Wilhelmus "Willy" Antonius van de Kerkhof (; born 16 September 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Van de Kerkhof and his twin brother René were squad members of the Netherlands national team that made the World Cup final in 1974 and became key players in the team that made the 1978 final. He also played for the Netherlands at the Euro 1976 and Euro 1980. Overall, Van de Kerkhof appeared 63 times for his national team, scoring five goals.
He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueKNVB CupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsTwente1970–71Eredivisie276713471971–72326–3261972–73342101342Total931417211016PSV Eindhoven1973–74Eredivisie3110–31101974–75327723991975–76336824181976–77311403511977–783251214461978–79303403431979–80302413431980–81274403141981–82298413391982–83262212831983–84233402731984–85332403721985–86290403101986–87193202131987–8812140161Total4185767848665Career total51171841059781
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsNetherlands1974201975101976611977611978131197961198091198140198230198350198430198550Total635
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Van de Kerkhof goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Willy van de KerkhofNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 19 June 1976 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Yugoslavia 2–0 3-2 UEFA Euro 19762 12 October 1977 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1–0 1–0 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification3 14 June 1978 Estadio Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina 5–1 5–1 1978 FIFA World Cup4 5 September 1979 Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 1980 qualification5 14 June 1980 Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy 2–3 2–3 UEFA Euro 1980
Honours
PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88 KNVB Cup: 1973–74, 1975–76, 1987–88 European Cup: 1987–88 UEFA Cup: 1977–78
Netherlands FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1974, 1978 UEFA European Championship third place: 1976 Tournoi de Paris: 1978
References