Paul Vaessen
Encyclopedia
Paul Leon Vaessen was an English
football
er.
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 September 1978. He made his league debut the following year, against Chelsea
on 14 May 1979. He turned professional in July the same year, scoring five goals in 13 appearances in 1979-80
.
The most famous of these goals was the one Vaessen scored against Juventus
at the Stadio Comunale
, in the second leg of a 1980 Cup Winners Cup Semi Final on 23 April 1980. Arsenal had drawn the first leg 1-1 and thus, trailing on the away goals rule
, needed to score to stand any chance of getting to the final; Vaessen came on as a substitute after 75 minutes, and with just two minutes of normal time, he headed home a Graham Rix
cross to make the score 2-1 to Arsenal, and put them into the final. It was the first time Juventus had lost to a British team on home soil.
Vaessen's career was blighted by injury; he was unable to play regularly over the next two seasons; he took a bad knock in a North London derby
match against Tottenham Hotspur
and had to undergo surgery
on his knee
. After missing the whole of 1982-83
, he was forced to retire from the game in summer 1983, aged 21. In all, he scored 9 goals in 39 matches for Arsenal.
After leaving Arsenal, Vaessen performed a variety of jobs, such as postman and also worked on a construction site. During the 1990s
, Vaessen almost died from stab wounds suffered when a drug deal went wrong and dealers knifed him in a London street.
In August 2001 he was found dead at his Bristol flat, aged 39. A post mortem found he had a high level of drugs in his bloodstream, and the coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death, and it was later revealed that Vaessen had been a heroin addict for several years and had several convictions for crimes including robberies and muggings.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er.
Vaessen was born in Gillingham to a footballing family – his father Leon
Leon Vaessen
Leon Henry Vaessen was an English professional association football player of the 1950s and 1960s. He made over 50 appearances in The Football League.-Playing career:...
had played 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 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...
. A centre-forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, he joined 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...
in 1977 as an apprentice, and made his debut aged 16 against Lokomotive Leipzig
Lokomotive Leipzig
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig is a German football club based in the city of Leipzig in Saxony and may be more familiar to many of the country's football fans as the historic side VfB Leipzig, the first national champions of Germany...
in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
on 27 September 1978. He made his league debut the following year, against 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...
on 14 May 1979. He turned professional in July the same year, scoring five goals in 13 appearances in 1979-80
1979-80 in English football
The 1979–80 season was the 100th season of competitive football in England.- FA Cup :Second Division West Ham United, managed by John Lyall, won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 1–0 with a Trevor Brooking goal...
.
The most famous of these goals was the one Vaessen scored against Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
at the Stadio Comunale
Stadio Comunale
Stadio Comunale is Italian for "municipal stadium", and may refer to a main stadium in many towns in Italy and Italian Switzerland. In particular:Italy*Stadio Tommaso Fattori, L'Aquila*Stadio Città di Arezzo, Arezzo*Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna...
, in the second leg of a 1980 Cup Winners Cup Semi Final on 23 April 1980. Arsenal had drawn the first leg 1-1 and thus, trailing on the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
, needed to score to stand any chance of getting to the final; Vaessen came on as a substitute after 75 minutes, and with just two minutes of normal time, he headed home a Graham Rix
Graham Rix
Graham Cyril Rix is an English former football player and coach. He was fired by Heart of Midlothian in March 2006, which was his most recent role in professional football...
cross to make the score 2-1 to Arsenal, and put them into the final. It was the first time Juventus had lost to a British team on home soil.
Vaessen's career was blighted by injury; he was unable to play regularly over the next two seasons; he took a bad knock in a North London derby
North London derby
The North London derby is the name of the football local derby between the two major teams in North London – Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.-History:...
match against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and had to undergo surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
on his knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
. After missing the whole of 1982-83
1982-83 in English football
The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Bob Paisley's last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His...
, he was forced to retire from the game in summer 1983, aged 21. In all, he scored 9 goals in 39 matches for Arsenal.
After leaving Arsenal, Vaessen performed a variety of jobs, such as postman and also worked on a construction site. During the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, Vaessen almost died from stab wounds suffered when a drug deal went wrong and dealers knifed him in a London street.
In August 2001 he was found dead at his Bristol flat, aged 39. A post mortem found he had a high level of drugs in his bloodstream, and the coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death, and it was later revealed that Vaessen had been a heroin addict for several years and had several convictions for crimes including robberies and muggings.