Abe Lenstra

Abe Lenstra (November 27, 1920 in Heerenveen – September 2, 1985) was a Dutch football player and national football icon in the 1950s. He was also a Frisian legend, most notably with the club where he made his name as a football player, SC Heerenveen.

He has played for a host of clubs such as SC Enschede, Enschedese Boys, PH: DOS '19, WSV, DOS Kampen and FC Assen. However, it was with VV Heerenveen (the previous name of current day SC Heerenveen) where he first was selected for the Dutch national team.

With the national team, for which he played a total of 47 caps scoring 33 goals, he struck a partnership with other internationals such as Faas Wilkes and Kees Rijvers. He was known to stand by his principles and objected to play for the national squad if he was not selected for the position he favoured, which explains his relatively low amount of international caps.

It was Lenstra who put the name of SC Heerenveen on the footballing map, where the club was also fondly referred to as 'Abeveen'. In 1977, long after he retired from football, he was diagnosed with brain haemorrhage and spent the remainder of his life wheelchair-bound. He died in 1985.

Today, his name has been closely associated with SC Heerenveen and its stadium: The Abe Lenstra Stadion has been named in his honour as a lasting memory of this Dutch football hero.

References

Yme Kuiper, 'Abe Lenstra (1920-1985). Van Us Abe tot nationaal idool,' in: "Fryslân, Nieuwsblad voor geschiedenis en cultuur", jg. 6 (2000), nr. 2, pp. 50-53. [http://www.friesgenootschap.nl/artikelen/abe.htm Online site]