Cees Schapendonk

Cornelis "Cees" Schapendonk (born 24 December 1955) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward. He spent his career with Eindhoven, MVV, Gent, Excelsior, RKC and NAC Breda, and won the Belgian Cup with Gent in 1984. Schapendonk scored on his only appearance for the Netherlands national team in 1981.^[1]

Cees Schapendonk

Schapendonk with the Netherlands in 1981
Personal information
Full name	Cornelis Schapendonk
Date of birth	(1955-12-24) 24 December 1955 (age 69)
Place of birth	's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Position	Forward
Youth career
	Concordia SVD
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1975–1979	Eindhoven	106	(50)
1979–1982	MVV	91	(52)
1982–1987	Gent	117	(22)
1986–1987	→ Excelsior (loan)	32	(17)
1987–1990	RKC	71	(38)
1990–1993	NAC Breda	72	(9)
Total		489	(188)
International career
1981	Netherlands	1	(1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Schapendonk began his professional career with Eindhoven in 1975 and was the Eerste Divisie's top scorer in the 1978–79 season with 24 goals.^[2] He subsequently moved to MVV in 1979, where he scored 52 league goals across three seasons.^[3][4]

In 1982, Schapendonk moved to Gent in Belgium, spending four seasons with the club. He scored the opening goal in the 93rd minute of the 1984 Belgian Cup final against Standard Liège, a match Gent won 2–0 after extra time.^[5][6][7]

He returned to the Netherlands with a loan to Excelsior in 1986–87, before joining RKC Waalwijk in October 1987. With RKC he achieved promotion to the Eredivisie in 1988, and later finished his professional career with NAC Breda in 1993.^[3][8]

International career

Schapendonk earned his only cap for the Netherlands on 22 February 1981, starting and scoring in a 3–0 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) win over Cyprus in Groningen.^[1] In a 2025 interview he reflected on that night and on never receiving another call-up thereafter.^[9]

After football

After retiring, Schapendonk worked in scouting and analysis. He is listed by RKC Waalwijk among the club's scouting staff.^[10]

In later life, Schapendonk faced serious health problems, including strokes, heart attacks and a torn aorta, which he discussed in a 2025 interview with Algemeen Dagblad.^[9]

Career statistics

International

Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after Schapendonk goal.^[3]

List of international goals scored by Ramiz Zerrouki

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	22 February 1981	Stadion Oosterpark, Groningen, Netherlands	1	Cyprus	3–0	2–0	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification	[1]

Honours

Gent

• Belgian Cup: 1983–84^[5][7]

Individual

• Eerste Divisie top scorer: 1978–79 (24 goals)^[2]