08:16 Former Ajax and Feyenoord striker Henk Groot (84) passed away

Former Ajax and Feyenoord striker Henk Groot has passed away. The two-time Eredivisie top scorer who made a name for himself in the 1960s is 84 years old.

Groot played most of his career for Ajax (between 1959 and 1963 and from 1965 to 1969). In between, he played two seasons for Feyenoord.

Groot has scored consistently for both clubs. He scored 207 goals in 305 official matches for Ajax, most of them in the first half. Only Sjaak Swart, Johan Cruijff and Piet van Reenen scored more often in the team from Amsterdam.

In addition, Groot remains the Ajax player with the most league goals in a season. He scored no fewer than 41 goals in the 1960/61 season and was top scorer in the Eredivisie the season before with 37 goals.

In 1963 Groot was placed on the transfer list due to dissatisfaction with a failed transfer to Italy, after which Ajax sold him to rivals Feyenoord. The striker of the Rotterdam team scored 34 goals in 54 games. In 1969 Groot had to end his career at the age of 31 due to a knee injury.

Henk Groot during his work for Ajax in 1968.

Only five Eredivisie players have scored more than Groot

Groot has scored a total of 194 goals in the Eredivisie, where he is sixth on the Eternals chart. Only Willy van der Kuijlen (311 goals), Ruud Geels (265), Cruijff (215), Kees Kist (212) and Tonny van der Linden (204) scored more often.

Groot was a four-time champion with Ajax. He became national champion with Feyenoord. He also became the cup champion in both clubs. In 1969, just before the end of his career, he lost to Ajax in the European Cup final against AC Milan (4-1).

In addition, Groot played 39 international matches for the Dutch national team and scored twelve goals. The Orange squad never played at the World Cup or European Championship because he did not qualify during this period.

Henk Groot in the stands during an Ajax match in 2019.