Frans Thijssen (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He won fourteen caps for the Netherlands between 1975 and 1981.

Playing career

Thijssen started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973, he moved to FC Twente, where he played for nearly six seasons. In 1979, Thijssen moved to England to sign for Ipswich Town joining former FC Twente teammate Arnold Mühren. In 1981 he was the first Dutchman to be voted English Footballer of the Year as he helped Ipswich Town win the UEFA Cup, scoring one goal in each of the two legs of the final. He played a big part in their run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, and they also finished second in the league that season. He helped them finish second again the following year, but a year later he departed from Portman Road after four years to sign for Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, but he was not nearly as successful at the City Ground as he had been in East Anglia, and he had left the club within months. He also had a stint in the NASL with the Vancouver Whitecaps. In 1984, he returned to his native country, to play for Fortuna Sittard (1984–1987), FC Groningen (1987–1988) and Vitesse Arnhem (1988–1991).

Managerial career

After his active career he became a football manager. In 1997, he became manager for the Swedish club Malmö FF and spent two years there. After several seasons without success, Thijssen was sacked as manager for Malmö FF during the middle of season 1998. At the time of his dismissal Malmö was in danger of being relegated to the first division (Superettan) for the first time in the club's history. Thijssen was replaced by Roland Andersson and Thomas Sjöberg. On 24 November 2014, Thijssen was named interim coach of the Brisbane Roar in the Australian A-League.

Managerial statistics

Honours

FC Twente Ipswich Town Vitesse Arnhem Individual