Luciano van den Berg
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luciano Thomas van den Berg[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 June 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Date of death | 18 September 2005 (aged 21) | ||
| Place of death | Almere, Netherlands | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Abcoude | |||
| Omnniworld | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005 | Stormvogels Telstar | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luciano Thomas van den Berg (22 June 1984 – 18 September 2005) was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent his short career with Stormvogels Telstar in the Eerste Divisie.
Career
Van den Berg played youth football for Abcoude and Omnniworld before joining Stormvogels Telstar.[2] He made his professional debut for the club during the promotion playoffs of the 2004–05 season, coming on as a substitute against VVV-Venlo and scoring the winning goal.[1] His first appearance in a regular league match came the following season, on 16 September 2005, in a match against FC Zwolle. It would be his final appearance.
Death
In the early hours of 18 September 2005, two days after his league debut, Van den Berg lost control of his car on the A6 motorway near his parental home in Almere Stad. He collided with a stationary vehicle and was killed instantly.[3] A close friend of Dutch international Nigel de Jong, Van den Berg was 21 years old at the time of his death.[4]
His funeral took place on 23 September 2005, the same day Telstar were scheduled to play De Graafschap. The match was postponed to the following Monday to allow for the ceremony, during which De Jong delivered a eulogy. Prior to kickoff in the rescheduled match, a minute of silence was held, followed by a tribute from De Graafschap's supporters group, the Spinnekop.[1]
Van den Berg made two official appearances at professional level. In his memory, Telstar retired his shirt number 22.[5]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | KNVB Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stormvogels Telstar | 2004–05 | Eerste Divisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005–06 | Eerste Divisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
- ^ Appearance in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs
References
- ^ a b c "In Memoriam: Luciano van den Berg". Staantribune (in Dutch). 18 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Uitstel Telstar voor duel met De Graafschap" [Telstar match against De Graafschap postponed]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Telstar-voetballer rijdt door wegafzetting en verongelukt" [Telstar footballer crashes after driving through roadblock]. Trouw (in Dutch). 18 September 2005. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Telstars Luciano van den Berg verongelukt" [Telstar's Luciano van den Berg dies in car accident]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 18 September 2005. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Telstar-fans herdenken Van den Berg" [Telstar fans pay tribute to Van den Berg]. Stichting RTVNH (in Dutch). 18 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016.