Wim Jonk

Who is Wim Jonk?

Wilhelmus "Wim" Maria Jonk is a retired Dutch footballer. At the height of his career, he also played for the Netherlands national team.

Jonk started his career in amateur club RKAV Volendam, before signing for Volendam in 1986. As a central midfield player, he scored many goals, assisting his club to promotion to the Eredivisie in 1987, where he scored a further of five goals. Ajax monitored his progress keenly and his skills did not escape the scouts of the club, who hastened his transfer to Amsterdam in 1988.

At Ajax, he slotted into the squad easily, even scoring 6 goals in his debut season. First team chances were regular, if not abundant, but his first appearance for the Dutch national team seemed a long way away. His gameplay is not very artistic, but he has earned a reputation as a midfield anchor in the same mould as other Dutch players like Aron Winter, Erwin Koeman, Philip Cocu and Mark van Bommel. Therefore, with the Dutch 1990 World Cup squad brimming with attack-minded midfielders like Richard Witschge and Jan Wouters, he was unsurprisingly omitted from selection for the national team in the late 1980s as well as the 1990 World Cup squad. He helped Ajax to the 1992 UEFA Cup Final in which he scored to help them overcome Torino.