In the Ton Thie years, ADO – then called FC Den Haag – was a constant value at the top (sub) of Dutch football. For example, the Green Angels finished third in the Premier League with Tiye under the crossbar in 1965, 1966 and 1970. The goalkeeper celebrated their greatest success in 1968, when FC Den Haag won the KNVB Cup at the expense of Ajax (2-1). In the thirteen seasons that Ton Thi was under contract with the Royal City, he was the undisputed number one goalkeeper, only making a trip for a few months to the US; In 1967 he played thirteen matches for the San Francisco Golden Seated Team.
T did not make it to the starting player for the Dutch national team, although he was still part of the pre-selection for the 1974 World Championship in Germany. Shortly before the tournament began, he withdrew anyway. Once upon a time, Thie was on the reserve bench during a match. Partly due to strong competition from Jan van Bevern and Jan Jungblood, she never made her debut.
Ton Thi and Johan Cruyff
Ton Thie also became known with a goal he had to concede. On January 2, 1972, in the crowded Zuiderpark, Ajax player Johan Cruyff beat The Hague goalkeeper with a great ball. It is one of the most beautiful goals ever scored on Dutch stadiums.
Although Thie has become a true icon of ADO, he has also played (for a short time) for other clubs. In his youth he played for FC Olympia of Gouda and Excelsior Rotterdam. Then he played two seasons (1962-1964) with Hermes DVS in the second division of Schiedam. In 1979, after his ADO spell, he briefly played for FC Olympia.
After his football career, Thie became a manager of a gouda pool canteen. In 1996 he immigrated to The Gambia.
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