Herman Rijkaard

Herman Rijkaard

Personal information
Full name	Herman Harry Rijkaard
Date of birth	12 September 1935
Place of birth	Paramaribo, Surinam
Date of death	30 September 2010 (aged 75)
Place of death	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
	Ajax
	Robinhood
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1955–1957	Robinhood	?	(?)
1957–1961	Blauw-Wit	?	(?)
1961–1962	Stormvogels	?	(?)
Teams managed
	Real Sranang
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of (09:38, 5 January 2016 (UTC)). † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of (09:38, 5 January 2016 (UTC))

Herman Harry Rijkaard (12 September 1935 – 30 september 2010), is a former Surinamese football player who played for S.V. Robinhood in the SVB Hoofdklasse, F.C. Blauw-Wit in the Dutch Eredivisie, and for IJ.V.V. Stormvogels in the Eerste Divisie.^[1]

He is the father of former Dutch International football player and F.C. Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard.

Career

Early career

Born in Surinam in the Guianas, Rijkaard began his football career on the Mr. Bronsplein sport terrein in Paramaribo, before he was picked up by one of the local clubs, joining the youth ranks of V.V. Ajax playing with the likes of Erwin Sparendam and Charlie Marbach, before being recruited to the ranks of S.V. Robinhood.^[2]

SV Robinhood

Having played in the youth ranks of S.V. Robinhood, Rijkaard progressed to the Surinamese Hoofdklasse. As an attacker with a strong right foot, he helped Robinhood to national titles in 1955 and 1956. While making a living as a bookkeeper for a company called Kersten & Co., word started spreading in Suriname about a fully professional league being established in the Netherlands. Rijkaard soon relocated, joining FC Blauw-Wit from Amsterdam, the crosstown rivals of AFC Ajax at the time.^[3]

FC Blauw-Wit

In 1957, Rijkaard joined FC Blauw-Wit playing in the Olympic Stadium in the newly formed Eredivisie, the top flight of professional football in the Netherlands.^[4] He would be reunited with his childhood friend Sparendam once more.^[5] Due to his strong physique, Rijkaard was gradually moved to a more defensive role on the playing pitch. A development his Son would undergo during his playing career as well. A 13th place finish with Blauw-Wit in the league table was his best result in four seasons with the club, before transferring to IJ.V.V. Stormvogels from nearby Velsen.^[6]

IJVV Stormvogels

In 1961 he joined the IJ.V.V. Stormvogels, competing in the Dutch Eerste Divisie, the 2nd tier of professional football in the Netherlands.^[7] He played for one season before directing his focus towards family and the needs of Surinamese expatriates in the Netherlands, thus retiring from professional football as a player.^[8]

Personal life and other work

After his career as a football player, Rijkaard took a job as a social worker in Amsterdam. He married Neel van der Meulen and in 1959 they had their first Son Herman Harry Rijkaard, Jr. Three years later Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard was born. His oldest Son would go on to become a players' agent licensed by FIFA.^[9] His youngest Son Frank would go on to play for Ajax, Real Zaragoza, Milan and the Dutch national team, having won the UEFA European Championship in 1988. Winning the UEFA Champions League in 1995 with Ajax as a player, and again in 2006 as a manager with Barcelona. His youngest Son is one of the most successful players/managers in the history of Dutch football.^[10]

As a social worker, Rijkaard was intimately involved in the integration process of his compatriots who were emigrating to the Netherlands escaping political unrest in Suriname. He was the manager of Real Sranang, an amateur football club in the Netherlands for a while,^[11] and was also the secretary of the ROVI (Reünisten Oud Surinaamse Voetbalinternationals), an organization based in the Netherlands responsible for organizing reunion matches and events for former players of the Suriname national team living in the Netherlands.^[12] He passed away on 30 September 2010 due to reasons unknown.

Honours

Club

S.V. Robinhood^[13]

• Hoofdklasse (2): 1955, 1956

References

1. "Frank Rijkaard - De Biografie". AW Bruna. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
2. "Mr. Bronsplein; De eerste Surinaamse sportencyclopedie (1893-1988)". dbnl.org.
3. "SV Robinhood; De eerste Surinaamse sportencyclopedie (1893-1988)" (PDF). dbnl / Ricky W. Stutgard. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
4. "Blauw-Wit vs FC Den Bosch". Elf Voetbal. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
5. "'Negeren heeft geen zin'". Volkskrant. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
6. "Ster van Robin Hood wees talentvolle Surinamers" (PDF). Rondomvoetbal.nl. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
7. "pagina 5 - Historische Kranten, Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken". Leidsche Dagblad. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
8. "'Frank Rijkaard, melancholicus en toptrainer'". Voetbal International. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
9. "'Rijkaard legt beslag op betaling Ajax'". AD.nl. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
10. "Rijkaard finally gets frank". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
11. "Real Sranang SV - Het Koninklijke Suriname in Amsterdam (Historie)". Real Sranang. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
12. "Lancering website over Surinaamse voetbalhistorie". Waterkrant. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
13. Allard Doesburg; Hans Schöggl. "Surinam – List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 August 2011.