Faas Wilkes

Servaas "Faas" Wilkes was a Dutch football forward, who earned a total of 38 caps for the Netherlands national team, in which he scored 35 goals. However, for a prolonged period of his career, June 1949 through till March 1955, he was banned from the national team since the KNVB did not allow professional players to participate. He also played for the Netherlands at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Career

Wilkes played for Xerxes Rotterdam, before moving to Internazionale in the summer of 1949. There he played 95 matches, scoring 47 goals. After his stay in Milan ended in 1952, he had a one-season spell at Torino. At age 30 he moved to Valencia in Spain, scoring a total of 38 goals in 62 appearances between 1953–54 and 1955–56, making him the first foreign idol of the club. He also played for VVV, Levante, and Fortuna '54. He died of a cardiac arrest in 2006, aged 82.
He is considered one of the best footballers the Netherlands ever produced, being especially known for his creative style of play and brilliant dribbling. Wilkes was the 4th Dutch player who moved to play abroad. He held the record of most goals scored for the Netherlands national team from 1959 until 1998.
The Dutch cartoon character Kick Wilstra was named in part after Faas Wilkes.

Career statistics

International

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1		Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg		1-0	6-2	Friendly
2		Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg		2-1	6-2	Friendly
3		Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg		3-1	6-2	Friendly
4		Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg		6-1	6-2	Friendly
5		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		1-1	6-3	Friendly
6		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		5-3	6-3	Friendly
7		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		6-3	6-3	Friendly
8		Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium		1-0	2-2	Friendly
9		Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium		2-0	2-2	Friendly
10		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		2-1	6-2	Friendly
11		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		6-2	6-2	Friendly
12		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		1-0	1-0	Friendly
13		Fratton Park, Portsmouth, United Kingdom		1-0	3-1	1948 Summer Olympics
14		Fratton Park, Portsmouth, United Kingdom		3-1	3-1	1948 Summer Olympics
15		Arsenal Stadium, London, United Kingdom		3-3	3-4	1948 Summer Olympics
16		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		4-1	4-1	Friendly
17		Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark		2-1	2-1	Friendly
18		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		1-0	4-1	Friendly
19		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		4-0	4-1	Friendly
20		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		3-1	3-2	Friendly
21		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		1-1	1-2	Friendly
22		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		2-1	5-2	1958 FIFA World Cup qualification
23		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		3-0	5-2	Friendly
24		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		4-0	5-2	Friendly
25		Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium		5-1	7-2	Friendly
26		Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium		6-1	7-2	Friendly
27		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		1-0	8-1	Friendly
28		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		2-0	8-1	Friendly
29		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		1-0	1-2	Friendly
30		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		3-0	9-1	Friendly
31		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		4-0	9-1	Friendly
32		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		6-0	9-1	Friendly
33		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		3-1	7-1	Friendly
34		De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands		7-1	7-1	Friendly
35		Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands		1-1	1-2	Friendly

Honours

; Internazionale

Serie A runner-up: 1950–51
Serie A third place: 1949–50, 1951–52

; Valencia

; Levante

Segunda División Runner-up: 1958–59

Individual

Netherlands All-Time Top Scorer: 1959–1998
Spanish Player of the Year: 1954
Valencia Top Scorer: 1953–54, 1955–56
Levante Top Scorer: 1958–59