Piet Schrijvers broke through in 1968 at FC Twente. As a semi-pro, because during the day the goalkeeper worked at a concrete plant.
He made it to the national team of the Netherlands and had hoped after the forfeit of Jan Van Beveren to become the first goalkeeper at the 1974 World Cup. But it was Jan Jongbloed who surprisingly got the preference and was allowed to play the World Cup final against West Germany .
Despite this setback, Schrijvers was able to force a transfer to Ajax, where he was nicknamed the “Beer van de Meer” due to his substantial appearance (more than 100 kilograms). With Ajax he became champion 5 times.
At the 1978 World Cup, Schrijvers was the undisputed number 1 in the Orange squad, but this time he also missed the final, this time due to an injury.
In his twilight years, Schrijvers was still going crazy at PEC Zwolle. Not a great success, as witnessed by his nicknames the “Bolle van Zwolle” and the “Lek van PEC”.
In 2019, it was announced that Schrijvers was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He died 3 years later, at the age of 75.
