Oranje U21 in 1983: a new generation

The Dutch Maradona

25 years ago Dutch football talents played their first WC U21 in Mexico. Kees Rijvers was manager of the team that impressed in 1983, but was stopped in the quarter finals. Kees Rijvers was team manager for the big Oranje in ‘83 and also managed the youngsters.

Rijvers: “This was the first big tournament for a youth team. Not because we never qualified, but because the KNVB didn’t have the financial resources to send teams over half the globe to compete. Unbelievable, really. I was asked to manage this team, but I was hesitant. There were hardly any resources to prepare properly and I think most people underestimate the importance of youth teams gaining experience at this level.”

Rijvers did not have a lot of options to select players since there wasn’t any money or focus for friendlies and selection games. “We only played one friendly in the run up against Austria.”

Rijvers only had a small staff: Bert van Lingen was assistant coach, Piet Lagarde keepers trainer, Dr Kessel went along with Monne de Wit as fysio. PR man Wim Jesse was the man who organized it all.

The players didn’t seem too motivated, though. “They were street kids. And it was as if we were out on school camp. Most players thought they were God’s gift to football. I decided to train very very hard to get them disciplined and focused. We played in a warm climate and high up too, so we needed a good preparation.”

Rijvers couldn’t use Robbie de Wit, Rene Eykelkamp and goalie Stanley Menzo due to injuries. The forward three were Marco van Basten, Johnny van ‘t Schip and Mario Been. Rene Roord and Gerald Vanenburg were the offensive midfielders and even left back Mike Snoei played like a winger.

The first match of Oranje was against Brazil, in what was to be the best match of the tournament. Oranje drew 1-1. Rijvers: “Then it all happened. The fans in Mexico were very positive. In Holland, no one seemed to care, but in Mexico we suddenly were amongst the favorites. Marco van Basten was sort of discovered there by the rest of the world, while Mario Been was compared to none other than Maradona.” Oranje drew against Nigeria as well. “That was a tough match. Goalie Laurs (FC Eindhoven) kept us alive.” Against the Soviet Union, Oranje won 3-2.

Oranje couldn’t get past the quarter final stage. Argentina was the opponent. “We played a tremendous first half, but in the second half it all turned sour for is. Gerald Vanenburg was hit by coins from the stands and actually lost a tooth. When Vaantje reacted furious, he received the red card! Eventually Oranje lost 2-1, with goalie Laurs this time blundering twice.

Rijvers: “In our dominating, technical style of play we really impressed. We should have turned around quicker from offense to defense, but other than that we were one of the high points of that tournament.

The number 10 of that team, Rene Roord of FC Twente, looks back that the tournament where Oranje impressed but forgot to win the title.

Roord was 19 years old when he traveled with Rijvers to Mexico. “Rijvers was a quaint guy. A recluse, almost. He never gave us any freedom, he was dead serious and disciplined. Rijver was extreme. He didn’t allow us to go out into town or have fun. During the tournament we were housed in some sort of monestary.”

“The line-up? Easy… Laurs in goal, Sonny Siloo, Henk Duut, Addick Koot and Mike Snoei in the back. Vanenburg was the playmaker, Teuben played holding midfielder and I played left midfielder. Schip and Basten played always, and Edwin Bakker played central striker and in some cases Mario Been played there, but he wasn’t a starter at first. But Mario has a big mouth and definitely has leader qualities. He scored some great goals and became the big man in the team. Robbie de Wit was supposed to be the left winger, but he had a quarrel with Rijvers before the tournament, and Rijvers is weird in that… He left Robbie at home. Vanenburg was the wizard, he could do it all with the ball and he already was a starter in Ajax 1. But it wasn’t his tournament. Van Basten was a youngster, even in that team. You could see he was exceptionally gifted. He wasn’t the nicest guy in the group, but also not the nastiest. He was a bit shallow, a bit detached. But, he did have his opinions already. I remember a great situation. During a warming up, Marco was walking instead of working. Van Lingen said something about it and Marco started a debate with him. It became pretty hostile. And Rijvers walked up and listened to the arguments and took Van Basten’s side.”

“The Orange Brigade, we were called. In that quarter finals we led 0-1 against Argentia and with a couple of minutes to go, Laurs made a mistake: 1-1. I wanted Theo Snelders to play, he was a better goalie, but no one listened to me. Not much later they scored another and then this huge fight started around Mario Been.”

All players made it into the professional league in The Netherlands, although Teuben, Bakker and Snoei only had a pedestrian career. Bakker was an Ajax striker but didn’t get further than FC Groningen. Teuben played in the bottom of the league and Snoei played for Sparta and Excelsior. Snoei would become manager of Sparta and Vitesse after his playing career. Addick Koot - the PSV defender - made it big in France with Cannes. Duut became one of the popular players in Feyenoord 1, like Mario Been. The latter moved to Italy later in his career. Been was assistant coach at Feyenoord when they won the UEFA Cup in 2002 and is currently head coach of NEC. Been wil assist Leo Beenhakker with Poland during the EC2008.

Rene Roord: “Two years after the WC I broke my leg and got serious knee issues. I was discharged from football in 1986 due to my medical problems. I sometimes feel sorry for myself, but then I think about Robbie de Wit, with his seizure. If you think of that, who am I to complain?”

It was this generation of talents that would rise to the occasion in later years. Rijkaard, Koeman, Gullit and Wouters weren’t part of this team, they were one year too old. But Van Basten and Gullit would write history later that year against Ireland. Oranje did miss the two following big tournaments (1984 France EC and the 1986 Mexico WC) but would return with a vengeance in 1988. The boys had become men.