Jos Jonker
Dutch footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jos Jonker (born 23 April 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer. A midfielder, he played for Vitesse '22, Telstar, FC Den Haag and AZ '67 during his career. He also gained two caps for the Netherlands national team.
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Jonker in 1980 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 April 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Castricum, Netherlands | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 196?–1970 | Vitesse '22 | ? | (?) |
| 1970–1978 | Telstar | 225 | (18) |
| 1978–1980 | Den Haag | 64 | (5) |
| 1980–1983 | AZ '67 | 90 | (14) |
| Total | 379 | (37) | |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1981 | Netherlands | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
Jonker began his career with Vitesse '22 from his hometown Castricum, North Holland.[1] From 1970, Jonker played eight years for Telstar.[2] After the club suffered relegation from the Eredivisie in the 1977–78 season,[3] he moved to Den Haag alongside Ton Wickel. According to journalist Jan-Hermen de Bruijn, these signings meant that then head coach Piet de Visser rejected the transfer of Diego Maradona to Den Haag, as the club had enough midfielders.[4][5] This was subsequently denied by De Visser, who stated that Maradona was already hugely popular in Argentina at the time, and would have cost too much for the club.[6] Nevertheless, Jonker experienced his breakthrough at the club, and after two seasons in The Hague, he signed with AZ '67 in 1980 at the age of 29.[7] The club from Alkmaar was already a top club in the second half of the 1970s, but had not yet won the national title, and Jonker was a welcome reinforcement in midfield in 1980.[8] Jonker played for AZ for three seasons and retired from professional football after the 1982–83 season, instead choosing to return to Vitesse '22 at amateur level.[9]
Jonker played 19 matches in the European Cup on behalf of AZ '67, and was part of the successful team which convincingly won the Eredivisie with a goal difference of +71, and reached the final of the UEFA Cup in the 1980–81 season, in which he scored in the return leg.[10]
He gained two caps for the Netherlands national team, in which he played against West Germany and Cyprus.[11]