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Bennie Muller

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Bennie Muller getting married on 27 September 1961

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

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International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[18]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Netherlands 196050
196160
196260
196320
196461
196530
196671
196750
196830
Total432
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
124 May 1964De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands Albania2–02–01966 FIFA World Cup qualification
217 April 1966De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands Belgium3–03–1Friendly

Honours

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Ajax[8]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Bennie Muller – Speler Eredivisie". voetbalstats.nl (in Dutch).
  2. ↑ "Bennie Muller bij Ajax" [Bennie Muller at Ajax]. afc-ajax.info (in Dutch).
  3. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "Voormalig Ajax-middenvelder Bennie Muller (85) overleden". Ajax (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  8. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "Voormalig Ajax en Oranje-voetballer Bennie Muller (85) overleden". NOS (in Dutch). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  18. 1 2 "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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