Rob de Wit (footballer)
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 Rob de Wit in 1987 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rob de Wit | ||
| Date of birth | 8 September 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Utrecht, Netherlands | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| FC Utrecht | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1984 | FC Utrecht | 43 | (7) |
| 1984–1986 | Ajax | 63 | (16) |
| International career | |||
| 1985–1986 | Netherlands | 8 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robertus Leonardus "Rob" de Wit[1] (born 8 September 1963)[2] is a Dutch former football player.
De Wit made his debut for FC Utrecht in the 1982–83 season.[3] He was a member of the Dutch squad at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship.[4] He was transferred to Ajax Amsterdam in July 1984, as successor of left wing attacker Jesper Olsen, who left to Manchester United.[5] At Ajax, he quickly became a crowd favourite, and played nearly all league matches in the 1984–1985 and 1985–1986 seasons.
In May 1985, still in his first season at Ajax, De Wit made his debut for the Dutch national team in a World Cup qualifier against Austria.[6] Nearly two weeks later, De Wit scored the winning goal against Hungary (0–1 away win), which helped the Netherlands secure a play-off match against Belgium for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Health
De Wit's career came to an abrupt end in 1986, due to a cerebral hemorrhage while on holiday in Spain.[2] At first, the consequences didn't seem to be serious. After an unsuccessful treatment in Sweden,[1] it became clear that Rob de Wit would never play professional football again. De Wit announced his retirement from professional football on 2 February 1988.[7] On Saturday 28 May 1988, Ajax (with some additional players from FC Utrecht) and the Dutch national squad preparing for UEFA Euro 1988 played a testimonial match for Rob de Wit at De Meer Stadium, which the Dutch team won (3-1).[1][8]
He sustained two more cerebral hemorrhages later in life: one in 1993 and one in January 2005.[9]
De Wit played 106 league matches in four seasons, scoring 23 goals.[3]
