Bennie Muller

Bennie Muller
Muller in 1961
Personal information
Date of birth (1938-08-14)14 August 1938
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date of death 17 January 2024(2024-01-17) (aged 85)
Position Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1970 Ajax 341[1] (31)
1970–1971 Holland Sport 24[1] (0)
1971–1972 Blauw-Wit
Total 365 (31)
International career
1960–1968 Netherlands 43 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bernardus "Bennie" Muller (14 August 1938 – 17 January 2024)[2] was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Ajax, Holland Sport, and the Netherlands national team.

Early life

Muller was born in the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam-East.[3] His grandfather was a fruit seller named Levi Sluiter.[4] His mother was incarcerated in Westerbork transit camp during World War II.[3] Approximately 200 members of Muller's extended family were killed in the Holocaust.[5]

Club career

Muller played club football for Ajax beginning in 1958, and was its captain.[6][3] He made his debut for Ajax against MVV and played 426 official matches for the club.[7] He won five league titles and three domestic cups with them.[8]

International career

Muller made his debut for the Netherlands national team in an April 1960 friendly match against Bulgaria, earning 43 caps in total, and also serving as captain.[9][3] His final international was an October 1968 World Cup qualification match against Bulgaria.[10]

Personal life

Muller was Jewish.[11][12][13]

Muller married his girlfriend Nellie[7] on 27 September 1961. He had a daughter, Petra,[14] and a son Danny, who was also a professional footballer.[15] Muller later owned a cigar shop near Amsterdam Centraal station.[5]

Bennie Muller died on 17 January 2024, at the age of 85.[16][17]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[18]
National team Year Apps Goals
Netherlands 1960 5 0
1961 6 0
1962 6 0
1963 2 0
1964 6 1
1965 3 0
1966 7 1
1967 5 0
1968 3 0
Total 43 2
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Muller goal.
List of international goals scored by Bennie Muller[18]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 24 May 1964 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Albania 2–0 2–0 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 17 April 1966 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Belgium 3–0 3–1 Friendly

Honours

Ajax[8]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bennie Muller.
  1. ^ a b c "Bennie Muller – Speler Eredivisie". voetbalstats.nl (in Dutch).
  2. ^ "Bennie Muller bij Ajax" [Bennie Muller at Ajax]. afc-ajax.info (in Dutch).
  3. ^ a b c d Foer, Franklin; Tracy, Marc (30 October 2012). Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781455516117 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Kuper, Simon (11 September 2012). Ajax, the Dutch, the War: The Strange Tale of Soccer During Europe's Darkest Hour. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781568587233 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b Winner, David (29 July 2008). Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer. Overlook Press. ISBN 9781590208021 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Kuper, Simon (11 September 2012). Ajax, the Dutch, the War: The Strange Tale of Soccer During Europe's Darkest Hour. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781568587240 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b "Voormalig Ajax-middenvelder Bennie Muller (85) overleden". Ajax (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Clubicoon Ajax en oud-international Bennie Muller (85) overleden". AD (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Bennie Muller – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  10. ^ "Bennie Muller, international football player". EU-football. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  11. ^ Franklin Foer; Marc Tracy (30 October 2012). Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame. Grand Central Publishing. pp. 130–. ISBN 978-1-4555-1611-7.
  12. ^ "ÓÐÏÒÔ - Центральный Еврейский Ресурс. Сайт русскоязычных евреев всего мира. Еврейские новости. Еврейские фамилии" [Central Jewish Resource. A website for Russian-speaking Jews around the world. Jewish news. Jewish surnames.]. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  13. ^ "Anne Frank and antisemitism: The unwelcome focus of European soccer". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 16 June 2018.
  14. ^ Aankomst Ajax op Schiphol, Bennie Muller werd op Schiph begroet door zijn dochtertje Petra. Nationaal Archief 2010–2013
  15. ^ Yoeri van den Busken (17 January 2024). "Bennie Muller, de Ajax-icoon die de Europese gloriejaren nét misliep" [Bennie Muller, the Ajax icon that just missed the European years of glory]. Voetbal International (in Dutch).
  16. ^ "Ajacied Bennie Muller (1938–2024) voelde zich een slachtoffer van de verzakelijking van het voetbal" [Ajax player Bennie Muller (1938–2024) felt himself a victim of the commercialisation of football]. Volkskrant (in Dutch). 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Voormalig Ajax en Oranje-voetballer Bennie Muller (85) overleden". NOS (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Bennie Muller – Interlands Nederlands Elftal" (in Dutch).
  19. ^ "Ajax Seizoen 1960-61" [Ajax Season 1960-61]. afc-ajax.info (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Ajax Seizoen 1966-67" [Ajax Season 1966-67]. afc-ajax.info (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Ajax Seizoen 1969-70" [Ajax Season 1969-70]. afc-ajax.info (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Ajax Seizoen 1967-68" [Ajax Season 1967-68]. afc-ajax.info (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  23. ^ "Voetbal hield de kleine Muller op de been en dat heeft Ajax geweten" [Football kept the small Muller alive and Ajax can testify]. NOS (in Dutch). 18 January 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
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