This Day in History: 2023-06-30

Nr. 487

SEAGULL MEETS ITS MATCH (1970)

One of the more bizarre mementoes in any football club’s trophy cabinet is in the Netherlands, and it’s a stuffed seagull. On 15 November 1970 thousands witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime event as a goalkeeper’s kick blasted a passing seagull out of the sky at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam. Home keeper Eddy Treytel, a Dutch international, was the man who entered football folklore as he booted the ball high upfield in a Dutch First Division match against local rivals Sparta Rotterdam. Treytel’s unusual feat is commemorated by the stuffed bird, which stands alongside Feyenoord’s many domestic and European trophies.

Treytel’s bizarre achievement won him a place in Feyenoord football club’s folklore – and the seagull remains in their trophy room, too.