Dutch football icon Neeskens passes away at age 73

Johan Neeskens, a former midfielder for Ajax and FC Barcelona as well as a former Netherlands international, passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 73, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said on Monday.

According to the KNVB, Neeskens had spent the previous two days in Algeria, working for the KNVB WorldCoaches program, when he became unwell. "Unfortunately, medical help couldn't make a difference for him," the KNVB stated in a press release.

With the passing of Neeskens, the Netherlands loses one of its most decorated players of all time. Alongside Johan Cruyff, Neeskens won the European Cup in 1971, 1972 and 1973 with Ajax, and took the Club World Cup in 1972, in addition to several domestic trophies.

In 1974, the Netherlands made it to the final of the FIFA World Cup, with Neeskens scoring an early opening goal from the penalty spot against hosts West Germany, before ultimately losing 2-1.

In total, Neeskens made 49 international appearances for the Netherlands, scoring 17 goals.

Neeskens then played for Barcelona from 1974 to 1979, where he again played alongside Cruyff, earning the nickname "Johan Segundo", or Johan the second. Neeskens was famous for his tackling, energy, toughness and versatility.

After retiring from playing in 1991, Neeskens started a coaching career, and served as Frank Rijkaard's assistant coach with the Netherlands national team (1998-2000), Barcelona (2006-2008) and Galatasaray (2009-2010).

Current Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman expressed his sadness at the news. "As a little boy, he was my big idol," Koeman said during a press conference at the team's training center in Zeist.

At a later age, Neeskens worked for KNVB WorldCoaches, a program to train coaches in low- and middle-income countries.

Neeskens is survived by his wife Marlis, and his children Christian, Tamara, Bianca and Armand.

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