Bennie Muller
![]() Muller in 1961 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 14 August 1938 | ||
Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
Date of death | 17 January 2024 | (aged 85)||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1958–1970 | Ajax | 341 | (30) |
1970–1971 | Holland Sport | ||
1971–1972 | Blauw-Wit | ||
Total | 341+ | (30+) | |
International career | |||
1960–1968 | Netherlands | 43 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Bennie Muller (14 August 1938 – 17 January 2024) was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Ajax and the Netherlands national team.
Early life
[edit]Muller was born in the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam-East.[1] His grandfather was a fruit seller named Levi Sluiter.[2] His mother was incarcerated in Westerbork transit camp during World War II.[1] Approximately 200 members of Muller's extended family were killed in the Holocaust.[3]
Club career
[edit]Muller played club football for Ajax beginning in 1958, and was its captain.[4][1] He made his debut for Ajax against MVV and played 426 official matches for the club.[5] He won five league titles and three domestic cups with them.[6]
International career
[edit]Muller made his debut for the Netherlands national team in an April 1960 friendly match against Bulgaria, earning 43 caps in total, and also serving as captain.[7][1] His final international was an October 1968 World Cup qualification match against Bulgaria.[8]
Personal life
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Huwelijk_Bennie_Muller_1961.jpg/220px-Huwelijk_Bennie_Muller_1961.jpg)
Muller was Jewish,[9][10] and was one of only six Jewish players to have played for Ajax – the others being Eddy Hamel, Johnny Roeg, Sjaak Swart, Daniël de Ridder and Ilan Boccara.[11][12]
Muller married on 27 September 1961. He had a daughter, Petra,[13] and a son Danny, who was also a professional footballer. Muller later owned a cigar shop near Amsterdam Centraal station.[3]
Bennie Muller died on 17 January 2024, at the age of 85.[14][15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ a b c d Foer, Franklin; Tracy, Marc (30 October 2012). Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781455516117 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kuper, Simon (11 September 2012). Ajax, the Dutch, the War: The Strange Tale of Soccer During Europe's Darkest Hour. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781568587233 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Winner, David (29 July 2008). Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer. Overlook Press. ISBN 9781590208021 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kuper, Simon (11 September 2012). Ajax, the Dutch, the War: The Strange Tale of Soccer During Europe's Darkest Hour. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781568587240 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Voormalig Ajax-middenvelder Bennie Muller (85) overleden". Ajax (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Clubicoon Ajax en oud-international Bennie Muller (85) overleden". AD (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Bennie Muller – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Bennie Muller, international football player". EU-football. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Franklin Foer; Marc Tracy (30 October 2012). Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame. Grand Central Publishing. pp. 130–. ISBN 978-1-4555-1611-7.
- ^ "ÓÐÏÒÔ - Центральный Еврейский Ресурс. Сайт русскоязычных евреев всего мира. Еврейские новости. Еврейские фамилии". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
- ^ "Anne Frank and antisemitism: The unwelcome focus of European soccer". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Bennie Muller | 1968–1969 - PES Stats Database". pesstatsdatabase.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ Aankomst Ajax op Schiphol, Bennie Muller werd op Schiph begroet door zijn dochtertje Petra. Nationaal Archief 2010–2013
- ^ "Ajacied Bennie Muller (1938-2024) voelde zich een slachtoffer van de verzakelijking van het voetbal". Volkskrant (in Dutch). 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Voormalig Ajax en Oranje-voetballer Bennie Muller (85) overleden". NOS (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
External links
[edit]- Bennie Muller at WorldFootball.net
- Bennie Muller at National-Football-Teams.com
- Bennie Muller at EU-Football.info
- 1938 births
- 2024 deaths
- Dutch people of Jewish descent
- Jewish Dutch sportspeople
- Dutch men's footballers
- Jewish footballers
- Footballers from Amsterdam
- Men's association football midfielders
- Netherlands men's international footballers
- Eredivisie players
- AFC Ajax players
- Blauw-Wit Amsterdam players
- Dutch football midfielder stubs