Player Profile: Abe Van Den Ban

Wow! Take a look at that moustache.

David Beckham’s sarong, Mario Balotelli’s Foghorn Leghorn hat and any one of David James’ haircuts were tame fashion statements compared to that sported by Abe Van Den Ban.

Wearing a moustache that previously belonged to a romantic depiction of a nineteenth century French revolutionary and one that is so delicately manicured it would make Hercule Poirot hit the crème de menthe in a fit of envy, Van Der Ban never reached the heights in his professional career that his tache did.

As an owner of a hairdressing business, Van Den Ban was able to afford his moustache the attention it clearly deserved and he did so throughout his professional career, although it’s unclear whether or not he roamed his country estate in his spare time, dressed top to toe in tweed accompanied by his loyal bloodhounds.

According to Voetbal International the former Haarlem legend also played for FC Amsterdam, BVC Amsterdam, and AZ ‘67 player, but unfortunately Dutchman Van Den Ban didn’t leave a professional legacy as strong and as sturdy as his well manicured tache and he never earned international recognition.

The highlight of his career probably came when he helped his FC Amsterdam side beat Inter on their way to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 1974-75.

He also was afforded the pleasure of playing with a young Ruud Gullitt at Harlem in the early 1980s when the mercurial Dutchman became the youngest player to start a league game in the history of the Dutch league.

Van Den Dam’s star didn’t shine as bright as Gullitt’s though, despite his moustache being a precursor to Ruud’s philosophy of shexy football, even if it was in a different manner.

Thankfully though his fantastic facial hair has ensured that he will be remembered and revered, if not for his abilities on the pitch, but for his top-lip audacity and his willingness to stick with it throughout his career.