Rudolfus Hubertus "Ruud" Hesp (Dutch pronunciation: [ryt ˈɦɛsp]; born 31 October 1965) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Ruud Hesp
Hesp with PSV in 2014
Personal information
Full name Rudolfus Hubertus Hesp
Date of birth (1965-10-31) 31 October 1965 (age 59)
Place of birth Bussum, Netherlands
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1987 Haarlem 2 (0)
1987–1994 Fortuna Sittard 238 (0)
1994–1997 Roda 102 (0)
1997–2000 Barcelona 100 (0)
2000–2002 Fortuna Sittard 62 (0)
Total 504 (0)
Managerial career
2002–2007 Roda (goalkeeping coach)
2006–2012 Netherlands (goalkeeping coach)
2007–2013 Groningen (goalkeeping coach)
2013–2020 PSV (goalkeeping coach)
2021–2024 Heerenveen (goalkeeping coach)
2024– Beşiktaş (goalkeeping coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Jean-Paul van Gastel, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ruud Hesp in the 2024 Turkish Super Cup

Club career

edit

Born in Bussum, North Holland, Hesp started his career in the 1985–86 season at Haarlem. He was recommended to Haarlem by Piet Schrijvers, who had coached him at Abcoude.[2] Despite rarely playing in his two years for Haarlem, he moved along with coach Hans van Doorneveld to another club in the Eredivisie, Fortuna Sittard, where he would remain the following seven years; during his first ten professional campaigns (one with Fortuna was spent in the second division), he did not miss a single game.

After three seasons with Roda,[3] Hesp signed with Spanish side Barcelona as the Catalans were being managed by countryman Louis van Gaal, also newly signed.[4] Van Gaal resorted to Hesp after he was able to sign neither Edwin van der Sar, who stayed at Ajax, nor Ed de Goey, who signed for Chelsea.[2] He easily beat competition from Portuguese Vítor Baía,[5] playing in 73 out of 76 possible La Liga matches as Barça won back-to-back leagues (in 1998, the double befell).[6]

In his last season at the Camp Nou, Hesp split first-choice status with youth graduate Francesc Arnau, then moved back to the Netherlands and Fortuna, retiring at almost 37 in 2002. Subsequently, he joined Groningen as a goalkeeper coach.[7]

In the summer of 2013, Hesp left Groningen for PSV Eindhoven in the same capacity.[8]

On 27 June 2024, he moved to the Turkish side Beşiktaş, where he strengthens the staff of coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst.[9]

International career

edit

Although Hesp was picked by the Netherlands for their UEFA Euro 1996 and 1998 FIFA World Cup squads,[10] he never actually won a cap for the national team, acting as understudy to both first-choice Edwin van der Sar and his substitute Ed de Goey. He also worked with the side as a goalkeeper coach.[11]

Personal life

edit

Hesp's younger brother, Danny, was also a professional footballer. A defender, the pair shared teams in 1994–95 at Roda.[3]

Honours

edit

Roda JC

Barcelona

References

edit
  1. ^ "Hesp, Rudolfus Hubertus Hesp - Footballer". www.bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b PC Fútbol 6.0 database
  3. ^ a b "Ruud Hesp (1965)" (in Dutch). Kent u deze nog?. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Foreign players in the Spanish League (First Division)". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
  5. ^ "Las oraciones de Baía" [Baía's prayers]. El País (in Spanish). 6 November 1997. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  6. ^ "La Copa de Hesp y del doblete de Van Gaal" [The Cup of Hesp and Van Gaal's double]. Sport (in Spanish). 4 April 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Ruud Hesp keeperstrainer FC Groningen" [Ruud Hesp FC Groningen goalkeeper coach]. Trouw (in Dutch). 27 November 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Ruud Hesp and John Feskens join PSV backroom staff". PSV Eindhoven. 21 June 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  9. ^ "KEEPERSTRAINER RUUD HESP VERTREKT NAAR BESIKTAS". sc-heerenveen.nl/. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  10. ^ "The Netherlands squad". BBC. 3 May 1998. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Ruud Hesp keeperstrainer Nederlands elfal [sic]" [Ruud Hesp Dutch national team goalkeeper coach] (in Dutch). Voetbal Trainer. 6 July 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  12. ^ "1997: RODA JC WINT BEKERFINALE NA DOELPUNTENFESTIVAL". totoknvbbekker.nl. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
edit