Leon Henry Vaessen was an English professional association football player of the 1950s and 1960s. He made over 50 appearances in The Football League

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

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Playing career

Born in New Cross

New Cross

New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...

, he joined Chelsea

Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 as a youngster, but was not offered a professional contract. In January 1958 he signed for Millwall

Millwall F.C.

Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

 and went on to make 26 Football League appearances for the "Lions", but never established himself as a regular starter. At the end of the 1960–61 season, he was transferred to Gillingham

Gillingham F.C.

Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...

. He was initially a regular in the team, but fell out of favour, pleaying just once in the 1962–63 season, before being sold to Dover

Dover F.C.

Dover F.C. was a football club based in Dover, Kent, England. The club joined the Kent League in 1894, but folded in 1901. Dover F.C. was revived a year later, this time as a purely amateur club, and rejoined the Kent League, but folded again in 1909...

 for a fee of £500. His last known club was Crawley Town

Crawley Town F.C.

Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...

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Family

His son Paul

Paul Vaessen

Paul Leon Vaessen was an English footballer.Vaessen was born in Gillingham to a footballing family – his father Leon had played for Millwall and Gillingham. A centre-forward, he joined Arsenal in 1977 as an apprentice, and made his debut aged 16 against Lokomotive Leipzig in the UEFA Cup on 27...

 played for Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

but was forced to retire due to injury and fell into a life of crime and drug addiction before dying at the age of 39 in 2001.