Anton "Ton" Pronk (21 May 1941 – 26 August 2016) was a Dutch football defender who played for

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

in the 1960s and for FC Utrecht in the early 1970s.

Club career

Pronk came through the

youth system and made his senior debut for the club on 4 September 1960 against PSV.Ton Pronk (75) overleden
- Ajax He played in 337 official matches for them during the 1960s, winning 4 league titles and 3 KNVB Cups. He was on their losing side in the

1969 European Cup Final The 1969 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, on 28 May 1969, that saw Milan of Italy play against Ajax of the Netherlands to determine who would be the champions of Europe that season. Ajax made hist ...

and was released by Ajax before the club won the Champions's Cup for three successive years in the beginning of the 1970s. He joined the newly formed FC Utrecht at the end of 1970 and finished his career with them.Seizoen 1970/1971
- FC Utrecht

International career

He made his debut for the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in a May 1961 FIFA World Cup qualification match against

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

and earned a total of 19 caps, scoring no goals.National team stats
- Voetbalstats His final international was a May 1969 World Cup qualification against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Personal life

Pronk married Marjan Meier in 1969. Their son, Robin, used to work as a youth coach for Ajax and FC Utrecht and is currently a coordinator at the academy of Polish club

Zagłębie Lubin Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa. History The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by local members of the ' ...

After retiring as a player, Pronk was appointed as scout at Ajax and

Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former football player and manager. At club level, he served as manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, as well as having three spe ...

named him chief scout in 1991 until he retired in 2007. He was honoured by Ajax in 2011 for being member of the club for 60 years and is credited for bringing

Jari Litmanen Jari Olavi Litmanen (; born 20 February 1971) is a Finnish former footballer. He was the first-choice captain of the Finland national team between 1996 and 2008 in an international career that ran from 1989 to 2010. Litmanen is widely consider ...

and

Zlatan Ibrahimović Zlatan Ibrahimović (, ; born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan and the Sweden national team. Ibrahimović is renowned for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, powerful long-range sho ...

to the club.De grote successen gingen aan Ton Pronk voorbij
- NOS He died of ALS in August 2016 in

Purmerend Purmerend () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and in the region of West Friesland. The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the t ...

.Voormalig Ajax-speler Ton Pronk (75) overleden
- NOS

Honours

* International Football Cup: 1 ::1962 *

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

: 4 :: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 * KNVB Cup: 3 :: 1961, 1967, 1970

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pronk, Anton 1941 births 2016 deaths Footballers from Amsterdam Association football defenders Dutch footballers Netherlands international footballers AFC Ajax players FC Utrecht players Eredivisie players AFC Ajax non-playing staff Deaths from motor neuron disease Neurological disease deaths in the Netherlands