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Netherlands national football team

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Netherlands
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Oranje, Clockwork Orange,
Orange Crush, The Orangemen
AssociationKoninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond
(Royal Netherlands Football Association)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachNetherlands Marco van Basten, (2004-)
CaptainEdwin van der Sar
Most capsEdwin van der Sar (125)
Top scorerPatrick Kluivert (40)
Home stadiumAmsterdam ArenA, De Kuip, Philips Stadion
FIFA codeNED
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current10
Highest2 (November 1993)
Lowest25 (May 1998)
First international
Belgium Belgium 1 - 4 Netherlands Netherlands
(Antwerp, Belgium; 30 April 1905)
Biggest win
Netherlands Netherlands 9 - 0 Finland Finland
(Solna, Sweden; 4 July 1912)
Netherlands Netherlands 9 - 0 Norway Norway
(Rotterdam, Netherlands; 1 November 1972)
Biggest defeat
England England Amateur 12 - 2 Netherlands Netherlands
(Darlington, England; 21 December 1907)
World Cup
Appearances8 (first in 1934)
Best resultRunners-up, 1974 and 1978
European Championship
Appearances7 (first in 1976)
Best resultWinners, 1988

The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association. It won Euro 88 and reached two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 but lost both finals to their respective host nations, West Germany and Argentina. At the peak of its success in the 1970s, the team was famous for its mastery of Total Football and was nicknamed "Clockwork Orange" for its precision passing. In many countries the team is colloquially referred to as "Holland."

History

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.

The Dutch squad in 1934.

History to 1970

Not until a shift to a national league and full professionalism in the 1950s did the fortunes of the Netherlands improve at both club and international level. In the 1958 World Cup qualifiers, they finished 2 points behind Austria, having lost 3-2 in Vienna after leading 2-0. The team saw continuous improvement throughout the 1960s.

Total Football

They came out of this wilderness in the 1970s with the invention of Total Football (Dutch: Totaalvoetbal), pioneered by Ajax 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 Müller 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.

By comparison, Euro 76 was a disappointment. The Netherlands lost in the semi-finals to Czechoslovakia, as much because of infighting within the squad and because of coach George Knobel, as well as the skill of the eventual winners.

In 1978, the Netherlands again reached the final, only to be beaten by the hosts, Argentina. This side played without Johan Cruijff, Willem van Hanegem and Jan van Beveren, who refused to participate in the World Cup. It still contained players such as Johan 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 finished as runners up 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.

Euro 80 was the last tournament that the generation of Total Football qualified for, but they did not advance past the group stage, despite the tournament format being expanded that year. Veterans such as Krol and Rensenbrink retired soon afterwards and the Netherlands missed the 1982 World Cup, Euro 84 and 1986 World Cup in succession.

European Champions

Rinus Michels returned to coach the team for the Euro 88 tournament. After losing the first group match against the USSR (1-0), the Netherlands 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 89th minute of the game to sink 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 were toilet paper, an action Koeman later regretted.[1] The Netherlands won the final with a convincing victory over the USSR, a rematch on the round robin game, through a header by Ruud Gullit and a volley by Van Basten. This was the national team's first major tournament win and it restored them to the forefront of international football after almost a decade in wilderness.

Despite high expectations as the team entered the 1990 World Cup, that tournament was not a success. Van Basten failed to score, as he was frequently marked by opposing defenders, while Gullit was ineffective having not fully recovered from injury. The Dutch managed to advance despite drawing all three group games, meeting their arch-rivals West Germany in the round of 16. The match is most remembered for the spitting-incident involving Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler as the Netherlands lost 2-1.

The team subsequently reached the semi-finals in the Euro 92, which was noted for the emergence of Dennis Bergkamp, but they were eliminated by eventual champions Denmark, with Van Basten's kick in the penalty shootout being saved by Peter Schmeichel. This was also Van Basten's last major tournament, as he retired shortly after due to injury.

In the 1994 World Cup, Dennis Bergkamp led the team with 3 goals and the Netherlands advanced to the quarter-final, where they lost 3-2 to eventual champions Brazil.

1998 World Cup and Euro 2000

Dutch supporters

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, The Netherlands were 4-0 down and looked like finishing third behind Scotland on goal difference and going out of the tournament, but Patrick Kluivert converted a Dennis Bergkamp assist and scored in the 78th minute to see the Dutch finish second on goals scored. They then played France in the quarter-finals, drawing 0-0 and being eliminated 5-4 on penalties.

In 1998 World Cup, Netherlands, whose team included Marc Overmars, Phillip Cocu, Edgar Davids, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer and Patrick Kluivert, met Argentina in the quarterfinal, a rematch of the 1978 final. Near the end of regular time, after an unsuccessful dive to draw a penalty, Argentinian Ariel Ortega head-butted Edwin van der Sar.[2] Ortega was sent off and the Netherlands won 2-1 after a Bergkamp goal in the 89th minute. Bergkamp's goal was famous because of its quality--he touched down a 60-yard (55 m) pass from Frank de Boer then reverse-flicked it inside Roberto Ayala and finally volleyed it past the Argentine goalkeeper. In the semi-final, 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 2-1 to upstart Croatia.

Netherlands co-hosted Euro 2000 with Belgium and were one of the favourites coming into the tournament. Getting all three wins in the group stage, including a win over reigning World Cup champions France, they then crushed Yugoslavia 6-1 in the quarter-finals, with Kluivert getting a hat-trick. In the semi-finals, their opponents Italy went down to ten men in the first half and the Netherlands were awarded two penalty kicks but failed to convert either chance. Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo made two saves in the shootout (in addition to his penalty save in regulation time) to eliminate the Netherlands. Coach Frank Rijkaard was widely criticized by the press as the Dutch had squandered several chances to kill the game and he resigned, with Louis van Gaal taking over. Dennis Bergkamp retired from the national team after Euro 2000, having failed to score during the tournament.

Recent

Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup

Netherlands failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, with crucial losses to Portugal and the Republic of Ireland, the latter of which eliminated them from the Finals tournament. Van Gaal resigned at the conclusion of the Netherlands' unsuccessful campaign.

Netherlands reached the semifinals of Euro 2004 but lost to Portugal. Coach Dick Advocaat was criticized for his tactics and player changes and stepped down after the tournament. Also, many of the team's World Cup veterans like Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Marc Overmars, Jaap Stam, and Patrick Kluivert had either retired or were not selected for the upcoming World Cup by new coach Marco van Basten.

Training in Germany.

The Netherlands qualified for the 2006 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[3]. 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 Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. The move was widely regarded as a vote of confidence in Van Basten and his assistants by the KNVB officials.[4]

The Netherlands began their Euro 2008 campaign with a win in Luxembourg on 2 September 2006. On September 8, 2007 the Oranje beat Bulgaria at the Amsterdam ArenA on goals by Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy. On September 12, 2007, the Netherlands won a hard fought victory against Albania, with Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring the winning goal in stoppage time. This win takes the Dutch squad into second place in group G, on level with Romania for points, but behind on goal differential. The Oranje were beaten 1-0 in Romania on October 13, 2007, but four days later the Netherlands' 2-0 victory over Slovenia, while rivals Bulgaria could only draw in Albania, left the Dutch needing one win from their last two games, at home to Luxembourg and away to Belarus, to qualify for Euro 2008.

The Netherlands played their first game in 2008 against Croatia in Split. The team, without Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie, Clarence Seedorf, Orlando Engelaar, and Arjen Robben, won the match 3-0. The first goal was scored by John Heitinga on a header, while Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored the second goal on assist from Tim de Cler. The final goal came from Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. The team used a new formation under Marco van Basten, scrapping the previously used 4-3-3 formation for a 4-2-3-1.

Strip

Coat of arms of the Netherlands
Dutch fans wearing the traditional orange colours of the national team at a 2006 World Cup match at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart

The Netherlands national football team does not wear the colours of the Dutch flag of today, but instead plays in bright orange. Orange is the historic national colour 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 is nassau blue.

Nike is the kit provider to the national team, a sponsorship that began in 1996 and is contracted to continue until at least 2018.

Rivalry with Germany

Main article: Germany and Netherlands football rivalry

The Dutch national football team has a long standing rivalry with Germany. Although it might date back to the Second World War, usually people date it to the 1974 World Cup, where the Netherlands lost the final to West 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 slid the winning goal in the last minute past the German keeper, and the game in the Round of 16 in the 1990 World Cup, with Germany beating the Dutch after an infamous spitting incident involving Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler.

Competitive record

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Template:2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 9

Current squad

EURO 2008 squad (23 players)
Date announced May 27 2008

Caps and goals as of May 27, 2008.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Edwin van der Sar 29 October 1970 125 0 England Manchester United
16 1GK Maarten Stekelenburg 22 September 1982 11 0 Netherlands Ajax
13 1GK Henk Timmer 3 December 1971 5 0 Netherlands Feyenoord
21 2DF Khalid Boulahrouz 28 December 1981 22 0 Spain Sevilla
14 2DF Wilfred Bouma 15 June 1978 33 2 England Aston Villa
15 2DF Tim de Cler 8 November 1978 13 0 Netherlands Feyenoord
3 2DF John Heitinga 15 November 1983 34 5 Spain Atlético Madrid
4 2DF Joris Mathijsen 5 April 1980 30 2 Germany Hamburger SV
12 2DF Mario Melchiot 4 November 1976 20 0 England Wigan Athletic
2 2DF André Ooijer 11 July 1974 35 2 England Blackburn Rovers
5 2DF Giovanni van Bronckhorst 5 February 1975 76 4 Netherlands Feyenoord
6 3MF Demy de Zeeuw 26 May 1983 13 0 Netherlands AZ
8 3MF Orlando Engelaar 24 August 1979 4 0 Netherlands FC Twente
17 3MF Nigel de Jong 30 November 1984 22 0 Germany Hamburger SV
20 3MF Ibrahim Afellay 2 April 1986 3 0 Netherlands PSV
10 3MF Wesley Sneijder 9 June 1984 44 9 Spain Real Madrid
11 3MF Arjen Robben 23 January 1984 32 9 Spain Real Madrid
23 3MF Rafael van der Vaart 11 February 1983 53 12 Germany Hamburger SV
7 4FW Robin van Persie 6 August 1983 24 7 England Arsenal
18 4FW Dirk Kuyt 22 July 1980 36 7 England Liverpool
9 4FW Ruud van Nistelrooy 1 July 1976 60 31 Spain Real Madrid
19 4FW Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 12 August 1983 12 7 Netherlands Ajax

Recent call-up

The following players have all recently been called up to the Netherlands squad. Bracket shows last call-up time.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Sander Boschker (Friendly v. Ukraine, 24 May 2008) 20 October 1970 0 0 Netherlands FC Twente
1GK Piet Velthuizen (Friendly v. Austria, 26 March 2008) 3 November 1986 0 0 Netherlands Vitesse
1GK Boy Waterman (Euro 2008 qual. v. Slovenia, 17 October 2007) 24 January 1984 0 0 Netherlands AZ
2DF Urby Emanuelson (Friendly v. Austria, 26 March 2008) 16 June 1986 11 0 Netherlands Ajax
2DF Kew Jaliens (Euro 2008 qual. v. Belarus, 21 October 2007) 15 September 1978 10 0 Netherlands AZ
3MF Denny Landzaat (Friendly v. Ukraine, 24 May 2008) 6 May 1976 37 1 Netherlands Feyenoord
3MF Clarence Seedorf (Friendly v. Austria, 26 March 2008) 1 April 1976 87 11 Italy AC Milan
3MF David Mendes da Silva (Friendly v. Croatia, 6 February 2008) 4 August 1982 1 0 Netherlands AZ
4FW Danny Koevermans (Euro 2008 qual. v. Belarus, 21 October 2007) 1 November 1978 4 1 Netherlands PSV
4FW Romeo Castelen (Friendly v. Thailand, 6 June 2007) 3 May 1983 10 1 Germany Hamburger SV
4FW Andwélé Slory (Friendly v. Thailand, 6 June 2007) 27 September 1982 2 0 Netherlands Feyenoord

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup squads
UEFA European Football Championship squads

Past managers

Players

Notable past players

Listed according to when they debuted for Netherlands (year in parentheses):


References

  1. ^ "Cheeseheads vs Krauts": 30 Years of Enmity, Ajax-USA.com, June 14, 2004
  2. ^ Phil Jones (1998-07-04). "The Netherlands pay back controversial loss to Argentina". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  3. ^ Stuart Watt (2006-06-26). "Portugal wins battle of Nuremberg". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  4. ^ "Van Basten on right track". Football.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-22.

See also

Titles

Preceded by European Champions
1988 (First title) 		Succeeded by

Template:World Soccer Magazine Team of the Year

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