Rob Rensenbrink

Pieter Robert Rensenbrink (3 July 1947 – 24 January 2020) was a Dutch footballer and member of the Netherlands national team that reached two FIFA World Cup finals, in 1974 and 1978. A creative and prolific left winger or forward, he became a legend in Belgium while playing in the great Anderlecht sides of the 1970s. He is the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup's all-time top scorer, with 25 goals. A talented dribbler as well as a cool finisher and adequate passer, he only ever missed two penalties in his entire career. He was also the first winner of the Onze d'Or in 1976.

Club career
Born July 3, 1947, in Amsterdam, Rensenbrink started his career at DWS, an Amsterdam amateur club, before moving to Belgian side Club Brugge in 1969. Between 1971 and 1980 he played for Anderlecht where he enjoyed his greatest club successes. In total when in Belgium he twice won the Belgian Championships, the Belgian Cup five times and at European club level the European Cup Winners' Cup twice (in 1976 and 1978, as well as being runner-up in 1977). Rensenbrink delivered a notable performance in the 1976 final as Anderlecht ran out 4–2 winners against West Ham United. He scored two goals, one from the penalty spot and set up François Van der Elst for the fourth goal. Among his team mates was Dutch internationalist compatriot, Arie Haan. In 1980, he left Anderlecht and wound down his career with a spell at Portland Timbers in the NASL, followed by a brief stay with Toulouse in France in 1981.

International career
Rensenbrink made his international debut for the Netherlands national football team against Scotland in 1968, but picked up relatively few caps due to competition for the forward positions with Johan Cruijff and Piet Keizer. However, Rinus Michels included him for the 1974 FIFA World Cup squad that made the short trip to West Germany.

The Dutch side that took part in the 1974 FIFA World Cup were the pinnacle of Total Football. Most of the 1974 team were made up of players from AFC Ajax and Feyenoord, so Rensenbrink was an outsider and was unfamiliar with playing the system. His preferred position was up front on the left, but that position was already Johan Cruijff's domain, so he played on the left-wing position in midfield, taking over from Ajax player Piet Keizer. He missed one game in the tournament (when Keizer played instead) and was only half-fit for the final after picking up an injury during the semi-final against Brazil. Rinus Michels gambled on Rensenbrink's fitness and played him from start – however he only lasted until half-time and was replaced by René van de Kerkhof. The Netherlands took an early lead through a Johan Neeskens penalty, but goals from Paul Breitner and Gerd Müller gave West Germany a 2–1 victory. Rensenbrink's performances saw him named to the team of the tournament and he was sought by Ajax as a replacement for Keizer. However, contract negotiations fell through and he remained at Anderlecht.

Rensenbrink stayed in the Netherlands national team during the qualifiers and finals of the 1976 European Football Championship. However, the Netherlands fell at the semi-final stage to Czechoslovakia.

In the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina, the Netherlands again reached the final, but this time without Cruijff (who decided to retire from international football) and under the guidance of Ernst Happel rather than Michels. Out of the shadow of Cruijff, Rensenbrink found more room to showcase his own considerable talent, playing on the left-hand side of a front three alongside Johnny Rep and René van de Kerkhof. He scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Iran, another goal against Scotland which was goal number 1,000 in FIFA World Cup history and a penalty in the 5–1 win over Austria. In the final against Argentina, the Netherlands yet again met the hosts. The Netherlands fell behind to a first-half Mario Kempes strike. After Dick Nanninga's equalizer nine minutes from time, a long pass from the Dutch captain Ruud Krol in the last 30 seconds of normal time gave Rensenbrink a half-chance, but his shot from a very narrow angle hit the post and was cleared by a defender. Had he scored, it is almost certain that the Netherlands would have won the World Cup with Rensenbrink being top goal scorer. Argentina scored twice in extra-time for a 3–1 victory and the Netherlands again had to settle for the runners-up spot.

Rensenbrink played some of the qualifiers for Euro 80, but after earning his 46th cap in 1979 (a 2–0 defeat by Poland in a qualifier for Euro 80), he retired from international football at the age of 32, having scored 14 times for his country. He along with Eusébio are the only players to score the most goals from a penalty spot in a tournament (4 in 1978).

He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He was also named Anderlecht's greatest ever foreign player in 2008.

Personal life
Rensenbrink was married and lived in Oostzaan. In the summer of 2015, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with progressive muscular atrophy three years earlier. He died on 24 January 2020, aged 72. Belgian news sources reported that he had been diagnosed with a muscular disease in 2012 which led to his death.

Honours
Club Brugge 
 * Belgian Cup: 1969–70

Anderlecht 
 * Belgian First Division: 1971–72, 1973–74
 * Belgian Cup: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76
 * Belgian League Cup: 1973, 1974
 * European Cup Winners' Cup: 1975–76, 1977–78; runner-up: 1976–77
 * European Super Cup: 1976, 1978
 * Amsterdam Tournament: 1976
 * Tournoi de Paris: 1977
 * Jules Pappaert Cup: 1977 
 * Belgian Sports Merit Award: 1978

Toulouse
 * Division 2: 1981–82

Netherlands
 * FIFA World Cup: runner-up 1974, 1978
 * UEFA European Football Championship: third place 1976
 * Tournoi de Paris: 1978

Individual
 * Belgian First Division top scorer: 1972–73 
 * FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1974, 1978
 * European Cup Winners' Cup top scorer: 1975–76
 * Belgian Golden Shoe: 1976
 * Onze d'Or: 1976
 * Ballon d'Or: runner-up 1976, third place 1978
 * Onze de Onze: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
 * Sport Ideal European XI: 1976, 1977, 1978
 * FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 1978
 * FIFA World Cup Most Assists: 1978
 * Onze de Bronze: 1978, 1979
 * France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930–1990 46th: 1994
 * Planète Foot's 50 of the World's Best Players: 1996
 * FIFA 100: 2004
 * Placar's 100 World Cup Stars 42nd: 2005
 * Best Foreign Player in the Belgian First Division of All Time: 2007
 * Best RSC Anderlecht Player of All Time: 2008
 * The Best Golden Shoe Team: 2011
 * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup All-time top scorer: (25 goals)
 * Scorer of the 1000th World Cup goal
 * DH The Best RSC Anderlecht Team Ever: 2020