Jeroen Boere, a former Premier League striker who played for West Ham United, endured a horrific attack that left him with one eye gouged out by a gangster. Years later, he tragically took his own life.
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Boere, a towering centre forward, joined West Ham in 1993 for £250,000 under manager Billy Bonds. He formed a formidable partnership with Tony Cottee, scoring six goals to help the club avoid relegation in the 1994/95 season. He also played for Portsmouth, West Brom, Crystal Palace, and Southend United before moving to Japan in 1998 to play for Omiya Ardija.
The Horrific Attack in Tokyo
In May 1999, Boere and his wife Ann were dining in Roppongi, Tokyo, and later visited the Hideout bar. An argument broke out over the queue for the men's toilet, leading to a brawl. As they tried to leave, one of the men, Israeli drug smuggler Shimon Ben Hamo, approached Boere as if to apologize. When Boere extended his hand, Ben Hamo pulled him forward and stabbed him in the eye with an ice pick, then stabbed him twice more before fleeing.
Ann recalled the terrifying moment: "Shimon pulled him forward and stuck an ice pick in his eye. Then he stabbed him twice and ran. It was terrifying." An off-duty nurse helped apply pressure to the wound. Boere was rushed to hospital, where surgeons removed his eye after Ann gave consent, as there was nothing left to save.
Aftermath and Downward Spiral
Boere spent a month in the hospital, but word spread that Ben Hamo had placed a bounty on their heads. Ben Hamo fled to Thailand but was found dead in a suitcase in a Bangkok river, shot three times in the head over a cocaine deal. Despite his death, Ann remains fearful of returning to Japan.
The couple returned to Epping, England, where Boere bought a stake in a local pub. However, a bar brawl on New Year's Eve 2002 left him with 20 stitches after being hit with a glass bottle. They moved to Marbella in 2003, but Boere's drinking worsened, and he fell in with the wrong crowd. Plans to start anew in Mauritius never materialized.
Tragic End
On August 16, 2007, Ann woke to find Boere dead in their flat; he had taken his own life. Ann left the flat and never returned. Her sister Michelle, who helped pack up their home, took her own life less than two years later, and Michelle's partner also died by suicide on the night of her funeral.
Remembered by Teammates and Family
Tony Cottee remembered Boere as a fun-loving teammate: "He was a fun lad. He liked a drink... He had a confident aura about him. He fitted into the dressing room really well. He was a proper old-school target man."
Boere's son Brandon, now 21, visited a mural of his father outside a stadium in the Netherlands. He said: "It was overwhelming. It was very cool seeing that, and knowing he's remembered. He had his faults but he treated people right. I'm proud of him."
