The Netherlands (known all its life as Holland) are one of the classic teams on the international scene. It has a long tradition of great scorers: Van Basten, Van Nistelrooy, Makaay, Kluivert, Huntelaar, Van Persie or more recently, Memphis Depay. But who was the first to score for this team? He is the protagonist of this Sunday: Eddy de Névé.
Eduard Karel Alexander de Neve was born on January 1, 1882 (other sources cite 1885) in Batavia, today Jakarta, Indonesia, which were at that time what was called the Dutch East Indies. His father, whose name was the same as him, was a captain in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army. When his father died in 1892, the family returned to the metropolis.
Based in The Hague, Eduard “Eddy” de Neve started playing football at a club called Quick. Following in his father’s footsteps, he joined the Dutch army and played for the Velocities Bredaa team linked to the Royal Military Academy, located in this city.
In 1905, De Neve signed for HBS Craeyenhout in The Hague, where he became national champion that year. It was also the year of the first international match of the orange (even though he still wasn’t wearing orange). It was the April 30 in front of neighboring Belgium in Antwerp.
The match was 0-0 until the 80th minute, Eddy de Neve scored the first goal of the match and the first in the history of the Dutch team. Six minutes later, the Belgians equalized thanks to an own goal from the Dutchman Ben Stom (who was also born in what is now Indonesia). While both teams were playing for one trophy, the Vanden Abeele Cup, overtime was played.
In added time, Eddy de Neve scored three more goals in the minutes 106, 117 and 119, leaving the final result 4-1 in the Netherlands’ first victory in its history.
De Neve played in his team’s next two matches, both against Belgium, and scored two more goals. In total, six goals in the three matches he has played, since a knee injury This prevented him from continuing to play football in 1907, in addition to his military responsibilities.
He settled in the Indonesian colonies and was promoted to first lieutenant on July 27, 1909, but was honorably discharged from the army two years later. That same year, his brother Gilles, also a soldier, was eaten by cannibals on the island of Sumba, in the Dutch East Indies.
He remained on the islands working on Dutch plantations and businesses and married an English woman in 1914. He had a son whom he named Gilles, after his deceased brother. He divorced 12 years later and, although his wife and child returned to The Hague, he remained in his native Indonesia.
On the occasion of the participation of the Dutch Indies in the 1938 World CupEddy de Neve publishes his memoirs, entitled King Voetbal (The king of football).
He participated in World War II and was taken prisoner by the Japanese. He died on August 30, 1943 in a Japanese concentration camp in the Dutch East Indies. He was 63 years old. Curiously, his son Gilles died the following year, in an accident aboard the British Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire which he was piloting over Kent.
This is the story of Eddy de Neve. I hope you liked it. Until next week.
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