Gerrit "Gert" Bals (18 October 1936 – 20 May 2016) was a Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Bals became the first Dutch goalkeeper in an UEFA Cup final, when he played for Ajax in the 1969 European Cup Final against Milan.[1]
Club career
Born in Utrecht, Bals played for local side RUC and Velox before joining SV Zeist[2] when they entered at the start of the professional era in Holland. After a spell at 't Gooi, he moved to PSV for whom he would play 120 matches winning the 1963 league title[3] and later Ajax.
He played 216 official matches for Ajax after making his debut for them in August 1965 and won 4 league titles with the club.[4] He won the Dutch Footballer of the Year Award in 1969.
He finished his career at Vitesse after losing Ajax´ number one jersey to Heinz Stuy in 1970.
Personal life
After retiring as a player, Bals owned a sportshop in Velp and later a tobacco shop in Veenendaal.[5] He died in May 2016.
References
- ^ Voormalig Ajax-keeper Gert Bals overleden - Volkskrant (in Dutch)
- ^ Oud-doelman Gert Bals overleden - RTV Utrecht (in Dutch)
- ^ Oud-doelman Gert Bals overleden Archived 2016-06-10 at the Wayback Machine - PSV (in Dutch)
- ^ Oud-keeper Gert Bals overleden - Ajax (in Dutch)
- ^ Legendarische oud-doelman Gert Bals overleden - NOS (in Dutch)
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