The Hague (AFP)
Former Netherlands and Ajax Amsterdam defender Wim Suurbier, key player to the famous Dutch team in the 1970s, has died at the age of 75, his former club said on Sunday.
Suurbier, who won three European Champion Clubs' Cups and seven national titles with Ajax, has been hospitalized since April due to a brain hemorrhage.
"A great Ajax player is no longer. Our thoughts are with his family and friends," the club wrote about the 509 appearing defender in the red and white jersey.
Jordi Cruyff, the son of legend Johan Cruyff who died in 2016, described Suurbier as "a great player and a friend extremely loyal to [his] father and [his] family".
Suurbier (60 caps), who played - and lost - two World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 with the Netherlands, then played in clubs in Germany, Schalke 04, France, Metz, and in the USA.
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