Netherlands national football team
The
Netherlands national football team is the national
football team of the
Netherlands and is controlled by the
Royal Netherlands Football Association.
The Netherlands is currently rated sixth in the world by FIFA
[Ranking & Statistics, FIFA, May 2006] having won the
1988 European Football Championship (Euro 88), and having reached two consecutive
World Cup finals, but losing both (
1974 and
1978). At the peak of its success in the 1970s, the team was famous for its mastery of
Total Football and nicknamed "Clockwork Orange" for its precision passing.
The Netherlands made their first appearance at the World Cup final tournament in
1934, and after coming back in
1938, the Dutch national team entered the wilderness of world football.
Total Football
They came out of this wilderness in the 1970s with the invention of
Total Football (
Dutch:
Totaalvoetbal), pioneered by
Ajax Amsterdam and led by playmaker
Johan Cruijff and national team coach
Rinus Michels. The Dutch made huge strides, qualifying for two World Cup finals in the decade.
In 1974, the Netherlands beat both
Brazil and
Argentina in the second group stage, reaching the final for the first time in their history. However, the team lost to
West Germany in the final in
Munich, despite having gone 1-0 up through
Johan Neeskens' early
penalty kick before any German had even touched the ball. Supported by the crowd, goals from
Paul Breitner and
Gerd Muller led to a victory for the Germans. In spite of losing the final, the "Clockwork Orange" and Johan Cruijff had already written a new page in football's history.
In 1978, the Netherlands again reached the final, only to be beaten by the hosts, Argentina. This side played without Cruijff, who refused to participate in the World Cup because Argentina had suffered a military coup only two years earlier and he objected to playing in a country where torture and murder were continuing to be perpetrated by the
junta.[
1] It still contained players such as Neeskens,
Johnny Rep,
Arie Haan,
Ruud Krol and
Rob Rensenbrink from the 1974 selection. This time the Netherlands were less impressive in the group stages, as they qualified only as runners-up, after a draw with
Peru and a loss to
Scotland. In the second group phase, however, the Netherlands topped a group including
Italy and West Germany, setting up a final with Argentina. However, the Dutch came second for the second World Cup in a row as they ultimately lost 3-1 after two
extra-time goals from Argentina. Agonisingly for the Dutch, Rensenbrink hit the Argentinian post in the last minute of normal time, with the score 1-1.
European Champions
The team's main success has been winning the
Euro 88. After losing the first group match against the
USSR (1-0), Holland went on to qualify for the semi-final by defeating
England 3-1 (with a hat-trick by the tournament's top scorer
Marco van Basten), and
Republic of Ireland (1-0). For many Dutch football supporters, the most important match in the tournament was the semi-final against West Germany, the host country, considered a revenge for the lost 1974 World Cup final (also in West Germany). Marco van Basten, who would later become national team coach, scored in the final minutes of the game to beat the German side. The game is also remembered for its post-match shenanigans, including
Ronald Koeman, who, in front of the German supporters, provocatively pretended to wipe his backside with the shirt of
Olaf Thon as if it was toilet paper, an action Koeman later regretted.
["Cheeseheads vs Krauts": 30 Years of Enmity, Ajax-USA.com, June 14, 2004] Holland won the final with a convincing victory over the USSR, through a header by
Ruud Gullit and a sublime volley by Van Basten.
[Marco Van Basten Euro '88 The Best Goal In The World at YouTube]The team subsequently reached the semi-finals in the tournament.
Recent
In the
1994 FIFA World Cup,
Dennis Bergkamp led the team with 3 goals and the Netherlands advanced to the quarterfinal, where they lost 3-2 to to eventual champions
Brazil.
At
Euro 96, after drawing 0-0 with Scotland and beating Switzerland 2-0, they faced the hosts England in the pool A decider, with both teams on 4 points. After 62 minutes, with Scotland beating Switzerland 1-0, Holland were 4-0 down and looked like finishing third behind Scotland on goal difference and going out of the tournament, but
Patrick Kluivert scored in the 78th minute to see the Dutch finish second on goals scored. They then drew with France 0-0 in their quarter final and went out 5-4 on penalties.
In
1998 FIFA World Cup, Netherlands, whose team included
Marc Overmars,
Phillip Cocu,
Edgar Davids,
Ronald de Boer and
Patrick Kluivert, met
Argentina in the quarterfinal, a rematch of the 1978 final, and won 2-1 after a Bergkamp goal in the 89th minute. Bergkamp's goal was famous not only from its quality--he chested down a long pass from
Frank de Boer and put it high over the Argentine goalkeeper. In the semifinal, the Netherlands took
Brazil to a penalty shootout after a late Kluivert goal tied the match 1-1, but Brazil won the shootout 4-2 and advanced to the final. Netherlands lost the 3rd place match to
Croatia 1-2.
Netherlands reached the semifinals in both the and , but failed to qualify for the
2002 FIFA World Cup.
The Netherlands qualified for the
2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and finished second in Group C after beating
Serbia & Montenegro (1-0) and the
Ivory Coast (2-1) and drawing
Argentina (0-0). Both Argentina and the Netherlands finished the group stage with 7 points, but the Argentinians had a superior goal difference and finished first as a result. The Dutch were eliminated in the second round after losing 0-1 to
Portugal, in a match that produced a World Cup record of four red cards (two for either side) and was nicknamed "the Battle of Nuremberg" by the press[
2]. Despite criticism surrounding his selection policy and the lack of attacking football from his team,
Marco van Basten was offered a two-year extension to his contract by the Dutch FA, which would allow him to serve as national coach during
Euro2008 and the
2010 FIFA World Cup. The move was widely regarded as a vote of confidence in Van Basten and his assistants by the
KNVB officials.[
3]
The Netherlands begin their Euro 2008 campaign in their first qualifying match against Luxembourg on
2 September 2006.
|
Coat of arms of the Netherlands |
The Netherlands national football team does not wear the colors of the Dutch flag of today, but instead plays in bright orange. Orange is the historic national color of the Netherlands, originating from the coat of arms of the Dutch founding father
William of Orange-Nassau. The top (red) band of the
current flag was originally orange. The current Dutch away shirt incorporates the flag colours as a diagonal stripe.
Main Article
Dutch German Football RivalryThe Dutch national football team has a long standing rivalry with the
German National Football Team. Although it might date back to the Second World War, usually people date it to
1974 World Cup, where Holland lost the final to Germany, despite being regarded as the better team. Other notable clashes between the two nations were in the semifinal of
Euro 88, where
Marco van Basten slided the winning goal in the last minute past the German keeper, and the game in the Round of 16 in the
1990 FIFA World cup, with Germany beating Holland, after a famous spit-incident involving
Frank Rijkaard and
Rudi VöllerWorld Cup|Year| Finish | Matches | Wins | Draws* | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Against | |1930| Did not enter | | | | | | |1934| Round 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |1938| Round 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |1950| Did not enter | | | | | | |1954| Did not enter | | | | | | |1958| Did not qualify | | | | | | |1962| Did not qualify | | | | | | |1966| Did not qualify | | | | | | |1970| Did not qualify | | | | | | |1974| Runner-up | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3 | |1978| Runner-up | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 10 | |1982| Did not qualify | | | | | | |1986| Did not qualify | | | | | | |1990| Round 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |1994| Quarterfinals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | |1998| Fourth place | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 7 | |2002| Did not qualify | | | | | | |2006| Round 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |Total | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 59 | 38 |
Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.European Championship*1960 - Did not enter
*1964 - Did not qualify
*1968 - Did not qualify
*1972 - Did not qualify
*1976 - Semi-finals
*1980 - Round 1
*1984 - Did not qualify
*1988 - Champions
*1992 - Semi-finals
*1996 - Quarter-finals
*2000 - Semi-finals
*2004 - Semi-finalsSummer Olympics |
*WC06 indicates player was part of
2006 World Cup squad.
Goalkeepers
*
Maarten Stekelenburg WC06
*
Henk Timmer WC06
*
Edwin van der Sar WC06
*
Kenneth VermeerDefenders
*
Khalid Boulahrouz WC06
*
Wilfred Bouma*
Tim de Cler WC06
*
Urby Emanuelson*
Serginho Greene*
John Heitinga WC06
*
Kew Jaliens WC06
*
Jan Kromkamp WC06
*
Gijs Luirink*
Joris Mathijsen WC06
*
Mario Melchiot*
André Ooijer WC06
*
Barry Opdam*
Gio van Bronckhorst WC06
*
Paul Verhaegh*
Ron Vlaar*
Gianni ZuiverloonMidfielders
*
Ibrahim Afellay*
George Boateng*
Phillip Cocu WC06
*
Daniël de Ridder*
Nicky Hofs*
Denny Landzaat WC06
*
Hedwiges Maduro WC06
*
Haris Medunjanin*
Stijn Schaars*
Wesley Sneijder WC06
*
Mark van Bommel WC06
*
Andy van der Meyde*
Rafael van der Vaart WC06
*
Boudewijn ZendenStrikers
*
Ryan Babel WC06
*
Romeo Castelen*
Klaas Jan Huntelaar*
Collins John*
Patrick Kluivert*
Dirk Kuyt WC06
*
Roy Makaay*
Martijn Meerdink*
Arjen Robben WC06
*
Pierre van Hooijdonk*
Ruud van Nistelrooij WC06
*
Robin van Persie WC06
*
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink WC06
*
Tim VinckenListed according to when they debuted for Netherlands (year in parentheses):*
Bep Bakhuys (1928)
*
Leen Vente (1933)
*
Abe Lenstra (1940)
*
Faas Wilkes (1946)
*
Jan Jongbloed (1962)
*
Piet Keizer (1962)
*
Rinus Israel (1964)
*
Johan Cruijff (1966)
*
Willy van der Kuijlen (1966)
*
Wim Suurbier (1966)
*
Jan van Beveren (1967)
*
Wim Jansen (1967)
*
Willem van Hanegem (1968)
*
Rob Rensenbrink (1968)
*
Ruud Krol (1969)
*
Johan Neeskens (1970)
*
Barry Hulshof (1971)
*
Piet Schrijvers (1971)
*
Arie Haan (1972)
*
René van de Kerkhof (1973)
*
Johnny Rep (1973)
*
Willy van de Kerkhof (1974)
*
Kees Kist (1975)
*
Ernie Brandts (1977)
*
Hugo Hovenkamp (1977)
*
Tscheu La Ling (1977)
*
John Metgod (1978)
*
Arnold Mühren (1978)
*
Dick Nanninga (1978)
*
Piet Wildschut (1978)
*
Michel van de Korput (1979)
*
Huub Stevens (1979)
*
Simon Tahamata (1979)
*
Bennie Wijnstekers (1979)
*
Hans van Breukelen (1980)
*
Ronald Spelbos (1980)
*
Ruud Gullit (1981)
*
Wim Kieft (1981)
*
Frank Rijkaard (1981)
*
René van der Gijp (1982)
*
Gerald Vanenburg (1982)
*
Jan Wouters (1982)
*
Marco van Basten (1983)
*
Ronald Koeman (1983)
*
Sonny Silooy (1983)
*
Adri van Tiggelen (1983)
*
Danny Blind (1986)
*
John Bosman (1986)
*
John van 't Schip (1986)
*
Berry van Aerle (1987)
*
Aron Winter (1987)
*
Bryan Roy (1989)
*
Rob Witschge (1989)
*
Dennis Bergkamp (1990)
*
Frank de Boer (1990)
*
Stan Valckx (1990)
*
Richard Witschge (1990)
*
Wim Jonk (1992)
*
Arthur Numan (1992)
*
Peter van Vossen (1992)
*
Ronald de Boer (1993)
*
Marc Overmars (1993)
*
Edgar Davids (1994)
*
Patrick Kluivert (1994)
*
Clarence Seedorf (1994)
*
Edwin van der Sar (1995)
*
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (1996)
*
Roy Makaay (1996)
*
Jaap Stam (1996)
*
Cees van Hasselt 1905-1908
*
Edgar Chadwick 1908-1913
*
Billy Hunter 1914
*
Jack Reynolds 1919
*
Fred Warburton 1919-1923
*
Bob Glendenning 1923
*
Bill Townley 1924
*
J.E. Bollington 1924
*
Bob Glendenning 1925-1940
*
Karel Kaufman 1946
*
Jesse Carver 1947-1948
*
Tom Sneddon 1948
*
Karel Kaufman 1949
*
Jaap van der Leck 1949-1954
*
Karel Kaufman 1954-1955
*
Friedrich Donenfeld 1955
*
Max Merkel 1955-1956
*
Wudi Müller 1956
*
Friedrich Donenfeld 1956-1957
*
George Hardwick 1957
*
Elek Schwartz 1957-1964
*
Denis Neville 1964-1966
*
Georg Kessler 1966-1970
*
Frantisek Fadrhonc 1970-1974
*
Rinus Michels 1974
*
George Knobel 1974-1976
*
Jan Zwartkruis 1976-1977
*
Ernst Happel 1977-1978
*
Jan Zwartkruis 1978-1981
*
Kees Rijvers 1981-1984
*
Rinus Michels 1984-1985
*
Leo Beenhakker 1985-1986
*
Rinus Michels 1986-1988
*
Thijs Libregts 1988-1990
*
Leo Beenhakker 1990
*
Rinus Michels 1990-1992
*
Dick Advocaat 1992-1995
*
Guus Hiddink 1995-1998
*
Frank Rijkaard 1998-2000
*
Louis van Gaal 2000-2002
*
Dick Advocaat 2002-2004
*
Marco van Basten 2004-
Squad
Coach:
Marco Van Basten Manchester United}}
AZ Alkmaar}}
Hamburger SV}}
AZ Alkmaar}}
Barcelona}}
AZ Alkmaar}}
Feyenoord Rotterdam}}
PSV Eindhoven}}
Real Madrid}}
Hamburger SV}}
Chelsea}}
Liverpool}}
PSV Eindhoven}}
Ajax}}
AZ Alkmaar}}
Ajax}}
Arsenal}}
Barcelona}}
PSV Eindhoven}}
Ajax}}
Ajax}}
AZ Alkmaar}}
Ajax}}
Game information
|
| Netherlands lineup during the game against Portugal |
Most capped players
As of
June 25,
2006, the ten players with the most caps for the Netherlands are:
Top goalscorers
As of
June 21,
2006, the ten players with the most goals for the Netherlands are:
*
Netherlands national under-21 football team*
Netherlands women's national football team*
Royal Netherlands Football Association*
Aruba national football team*
Netherlands Antilles national football team*
Sint Maarten national football team*
Official site (in Dutch)*
Analysis of 2006 World Cup Performence*
RSSSF archive of results 1908-*
RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers*
RSSSF archive of coaches*
Netherlands National Football Team History*
Story of Holland at the 1974 World Cup*
Story of Holland at the 1978 World Cup*
Holland: "The unbearable Lightness of being Oranje..."*
Coca-Cola Cans set of Netherlands World Cup France 1998 National Football Team*
National stadium*
Reports of Holland Matches at the 2006 World Cup
