Theo Laseroms

Matheus Wilhelmus Theodorus "Theo" Laseroms (8 March 1940 – 25 April 1991) was a Dutch football defender who made a name for himself when he played for Feijenoord. He gained six caps for the Netherlands national team.

Theo Laseroms
Laseroms in 1965
Personal information
Full name Matheus Wilhelmus Theodorus Laseroms
Date of birth (1940-03-08)8 March 1940
Place of birth Roosendaal, Netherlands
Date of death 25 April 1991(1991-04-25) (aged 51)
Place of death Zwolle, Netherlands
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1952–1957 RBC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1958 RBC
1958–1963 NAC 129 (28)
1963–1967 Sparta 104 (11)
1967 Pittsburgh Phantoms 13 (3)
1968–1972 Feijenoord 123 (4)
1972–1974 Gent 56 (2)
International career
1965–1970 Netherlands 6 (1)
Managerial career
1974–1975 Ieper
1975–1979 Vlaardingen '74
1979–1981 Heracles Almelo
1982–1984 West Riffa
1985–1986 Bahrain
1986–1987 Al-Nahda Club
1987–1988 Helmond Sport
1988–1989 PEC Zwolle
1989–1990 Trabzonspor
1990–1991 Çengelköyspor
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Laseroms, nicknamed De Tank or Theo de Tank,[2] was famous for his sliding tackle. His career had started in 1956 at RBC, followed in 1958 by NAC. In 1963, he switched to Sparta, with whom he won the KNVB Cup in 1966.[3] In 1967, Laseroms signed with the Pittsburgh Phantoms of the newly created National Professional Soccer League while still under contract with Sparta Rotterdam. Sparta sued Pittsburgh in both the United States and the Netherlands and received $50,000 from the Phantoms.[4]

In 1968 he moved to Feijenoord where he would form the defensive core alongside Rinus Israël.[2] He played four seasons for Feijenoord through late sixties and early seventies. Laseroms was part of the team that won the European Cup in 1970 after a 2–1 final win over Celtic and in that same year the Intercontinental Cup against Argentinian club Estudiantes de La Plata.[5][6] He also became champion twice with Feijenoord, in the seasons 1968–69 and 1970–71. In the seasons 1969–70 and 1971–72, Laseroms finished in second place with Feyenoord. The KNVB Cup was won in the 1968–69 season. He was part of the legendary team that included Eddy Pieters Graafland, Eddy Treijtel, Piet Romeijn, Rinus Israël, Theo van Duivenbode, Franz Hasil, Wim Jansen, Willem van Hanegem, Henk Wery, Ove Kindvall and Coen Moulijn.

After leaving the club in 1972, he played for the Belgian club Gent for two more years.[7]

International career

In 1965 he made his first international appearance for the Netherlands against Northern Ireland.

Managerial career

Laseroms did an internship at Ajax in Amsterdam in the 1975–76 season before obtaining his training diploma; a team then consisting of players such as Frank Arnesen, Søren Lerby, Tscheu La Ling and Ruud Geels and was coached by Rinus Michels in his second period. Laseroms then started a less successful coaching career with Heracles, Helmond Sport, Vlaardingen '74, Trabzonspor and clubs from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, among others.

Death

Laseroms died of heart attack on 25 April 1991, aged only 51.

Honours

Player

Sparta

Feyenoord

References
  1. "NASL - Theo Laseroms". nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. Pertijs, Ad (30 May 2020). "Hoe Theo de Tank Ajax omver kegelde en met Feyenoord kampioen werd". BN De Stem (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  3. "1966: Ook Sparta is the sterk voor ADO". Royal Dutch Football Association (in Dutch). 21 February 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  4. Heufelder, Bill (6 August 1967). "The 'Phantastic' Season". The Pittsburgh Press. pp. 15–17. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  5. "Feyenoord-Celtic 1969 History". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  6. Visser, Jaap (9 September 2020). "Kick & Rush: Feyenoord-Estudiantes 1970" (in Dutch). Kick Uitgevers. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  7. "Theo Laseroms: cowboy zonder lasso". feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). Feyenoord. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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