Dutch legend Johnny Rep, 72, is in intensive care and set to be fitted with a pacemaker after suffering a heart attack – just a day after the death of his former team-mate Johan Neeskens

Dutch legend Johnny Rep is in intensive care just days after his former team-mate Johan Neeskens passed away.

Barcelona and Ajax legend Neeskens has died at the age of 73, with his passing announced on Tuesday in a Dutch FA statement that read how the death was ‘unexpected’ and wished his family well.

The former midfielder is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of the 20th century after playing a vital role for the likes of Barcelona, Ajax and the Netherlands.

Now Rep, 72, is reported to be in intensive care by AD, and he is said to be set to receive a pacemaker this week, with the Mirror reporting he has suffered a heart attack.

He played alongside Neeskens for the Netherlands national team during their successful era of the 1970s, and also featured for the likes of Ajax, Valencia and Feyernoord.

Rep is said to have suffered a heart attack in Spain, where he resides, and is reported to have been rushed to hospital

Like Neeskens, Rep was a key part of the Nethelands team that were runners-up in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups.

According to the report, he has been struggling with heart rhythm disorders for a while and missed a recent 1974 World Cup squad reunion due to health issues.

He is said to be in a hospital in Spain awaiting surgery, which will help his heart beat at a regular, correct rhythm.

Rep’s biographer Mark van den Heuvel told Dutch media: ‘The insurers want Johnny to go back to Holland, as it just costs £8,400 to fit him with a pacemaker as against £21,000 in Spain.

‘But his family says that Johnny is far too weak to make the journey. It’s not clear to me how the next few days are going to pan out.

‘Johnny swore to me that he will survive this, and everyone around him says he will be OK. His children are at his bedside.’

Neeskens, meanwhile, was known for his friendship with Dutch icon Johan Cruyff and was part of an Ajax side that won three European Cups and two Eredivisie titles during the 1970s alongside Cruyff and Rep.

After leaving the Dutch giants, Neeskens joined Barcelona – similarly to Cruyff – where he then won a Copa Del Rey and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. 

During his post-playing career, he held managerial roles at Swiss club FC Zug, NEC Nijmegen of the Netherlands and South African side Mamelodi Sundowns.