View source for Piet Keizer

{{Short description|Dutch footballer (1943–2017)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Piet Keizer
| image =Piet Keizer 1973c.jpg
| caption = Keizer in 1973
| full_name = Petrus Johannes Keizer
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1943|6|14}}
| birth_place = [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands
| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|2|10|1943|6|14|df=y}}
| height = 1.75 m<ref>{{Cite web |title=Piet Keizer |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/piet-keizer/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=worldfootball.net |language=en}}</ref>
| position = [[Winger (association football)|Left winger]]
| currentclub =
| youthyears1 = 1953–1955
| youthclubs1 = Amstel
| youthyears2 = 1955–1961
| youthclubs2 = [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]]
| years1 = 1961–1974
| clubs1 = [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]]
<!-- Appearances below are LEAGUE MATCHES ONLY -->
| caps1 = 365
| goals1 = 146
| nationalyears1 = 1962–1974
| nationalteam1 = [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]
| nationalcaps1 = 34
| nationalgoals1 = 11
| manageryears1 = 
| managerclubs1 = 
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Association football|football]]}}
{{Medal|Country|{{fb|NED}}}}
{{Medal|Comp|[[FIFA World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974 West Germany]]|}}
}}

'''Petrus Johannes''' "'''Piet'''" '''Keizer''' (14 June 1943 – 10 February 2017) was a Dutch professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[winger (association football)|left winger]].

As part of the "[[Total Football]]" [[AFC Ajax|Ajax Amsterdam]] team of the 1960s and 1970s, Keizer was particularly notable during the successive managerial tenures of [[Rinus Michels]] and [[Stefan Kovacs]] (1965–1973). He is widely considered one of the greatest players in Dutch football history. Dutch writer Nico Scheepmaker once said: "[[Johan Cruyff|Cruyff]] is the best, but Keizer is the better one".<ref>[http://www.football-oranje.com/hall-of-fame-piet-keizer/ Hall of Fame: Piet Keizer]</ref>

== Club career ==
Keizer totalled 490 official matches for [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]], scoring 189 goals between 1961 and 1974.<ref>[https://www.ajax.nl/streams/ajax-actueel/-ajaxicoon-piet-keizer-73-overleden-.htm Ajax-icoon Piet Keizer (73) overleden] – Ajax {{in lang|nl}}</ref> He played predominantly on the left-wing and with Ajax won three consecutive [[UEFA Champions League|European Cups]] ([[1971 European Cup Final|1971]], [[1972 European Cup Final|1972]], [[1973 European Cup Final|1973]]), having lost the [[1969 European Cup Final|1969]] European Cup final to [[A.C. Milan]]. Also with Ajax, he won six [[Eredivisie]] titles, five [[KNVB Cup]]s, two [[UEFA Super Cup|European Super Cups]], one [[Intercontinental Cup (1960–2004)|Intercontinental Cup]] and one [[UEFA Intertoto Cup|Intertoto Cup]].

In August 1973, under new Ajax manager [[George Knobel]], the Ajax players voted in a secret ballot for Keizer to be the team's next captain, ahead of [[Johan Cruyff]]. Just weeks later Cruyff left Ajax to join [[F.C. Barcelona|Barcelona]].<ref name="Piet Keizer: Ghost goal">{{Cite web |url=http://ghostgoal.co.uk/2010/08/02/player-feature-piet-keizer/ |title=Piet Keizer: Ghost goal |access-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914041622/http://ghostgoal.co.uk/2010/08/02/player-feature-piet-keizer/ |archive-date=14 September 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== International career ==
With the [[Netherlands national football team|Dutch national team]], Keizer played 34 times, scoring 11 goals.<ref name=bs /> He made his international debut in an 8–0 friendly win against the [[Netherlands Antilles national football team|Netherlands Antilles]] in 1962. Keizer was selected by Netherlands manager, [[Rinus Michels]], to play for the Dutch squad during the [[1974 FIFA World Cup]], but only started in the 0–0 draw against [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]].<ref>[http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1974/squad_hol74.html 1974 Netherlands World Cup Squad at Planet World Cup]. Planetworldcup.com. Retrieved on 9 November 2013</ref>

Keizer suddenly retired from football in October 1974, shortly after a row over tactics with [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]] manager [[Hans Kraay, Sr.|Hans Kraay]].<ref name="Piet Keizer: Ghost goal" /><ref name=bs>[http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340956 Piet Keizer]</ref><ref>[http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/27603554/__Ajax-icoon_Piet_Keizer__73__overleden__.html Ajax-icoon Piet Keizer (73) overleden] – Telegraaf {{in lang|nl}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
On 13 June 1967, Keizer married Jenny Hoopman.<ref>[http://www.gahetna.nl/collectie/afbeeldingen/fotocollectie/zoeken/weergave/detail/start/2/tstart/0/q/zoekterm/Piet%20Keizer%20huwelijk Het paar op weg naar de trouwzaal]. gahetna.nl</ref> The couple had two sons.<ref>[http://proxy.handle.net/10648/ab9362e2-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84 Ajax-elftal arriveert op Schiphol uit Londen. Piet Keizer met zoontje]. gahetna.nl</ref>

Keizer died after a long battle with lung cancer in February 2017.<ref>[http://www.sport1.de/fussball/2017/02/niederlande-vize-weltmeister-piet-keizer-erliegt-krebsleiden Niederlande trauern um Keizer] – Parool {{in lang|nl}}</ref>

== Style of play ==
[[UEFA]] website has described Keizer as "the genius on the left wing, the skillful flanker, the superb [[foil (literature)|foil]] to [[Johan Cruyff]]".<ref name="uefa">[https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0253-0d7ff54908f6-5927d0a16600-1000--the-greatest-teams-of-all-time-ajax-1971-73/ The greatest teams of all time: Ajax 1971–73]. UEFA.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2015.</ref>

Cruyff, in his posthumously released autobiography,<ref>Johan Cruyff, ''My Turn. The Autobiography'', Macmillan, 2016, p. 273.</ref> placed Keizer, as left winger, in his "ideal squad".

== Honours ==
'''Ajax'''
*[[Eredivisie]]: [[1965–66 Eredivisie|1965–66]], [[1966–67 Eredivisie|1966–67]], [[1967–68 Eredivisie|1967–68]], [[1969–70 Eredivisie|1969–70]], [[1971–72 Eredivisie|1971–72]], [[1972–73 Eredivisie|1972–73]]
*[[KNVB Cup]]: 1960–61, 1966–67, 1969–70, [[1970-71 KNVB Cup|1970–71]], [[1971–72 KNVB Cup|1971–72]]
*[[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]: [[1971 European Cup Final|1970–71]], [[1972 European Cup Final|1971–72]], [[1973 European Cup Final|1972–73]]; runner-up: [[1969 European Cup Final|1968–69]]<ref name="uefa" />
*[[UEFA Super Cup]]: [[1972 European Super Cup|1972]], [[1973 European Super Cup|1973]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100704104428/http://www.uefa.com/uefasupercup/history/season=1973/index.html 1973: Ajax enjoy early success]. UEFA.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2015.</ref>
*[[Intercontinental Cup (1960–2004)|Intercontinental Cup]]: [[1972 Intercontinental Cup|1972]]
*[[Intertoto Cup]]: [[1961–62 International Football Cup|1961–62]], [[1968 Intertoto Cup|1968]] (Group A2 winner)

'''Netherlands'''
*[[FIFA World Cup]] runner-up: [[FIFA World Cup 1974|1974]]

== See also ==
*[[List of one-club men in association football|List of one-club men]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{NFT player|19363}}

{{Netherlands Squad 1974 World Cup}}
{{Intercontinental Cup winning captains}}
{{UEFA Champions League Winning Captains}}
{{UEFA Super Cup winning captains}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keizer, Piet}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Amsterdam]]
[[Category:Men's association football wingers]]
[[Category:Dutch men's footballers]]
[[Category:Netherlands men's international footballers]]
[[Category:AFC Ajax players]]
[[Category:UEFA Champions League–winning players]]
[[Category:Eredivisie players]]
[[Category:1974 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Dutch football agents]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:20th-century Dutch sportsmen]]