Former football international Henk Groot passed away on Wednesday at the age of 84 in a nursing home in Zaandam. His former club Ajax has that on Wednesday morning announced† In the sixties, Groot also played for Feyenoord in addition to Ajax. He played 39 international matches for the Dutch national team.
Groot was born in Zaandijk, where he played football with his brother Cees for the club VV Zaandijk, which was co-founded by their father. At the age of eighteen, both brothers transferred to Stormvogels in IJmuiden. Three years later, in 1959, the brothers were recruited by Ajax. The technically strong and strong inside player was sold in 1963, against his will, for a record amount of 250,000 guilders to arch-rival Feyenoord.
European final
Two years later, Ajax brought him back, where as a veteran he played with the emerging talent Johan Cruijff in a team that would celebrate great successes in the seventies. Groot only experienced the first of four European Cup I finals of Ajax within five years. In 1969 the club lost 4-1 to AC Milan in Madrid. His career came to an immediate end in September of that year due to a knee injury. Groot tore his knee ligaments and suffered a shattered kneecap after a foul during an international match against Poland.
He scored 207 goals in 305 official matches for Ajax. He won four national titles and twice won the KNVB Cup for the club. In 1962 he won the Intertoto Cup, Ajax’s first European prize. With Feyenoord he became national champion once and won the KNVB Cup once. Groot was twice top scorer in the Eredivisie.
In memory of the death of Groot and the former player Jody Lukoki (29) who died earlier this week, Ajax will play with mourning bands in the match against sc Heerenveen tonight. The Amsterdam club crowns itself champion of the Netherlands with a win over the Frisians.