Each month in the section "our heroes" you will read about the club's greatest idols. Who are these heroes and what have they meant to the club? With this month: Hans van Breukelen. The goalkeeper had a particularly successful period at PSV. He won prize after prize and will be remembered by many PSV fans thanks to a magical evening in Stuttgart.
De Breuk' was born in 1956 in Utrecht, the city where he also grew up. Via amateur club BVC he joined FC Utrecht, where he played for the first team from 1976 to 1982. With his first club, Hans reached European football in three consecutive seasons. In the 1980-1981 season, FC Utrecht also achieved third place in the Eredivisie rankings. In 1982, Van Breukelen made the move to English side Nottingham Forrest FC. After a two-year adventure, Van Breukelen returned to the Netherlands, at PSV. It became the start of a glorious period.
Fame in red and white
Between 1984 and 1994, Hans played almost continuously as first goalkeeper for PSV. With his many appearances, Van Breukelen was a valued force during the club's successes. Nearly four hundred times he stood between the posts as a substitute. With PSV he won the national championship six times, held up the TOTO KNVB Cup three times and crowned himself winner of the Johan Cruijff Schaal once.
The penalty kick in Stuttgart
Hans' highlight in the PSV shirt was in the 1987-1988 season. PSV then played in the UEFA Champions League. During the prestigious tournament, the club beat teams like Galatasaray, Rapid Wien, Girondins de Bordeaux and Real Madrid to take on Portugal's Benfica in the final. It was to be the night of Hans van Breukelen. At the then Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, Germany, neither team scored in regular playing time, so a penalty kick series would bring the decision. Hans stopped António Veloso's decisive penalty with a fine save, allowing PSV to win the European final.
The Dutch national team
The summer of 1988 turned out to be a golden one for Hans. After winning the European title with PSV, he also became a national hero. The Dutch national team had relied on the Utrechtian under the crossbar since 1980, but the European Championship in West Germany was one in which De Breuk made his mark emphatically. The Netherlands made it to the final of the tournament, against the Soviet Union. In a 2-0 victory, Hans again managed to turn a penalty kick, taking the title of penalty kick specialist. To date, the European top prize is the only international trophy the Orange have ever won. Hans played 73 international matches during his career.
Administrative positions
After his career as a player, Hans became active in administrative positions within football, among other things. From 2010 to 2016, he was a member of PSV's Supervisory Board. In 2019, he returned to the controlling body within the club, where he resigned in September. The club appointed the former goalkeeper a Member of Merit in October 2016. Van Breukelen also held the position as technical director of the KNVB between 2016 and 2017.