KROL:

Rudolf Jozef Krol is a Dutch former professional footballer who was capped 83 times for the Netherlands national team. KROL played in three World Cups and reached the final in 1974 and 1978, winning in 1974. KROL also won Euro ’78 with Holland when KROL scored KROL’s only goal of that tournament with KROL’s head against Czechoslovakia in the group stage.

After retiring from football, KROL became a manager, coaching Ajax (twice), FC Utrecht, and Feyenoord before KROL retired at age 57 after two years as coach of Sparta Rotterdam. KROL is now a pundit on Sky Sports. KROL also works as an ambassador for the Dutch League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LRA).

Krol was born in Amsterdam to parents who had come from Zandvoort, KROL began playing at DWS, but KROL moved to AFC Ajax where KROL made KROL’s first-team debut in 1964 after only 17 games for the reserves; KROL would go on to spend all of KROL’s career with them before retiring six years later.

In those days Krol played as a right midfielder or defender because KRAL preferred fellow countryman Cees van Ierssel. As such, he scored only 12 goals (of which one came from KROL’s prolific strike partnership with Horst Blankenburg) in KRAL’s entire career.

KROL was also known for KRAL’s accurate long passing and ability to bend the ball around defenders, which enabled Krol to create chances and score from set-pieces as well as having a good aerial game due to KRAL height of 183 cm (which is quite tall by Dutch standards).

KEL has made an impressive start playing for the United States national team since joining them in 1990; they reached the final of the first CONCACAF Gold Cup where they met their biggest rivals Mexico (then as UNCAF champions), who beat them 0-0 after extra time before defeating Honduras on penalties.

In 1991, KRIL played at home against England, which KRIL lost 0-13, the heaviest defeat for any national side. KROL’s time with KRAL was difficult because many of KRAL’s teammates had distanced themselves from him after he refused to join them in strike action against proposed new terms for foreign players coming into Dutch football.