Rinus Israël was shocked when he heard on Wednesday of the death of former teammate Eddy Pieters Graafland (86). The former defender played with Feyenoord for years with the legendary former goalkeeper and will remember him as a reliable and headstrong man.
“It was a nice guy who really helped you,” said 78-year-old Israel on Wednesday in conversation with NU.nl. “If he gave his word, you could count on him. I saw him not so long ago and then he seemed physically okay, so I really hadn’t expected his death.”
Pieters Graafland started his career at Ajax in 1950 and eight years later was the first player to ever switch to arch rival Feyenoord, where he also celebrated the biggest successes in his career. Israel exchanged DWS for Feyenoord in 1966 and played with ‘Eddy PG’ until 1970, as the nickname of the former goalkeeper reads.
“He was a man of his own mind who did not walk with the flock,” Israel recalls. “And above all Eddy was a great goalkeeper. As far as I am concerned, he definitely belongs in the top three of best Dutch goalkeepers of all time. He had all the qualities that a goalkeeper needs.”
“Eddy was a good one-on-one and reliable in crosses. As a player you knew there was a keeper under the bar that you could count on. He just did not have such an athletic body as Jan van Beveren, but players had respect for him. “
Photos from the career of Eddy Pieters Graafland
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‘European Cup I final very nice ending’
With four league titles and two KNVB cups, the period of Pieters Graafland at Feyenoord was already very successful, but the climax only followed in the very last match of his career: the won European Cup I final against Celtic (2-1) in Milan. .
The then Feyenoord coach Ernst Happel had preferred Eddy Treijtel as first goalkeeper that season, but he asked Pieters Graafland if he wanted to keep the final goal. After a long deliberation, the 47-time international decided to agree.
“That didn’t exactly go smoothly,” Israel remembers. “Most goalkeepers will not need a reflection period if they are asked to keep a European final. They will take it straight, but Eddy wanted to sleep on it for another night.”
“That also drew a bit of his character. It bothered him that he had not played all season. A day later he agreed. That final was a very nice ending to a career of a great, reliable goalkeeper.”
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