(Reuters) – Former Netherlands international Wim Jansen, who was part of the Dutch squad that reached consecutive finals in the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, before going on to manage Feyenoord and Celtic, has died at the age of 75, the Eredivisie club said on Tuesday.
Jansen won the Eredivisie on four occasions with Feyenoord as a player, as well as the European Cup in 1970. He returned to manage the Rotterdam-based club in 1991, leading them to two KNVB Cups.
“It is with great sadness that Feyenoord has learned of the death of club icon Wim Jansen,” the club said in a statement. “Wim Jansen is one of the greatest footballers to ever play for Feyenoord.
“He served the club as a youth player, youth, assistant and head coach, technical director and advisor and was part of the most successful Feyenoord teams of all time.”
Jansen took charge of Scottish club Celtic for the 1997-98 season, in which they claimed a Scottish league and cup double, preventing rivals Rangers from winning a tenth championship in a row.
He was also responsible for signing Celtic great Henrik Larsson, who scored 242 goals in 313 games for the Scottish side.
Jansen revealed in his 2021 biography “Mastermind” that he had been living with dementia.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
