After the news about the death of Johan Neeskens, today there is worrying news about a footballer with a Zaanse link. Former international and native Zaankanter Johnny Rep (72) suffered a heart attack last Wednesday, his biographer Mark van den Heuvel reported in the talk show Today Inside.
Oformer top footballer of ZFCAjax and Oranje, Johnny Rep, is currently in intensive care in a Spanish hospital, where he has lived for years. Money needs to be raised for a pacemaker, because the health insurance company and his family are in conflict about this. The insurance company wants to transfer him to the Netherlands because of the lower costs for a pacemaker: €25,000 in Spain compared to €10,000 in the Netherlands. However, the family believes that Rep is too weak to travel.
The second most famous Zaankanter in the world
As a football player, the “goldcrest” Johnny Rep won the European Cup I (now Champions League) twice, the Club World Cup once, became French champion once, Dutch champion twice and was in the World Cup final twice.
You would think: undoubtedly the most famous Zaankanter, but of course we also have Albert Heijn. Our in-house author and columnist Martin Rep found the founder of the supermarket giant just a little biggerbut opinions differ of course. And I can already hear you thinking: that Martin, is he related to…? Yeah, sure, he’s one (distant) cousin van Johnny Rep.
Photo of Martin and Johnny
By: Nick Boeske. Info: Today Inside and previous ones articles on De Orkaan Photo: Martin Rep & De Orkaan archive.
