Faas Wilkes

Servaas "Faas" Wilkes (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfaːs ˈʋɪlkəs], 13 October 1923 – 15 August 2006) was a Dutch football forward, who earned a total of 38 caps for the Dutch national team, in which he scored 35 goals (average 0.92 goals per game). However, for a prolonged period of his career, June 1949 through till March 1955, he was banned from the national team since the KNVB did not allow professional players to participate.

Faas Wilkes

Wilkes in 1960
Personal information
Full name	Servaas "Faas" Wilkes
Date of birth	(1923-10-13)13 October 1923
Place of birth	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Date of death	15 August 2006(2006-08-15) (aged 82)
Place of death	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1940–1945	Xerxes Rotterdam
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1945–1949	Xerxes	71	(49)
1949–1952	Internazionale	95	(47)
1952–1953	Torino	12	(1)
1953–1956	Valencia	62	(38)
1956–1958	VVV	64	(23)
1958–1959	Levante	34	(20)
1959–1962	Fortuna '54	88	(33)
1962–1964	Xerxes	28	(10)
Total		454	(221)
National team
1946–1961	Netherlands[1]	38	(35)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Wilkes played for Xerxes Rotterdam, before moving to Internazionale in the summer of 1949. There he played 95 matches, scoring 47 goals. After his stay in Milan ended in 1952, he had a one season spell at Torino. At age 30 he moved to Valencia in Spain, scoring a total of 38 goals in 62 appearances between 1953–54 and 1955–56, making him the first foreign idol of the club. He also played for VVV, Levante, and Fortuna '54. He died of a cardiac arrest in 2006, aged 82.

He is considered one of the best footballers the Netherlands ever produced, being especially known for his creative style of play and brilliant dribbling. Wilkes was the 4th Dutch player (after Gerrit Keizer, Bep Bakhuys and Gerrit Vreken) who moved to play abroad.

The Dutch cartoon character Kick Wilstra was named in part after Faas Wilkes (Wilstra was also named after two other Dutch footballers, Kick Smit and Abe Lenstra).

Honours

Club

Internazionale

• Serie A Runner-up: 1950–51
• Serie A Third Place: 1949–50, 1951–52

Valencia

• La Liga Third Place: 1953–54
• Concepción Arenal Trophy: 1954[2]

Levante

• Segunda División Runner-up: 1958–59

Individual

• Netherlands All-Time Top Scorer: 1959–1998[3]
• Spanish Player of the Year: 1954[4]
• Internazionale Top Scorer: 1950–51[5]
• Valencia Top Scorer: 1953–54, 1955–56[6][7]
• Levante Top Scorer: 1958–59[8]

Career statistics

Player

[9]

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Xerxes Rotterdam	1945–46	3	1			–				3	1
	1946–47	19	8			–				19	8
	1947–48	24	19			–				24	19
	1948–49	25	21			–				25	21
	Total	71	49							71	49
Internazionale	1949–50	34	17							34	17
	1950–51	38	23							38	23
	1951–52	23	7							23	7
	Total	95	47							95	47
Torino	1952–53	12	1							12	1
Valencia	1953–54	28	18							28	18
	1954–55	15	9							15	9
	1955–56	19	11							19	11
	Total	62	38							62	38
Venlo	1956–57	30	8							30	8
	1957–58	34	15							34	15
	Total	64	23							64	23
Levante	1958–59	34	20							34	20
Fortuna '54	1959–60	30	16							30	16
	1960–61	27	5							27	5
	1961–62	31	12							31	12
	Total	88	33							88	33
Xerxes Rotterdam	1962–63	20	8							20	8
	1963–64	8	2							8	2
	Total	28	10							28	10
Total		454	221							454	221

References

1. "Faas Wilkes – Goals in International Matches". Retrieved 13 November 2008.
2. "Trofeo Concepción Arenal (Ferrol)".
3. "Faas Wilkes – Goals in International Matches".
4. "Faas Wilkes, futbolista holandés". El País. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 10 October 2014. En 1954 fue elegido jugador del año, por encima de Kubala y Di Stéfano, los grandes del momento, con los que coincidió.
5. "Italy 1950/51".
6. "Plantilla del Valencia 1953–54".
7. "Plantilla del Valencia 1955–56".
8. "Plantilla del Levante 1958–59".
9. "Faas Wilkes". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.

External links

• Faas Wilkes at Voetbal International (in Dutch)
• Faas Wilkes at BDFutbol
• Faas Wilkes at Wereld van Oranje (in Dutch)
• In memorial for Faas Wilkes (Dutch)