Dik Wessels, one of the most successful businessmen in the Netherlands, who formed construction giant Volker Wessels, has died at the age of 71. He was ranked third on the Quote 500 rich list in 2017 with his assets estimated at €4bn.

Wessels had been in poor health for some time and had recently undergone a bypass operation, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Tuesday afternoon.

‘I never set out to be rich. I got a lot of pleasure out of being a businessman,’ Wessels told the paper in an interview in 2015. Wessels liked to keep things simple, but he built up VolkerWessels to an international construction company with 14,500 employees. He was also a major supporter of FC Twente, sinking millions of euros into his local football club.

Wessels grew up in Rijssen in rural Overijssel province. His father had a building company with three on the payroll. His older brother had little interest in taking the company over because Wessels senior wanted to keep it small. Aged just 14, Dik got involved.  It was only after Wessels senior’s death in the 1980s that the company really grew.

Dik Wessels brought the company to the stock exchange twice, the second time earlier this year when the Wessels family cashed in 30% of their shares, earning €600m on the transaction.