Epi Drost
Full nameEimert Drost
Birth date21 September 1945
Birth placeAmersfoort, Netherlands
Death date27 May 1995 (aged 49)
Death placeRotterdam, Netherlands
PositionSweeper
Youthclubs 1FC Wageningen
Years 11962–1965
Clubs 1FC Wageningen
Caps 180
Goals 141
Years 21965–1966
Clubs 2Heracles
Caps 219
Goals 20
Years 31966–1980
Clubs 3FC Twente
Caps 3415
Goals 38
Years 41980–1982
Clubs 4DS'79
Caps 452
Goals 40
Years 51982–1983
Clubs 5FC Twente
Caps 58
Goals 50
Totalcaps574
Totalgoals49
Nationalyears 11969–1973
Nationalteam 1Netherlands
Nationalcaps 19
Nationalgoals 10
Manageryears 11987–1989
Managerclubs 1RBC
Manageryears 21983–1984
Managerclubs 2DS'79
Manageryears 31990–1995
Managerclubs 3STEVO

Eimert "Epi" Drost (21 September 1945 – 27 May 1995) was a Dutch association football player and manager, best known for his time with FC Twente.

Club career

Drost was born in Amersfoort. A sweeper, made his senior debut for FC Wageningen on 23 September 1962 against De Graafschap, then had a short spell with Heracles Almelo, before joining manager Kees Rijvers at FC Twente where he would become one of the best players in the history of the club.[1] Known for his colourful lifestyle and fierce shot,[2] he played 423 league games for the club, only to be surpassed by Sander Boschker in 2006.[3] During his time at the club, Twente would finish second (behind Feyenoord) in 1974 and third in 1969 in the Eredivisie and would reach the 1975 UEFA Cup Final. His only trophy would be the 1977 KNVB Cup, he scored Twente's first goal in the final with a 30-yard piledriver.[2]

He later played for DS '79, where he was joined by long-time Twente colleague Niels Overweg,[4] before returning to Twente for a final season in which he was injured and could not save the club from relegation.

International career

Drost made his debut for the Netherlands in an April 1969 friendly match against Switzerland and earned a total of nine caps, scoring no goals. His final international was a September 1973 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Norway.[5]

Managerial career

Drost coached RBC Roosendaal, DS '79 and Hoofdklasse club STEVO, with whom he won the Dutch Sunday-amateur football title in 1994.[6]

Personal life and death

Drost was a son of former HVC and Wageningen player Selis Drost.[1]

Drost died in May 1995 of a heart attack during a game with Holland's former internationals players in Rotterdam.[7] He was chosen Twente's player of the century by the club's supporters in 2000[8] and in 2009, a statue of Mister Twente Epi Drost was erected in FC Twente's stadium.[9]

References

  1. ^ Het levensverhaal van een kleurrijke lokale held - Voetbal International (in Dutch)
  2. ^ Epi Drost 1945 - 1995 - Trouw (in Dutch)
  3. ^ De bon-vivant en de fanaticus - Tubantia (in Dutch)
  4. ^ Nico De Vries overleed 25 jaar geleden, herinneringen aan een 'initiator' - FC Dordrecht (in Dutch)
  5. ^ Intl career stats - OnsOranje (KNVB)
  6. ^ Epi Drost + 27 mei 1995 Archived 29 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine - Stevo (in Dutch)
  7. ^ Ex-international Epi Drost (49) overleden - NRC (in Dutch)
  8. ^ Rijvers en Drost meest populair - FC Twente (in Dutch)
  9. ^ Standbeeld voor Epi Drost - NU (in Dutch)