Abe Lenstra

Lenstra in 1951
Personal information
Full name	Abe Minderts Lenstra
Date of birth	(1920-11-27)27 November 1920
Place of birth	Heerenveen, Netherlands
Date of death	2 September 1985(1985-09-02) (aged 64)
Place of death	Heerenveen, Netherlands
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1936–1955	Heerenveen	395	(471)
1955–1960	SC Enschede	107	(65)
1960–1963	Enschedese Boys	88	(40)
Total		590	(576[1])
International career
1940–1959	Netherlands	47	(33)
Managerial career
1946–1947	Heerenveen (player-coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Abe Minderts Lenstra (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːbə ˈmɪndərts ˈlɛnstraː]; 27 November 1920 – 2 September 1985) was a Dutch footballer and national football icon in the 1950s who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the greatest players ever to hail from the Netherlands. He was also a Frisian legend, most notably with the club where he made his name as a football player, Heerenveen.^[2] Known for his exceptional dribbling skills, creativity, and goal-scoring ability, Lenstra was considered one of the best forwards of his generation ^[3] . He earned 47 caps for the Dutch national team, scoring 33 goals, and played a crucial role in the team's success during his era. In addition to his national fame, Lenstra was beloved in Friesland, where his contributions to both Heerenveen and regional football left a lasting legacy ^[4].

Abe Lenstra's arguably greatest performance came in a match between Heerenveen and Ajax, where his team was losing 5–1 at halftime. Lenstra led a stunning comeback, scoring multiple goals to secure a 6–5 victory by the end of the second half ^[5]. This game is often remembered as a testament to his exceptional skill and leadership on the pitch. His talent was recognized internationally, with Serie A clubs, including Fiorentina, showing interest in signing him during a time when players rarely left their home countries due to the aftermath of World War II ^[6] . This interest further emphasizes Lenstra's exceptional abilities. Over the course of his career, Lenstra scored more than 500 goals, a feat achieved by only a handful of players in football history, cementing his legacy as one of the sport's greats. Lenstra won the Sportsman of the Year 1951 which was the first Sportsman of the Year election, Lenstra was the first to win this prize and won the Bond Rifle of the KNFB on 3rd April 1960 ^[7].

Abe Lenstra's football journey began on the streets of Heerenveen, where he honed his skills playing informal games. He also played for his school football team, showcasing his early talent. At the age of 12, Syd Castle, the Scottish coach of FF Heerenveen, sought permission from Lenstra's father to allow him to join the club's youth setup. In 1936, at just 15 years old, Lenstra joined the club's top team. His first appearance for Heerenveen came alongside his older brother, Jan, in the club’s second team. On March 1st, 1936, they played against Alcides from Meppel, with Abe scoring three goals and Jan scoring six, but despite the impressive performance, Abe missed out on a move to the first team. ^[8]

Abe Lenstra's football career spanned several clubs, including SC Enschede, Enschedese Boys, PH: DOS '19, WSV, DOS Kampen and vv LTC. However, it was at VV Heerenveen (the previous name of current day SC Heerenveen) where he gained national prominence and earned a spot on the Dutch national team.Abe Lenstra made his debut for Heerenveen on July 16th, 1936, during a tournament featuring clubs from Gorredijk, Noordwolde, Drachten, and Heerenveen. In his first match for the club against Gorredijk, which ended in a 2-2 draw, Lenstra scored a goal that Hepkema's Courant described as a "wonderful goal." Lenstra's most notable performances were with Heerenveen, including his legendary comeback performance against Ajax in 1950, where his team was trailing 5–1 at halftime, only to win 6–5 by the end of the match. This incredible performance solidified his status as one of the Netherlands' footballing icons. In 1954, when professional football was introduced in the Netherlands, the already 34-year-old Abe Lenstra made the move from VV Heerenveen to the much larger SC Enschede. Despite his skill, he narrowly missed out on winning the Eredivisie title when Enschede lost the 1958 final to DOS Utrecht after 180 minutes of play. In 1960, he made the move to the rivals Enschedese Boys, where he ended his professional career in 1963.

Abe Lenstra became the first Friesian footballer to play for the Netherlands national team on March 31, 1940, at just 19 years old, in a 5-4 loss to Luxembourg, where he scored a goal. Over his international career, he earned 47 caps and scored 33 goals ^[9], forming key partnerships with players like Faas Wilkes and Kees Rijvers. Lenstra was known for standing by his principles, refusing to play for the national team if not selected for his preferred position.

It was Lenstra who put the name of SC Heerenveen on the footballing map, and the club became affectionately known as "Abeveen" in his honour. Long after his retirement, in 1977, he was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage, which left him using a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. Lenstra passed away in 1985, just a few days before the first-ever international match was played at the stadium that would be named after him a year later.

Scores and results list Netherlands's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lenstra goal.

List of international goals scored by Abe Lenstra

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	31 March 1940	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Luxembourg	1–0	4–5	Friendly	[13]
2	21 September 1947	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Switzerland	1–0	6–2	Friendly	[14]
3	14 March 1948	Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium	Belgium	1–0	1–1	Friendly	[15]
4	18 April 1948	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Belgium	2–2	2–2	Friendly	[16]
5	13 March 1949	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Belgium	—	3–3	Friendly	[17]
6	12 June 1949	Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark	Denmark	1–0	2–1	Friendly	[18]
7	11 June 1950	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	1–3	1–4	Friendly	[19]
8	15 April 1951	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Belgium	4–3	5–4	Friendly	[20]
9				5–3
10	6 June 1951	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Norway	2–2	2–3	Friendly	[21]
11	27 October 1951	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Finland	1–0	4–4	Friendly	[22]
12	25 November 1951	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Belgium	1–2	6–7	Friendly	[23]
13				3–3
14				4–4
15	21 September 1952	Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark	Denmark	2–0	2–3	Friendly	[24]
16	19 October 1952	Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium	Belgium	—	1–2	Friendly	[25]
17	7 March 1953	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Denmark	1–2	1–2	Friendly	[26]
18	22 March 1953	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Switzerland	1–1	1–2	Friendly	[27]
19	13 March 1955	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Denmark	1–1	1–1	Friendly	[28]
20	14 March 1956	Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany	West Germany	1–0	2–1	Friendly	[29]
21				2–0
22	6 June 1956	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Saar	2–0	3–2	Friendly	[30]
23	15 September 1956	Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland	Switzerland	1–0	3–2	Friendly	[31]
24	11 September 1957	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Luxembourg	1–1	5–2	1958 FIFA World Cup qualification	[32]
25				3–1
26	25 September 1957	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Austria	1–1	1–1	1958 FIFA World Cup qualification	[33]
27	13 April 1958	Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium	Belgium	1–0	7–2	Friendly	[34]
28				4–0
29	23 April 1948	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Netherlands Antilles	4–0	8–1	Friendly	[35]
30				8–0
31	15 October 1958	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Denmark	4–0	5–1	Friendly	[36]
32				5–1
33	19 April 1959	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Belgium	1–2	2–2	Friendly	[37]

Today, his name has been closely associated with SC Heerenveen and its stadium: The Abe Lenstra Stadion has been named in his honour as a lasting memorial.

Heerenveen

• Northern First Division: 1941–42, 1942–43, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51
• Netherlands Football League Championship Runner-up: 1946–47, 1947–48

SC Enschede

• Eredivisie Runner-up: 1957–58

Individual

• Netherlands national team all-time top scorer: 1958–1959^[38]
• Dutch Sportsman of the Year: 1951, 1952
• Netherlands Football League Championship top scorer: 1946–47, 1947–48

• Abe Lenstra at sc Heerenveen official website (in Dutch)

• List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals

Yme Kuiper, 'Abe Lenstra (1920–1985). Van Us Abe tot nationaal idool,' in: Fryslân, Nieuwsblad voor geschiedenis en cultuur, jg. 6 (2000), nr. 2, pp. 50–53. Online site