Head coach Robin van Persie says Feyenoord’s Europa League meeting with Celtic is “in honor” of his mentor Wim Jansen, who enjoyed success with both clubs.
“Icon” Janssen came from the Feyenoord youth ranks before captaining the club to help them defeat Celtic in the 1970 European Cup Final and achieve UEFA Cup glory.
As manager he led Feyenoord to two Dutch Cups and served as technical director, then spent a brief but memorable stint in charge of Celtic, ruining Rangers’ bid for 10th consecutive title by winning the league in his only season in 1998.
Jensen died in January 2022 at the age of 75.
“Wim has been an icon for Dutch and Scottish football since he was with Celtic that year,” said former Man United and Arsenal striker Van Persie.
“In this way, I think we’re playing a game that, in my opinion, is really in honor of Wim Jansen.
“I played in the youth team at the Feyenoord academy. Whenever I came onto the pitch the first thing I did was look at the corner flag on the left side of the clubhouse. That corner was always where Wim was. I always wanted to make sure he was there.
“Why? Because I only wanted to impress one person and that was Wim. If I knew he was at the corner flag he would keep watching. And he was always at all my games. Wim was the guy who inspired me most often.
“He once told me, when I was a very young player, that he wanted to see in the first five minutes of the game that I was the best of all the players on the field. He said ‘That’s what you have to show’. It was one of those little things when he inspired me.
“I have a lot of memories to look back on with great pleasure. Wim was such a great football player.”
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