Jan van Roessel
Jan van Roessel was a Dutch footballer who played as a forward.
Club career
A big forward and fierce header of the ball, Van Roessel was picked up at LONGA by local rivals Willem II in Tilburg in 1951, and won the Netherlands [Football League">Netherlands national football team">Netherlands [Football League Championship|1952] Dutch league title and in 1955 the first professional Eredivisie championship. He formed a potent strike force with Toon Becx and and was reportedly linked to neighbours PSV Eindhoven and some Italian clubs, most notably Sampdoria and Torino, but Czech coach František Fadrhonc convinced him to stay in Tilburg.Van Roessel was named Player of the Century of Willem II.
International career
Van Roessel made his debut for the football team|Netherlands] in a June 1949 friendly match against Finland and had earned a total of six caps, scoring five goals. He represented his country at the 1952 Summer Olympics, where he scored against Brazil.His final international was a May 1955 friendly match against Switzerland.
Personal life and death
Van Roessel married Louisa van Laarhoven in 1956 and the couple had one daughter, who died of leukemia in 1988. In his later years, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Van Roessel died on 3 June 2011 of a lung disease at the age of 86.Career statistics
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 16 June 1949 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 16 June 1949 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 3–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 16 July 1952 | Kupittaa, Turku, Finland | 1–0 | 1–5 | 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Olympics] | |
| 4 | 21 September 1952 | Idraetsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark | 1–0 | 2–3 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 15 November 1952 | Boothferry Park, Hull, England |  Flag of England.svgHonoursWillem II |