Wim Suurbier – Békeffy Jenő – Ajax Amsterdam – Schalke 04
Suurbier made his debut for ajax Amsterdam when he was 19 and played with them for 13 years, all throughout the most successful era until 1977 when he was 32 years old. Usually a right back, Suurbier was renowned for his pace and stamina. Suurbier was a big part of the 70’s total football team the ‘Twelve Apostles’ of Ajax Amsterdam led by Johan Cruijff, which lifted the UEFA Champions League three times in a row. In 1977, he moved to Schalke 04 for one season.
In 1979, he transferred to the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League. He played three seasons in Los Angeles before moving to the San Jose Eathquakes for the 1982 season. In the fall of 1982, the team was renamed the Golden Bay Earthquakes and entered the Major Indor Soccer League. He retired at the end of the season to become an assistant coach with the Earthquakes. He later resumed his playing career as a player-coach of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the American Idoor Soccer Association.
