 1958 by NAC. In 1963, he switched to Sparta, with whom he won the KNVB Cup in 1966.[3] In 1967, Laseroms signed with the Pittsburgh Phantoms of the newly created National Professional Soccer League while still under contract with Sparta Rotterdam. Sparta sued Pittsburgh in both the United States and the Netherlands and received $50,000 from the Phantoms.[4]
In 1968 he moved to Feijenoord where he would form the defensive core alongside Rinus Israël.[2] He played four seasons for Feijenoord through late sixties and early seventies. Laseroms was part of the team that won the European Cup in 1970 after a 2–1 final win over Celtic and in that same year the Intercontinental Cup against Argentinian club Estudiantes de La Plata.[5][6] He also became champion twice with Feijenoord, in the seasons 1968–69 and 1970–71. In the seasons 1969–70 and 1971–72, Laseroms finished in second place with Feyenoord. The KNVB Cup was won in the 1968–69 season. He was part of the legendary team that included Eddy Pieters Graafland, Eddy Treijtel, Piet Romeijn, Rinus Israël, Theo van Duivenbode, Franz Hasil, Wim Jansen, Willem van Hanegem, Henk Wery, Ove Kindvall and Coen Moulijn.
After leaving the club in 1972, he played for the Belgian club Gent for two more years.[7]
International career Edit
In 1965 he made his first international appearance for the Netherlands against Northern Ireland.[citation needed]
Managerial career Edit
Laseroms did an internship at Ajax in Amsterdam in the 1975–76 season before obtaining his training diploma; a team then consisting of players such as Frank Arnesen, Søren Lerby, Tscheu La Ling and Ruud Geels and was coached by Rinus Michels in his second period. Laseroms then started a less successful coaching career with Heracles, Helmond Sport, Vlaardingen '74, Trabzonspor and clubs from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, among others.[citation needed]
Death Edit
Laseroms died of heart attack on 25 April 1991, aged only 51.
Honours Edit
Player Edit
Sparta
Feyenoord
- Eredivisie: 1968–69, 1970–71
- KNVB Cup: 1968–69
- European Cup: 1969–70
- Intercontinental Cup: 1970
References Edit
- ^ "NASL - Theo Laseroms". nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ a b Pertijs, Ad (30 May 2020). "Hoe Theo de Tank Ajax omver kegelde en met Feyenoord kampioen werd". BN De Stem (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ a b "1966: Ook Sparta is the sterk voor ADO". Royal Dutch Football Association (in Dutch). 21 February 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ Heufelder, Bill (6 August 1967). "The 'Phantastic' Season". The Pittsburgh Press. pp. 15–17. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Feyenoord-Celtic 1969 History". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ Visser, Jaap (9 September 2020). "Kick & Rush: Feyenoord-Estudiantes 1970" (in Dutch). Kick Uitgevers. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Theo Laseroms: cowboy zonder lasso". feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). Feyenoord. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
External links Edit
- Theo Laseroms at National-Football-Teams.com
- Theo Laseroms at nasljerseys.com