Willem van Hanegem: Biography, Facts and Career

Willem "Wim" van Hanegem (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪləɱ ˈʋɪɱ vɑn ˈɦaːnəɣɛm]; born 20 February 1944) is a Dutch former football player and coach who played as a midfielder. In a playing career spanning over 20 years, he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as well as both the European Cup and UEFA Cup with Feyenoord. He was also part of the Dutch national team that were runners-up in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Widely considered one of the greatest Dutch footballers in history, he earned the nickname 'De Kromme' ('The Crooked One' or 'The Bent One'), initially due to his posture as a consequence of bow legs and later because of his trademark bent passes and contrarian commentary. Known for his aggressiveness, intelligence and technical playmaking abilities, Van Hanegem was often praised by contemporaries like Johan Cruyff. For his significant contributions to the club's rise to domestic and European success, Feyenoord honored Van Hanegem in 2014 by naming one of its stadium's stands after him. As a manager, he won the league and cup with Feyenoord and spent a period as the Dutch national team's assistant coach. His most recent job as manager was for FC Utrecht, from 2007 to 2008. He writes a regular column about football for Algemeen Dagblad, one of the Netherlands' principal daily newspapers.

Quick facts about Willem van Hanegem

• Full name: Willem van Hanegem
• Born: 1944-02-20
• Nationality: Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Known as: Athlete
• Wikidata ID: Q353017

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.