''Roel Dijkstra'' is a Dutch comic book series about a fictional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player. The series was created in 1975 by

Jan Steeman Jan Steeman (23 May 1933 – 24 January 2018) was a Dutch comics artist, best known for his association football comic ''Roel Dijkstra'' and ''Noortje'', a comic strip about a bumbling teenage girl published in ''Tina''. The latter runs for more t ...

(1933-2018; winner of the 2005 Dutch

Stripschapprijs The Stripschapprijs is a Dutch prize awarded to comic creators for their entire body of work. It is awarded annually by the ''Stripschap'', the Dutch Society of comics fans, since 1974. The prize is non-pecuniary, but is considered the most import ...

) and Andrew Brandt. The first 21 volumes, drawn by Steeman and his successors, were published between 1977 and 1995 by

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

publisher Oberon. Steeman and Brandt produced the first ten.

Background

The eponymous Roel Dijkstra is a Dutch football player inspired by

Johan Cruijff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a pr ...

. He started out as a player with the local football club "FC Leidrecht", then moved on to "FC Hadfort" in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, "FC Union" in

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, and then "FC Rapiditas" in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

before returning to "FC LeIdrecht". The story revolves around Dijkstra and his difficulties adjusting to life in a foreign country, shifty club bosses, friendship with fellow players, and football championships. In 2017 and 2018 two more volumes were released, ''Thuisfront'' (''Homefront'') and ''Pamplona'',. Both were serialised in the revived '' Eppo''-magazine.

Titles

References

Dutch comic strips Dijkstra, Roel 1975 comics debuts Dijkstra, Roel Dijkstra, Roel Dijkstra, Roel Comics set in the Netherlands Association football comics Drama comics Dijkstra, Roel {{comics-stub