Netherlands
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Clockwork Orange
Holland
Oranje
The Flying Dutchmen
Association Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (KNVB)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Louis van Gaal[1]
Asst coach Danny Blind
Patrick Kluivert[1]
Captain Wesley Sneijder[2]
Most caps Edwin van der Sar (130)
Top scorer Patrick Kluivert (40)
Home stadium Amsterdam Arena (52,500)
De Kuip (48,500)
Philips Stadion (35,000)
FIFA code NED
FIFA ranking 7[3]
Highest FIFA ranking 1[4] (August 2011 ? September 2011)
Lowest FIFA ranking 25 (May 1998)
Elo ranking 5
Highest Elo ranking 1 (Mar 1911 ? Mar 1912, Jun 1912, Aug 1920; Jun 1978, Jun 1988 ? Jun 1990, Jun?Sep 1992, Jun 2002, Jun?Sep 2003, Oct 2005, Jun 2008, Jul 2010.)
Lowest Elo ranking 56 (October 1954)
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Belgium 1?4 Netherlands Netherlands
(Antwerp, Belgium; 30 April 1905)
Biggest win
Netherlands Netherlands 11?0 San Marino 
(Eindhoven, Netherlands; 2 September 2011)
Biggest defeat
England England Am. 12?2 Netherlands Netherlands
(Darlington, England; 21 December 1907)[5]
World Cup
Appearances 10 (First in 1934)
Best result Runners-Up, 1974, 1978 and 2010
European Championship
Appearances 9 (First in 1976)
Best result Winners, 1988

The Netherlands National Football Team (Dutch: Nederlands nationaal voetbalelftal) has represented the Netherlands in association football since 1905. It is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands.

The team is colloquially referred to as Het Nederlands Elftal (The Dutch Eleven) and Oranje, after the House of Orange-Nassau. The Dutch hold the record for playing the most World Cup finals without ever winning the final. They finished second in the 1974, 1978 and 2010 World Cups, losing to West Germany, Argentina and Spain respectively. They won the European Championship in 1988. At the peak of their success in the 1970s, the team was famous for its mastery of Total Football.

In August 2011, the team was ranked number 1 in the FIFA World Rankings, thus becoming the second national football team, after Spain, to top the rankings without previously winning a World Cup.

Contents

History[edit]

Dutch squad for their first international match

The Netherlands played their first international match in Antwerp against Belgium on 30 April 1905. The players were selected by a five-member commission from the Dutch football association. After 90 minutes, the score was 1?1, but because the match was for a trophy (the "Coupe van den Abeele"), the game went into extra time, in which Eddy de Neve scored three times, making the score 4?1 for the Dutch side.[6]

The Netherlands made their first appearance at the World Cup final tournament in 1934. After a second appearance in 1938 it took till 1974 before they performed on the highest stage again.

Total Football in the 1970s[edit]

The 1970s saw the invention of Total Football (Dutch: Totaalvoetbal), pioneered by Feyenoord and Ajax and led by playmaker Johan Cruyff and national team coach Rinus Michels. The Dutch made huge strides, qualifying for two World Cup finals in the decade. The captain of the Brazilian team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Carlos Alberto, went on to say "The only team I?ve seen that did things differently was Holland at the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Since then everything looks more or less the same to me?. Their ?carousel? style of play was amazing to watch and marvellous for the game."[7]

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. However, supported by the crowd, a converted penalty by Paul Breitner and the winner from Gerd M?ller led to a victory for the Germans.

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-N0716-0311, Fu?ball-WM, BRD - Niederlande 2-1.jpg
The Dutch team before their 1?2 loss against West Germany in the final of the 1974 World Cup

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

In 1978, the Netherlands again reached the final of a World Cup, only to be beaten by the host, this time 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 Johan Neeskens, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Ruud Krol, Wim Jansen, Jan Jongbloed, Wim Suurbier and Rob Rensenbrink from the 1974 selection. The Netherlands were less impressive in the group stages. They qualified 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. Unfortunately for the Dutch, Rensenbrink hit the Argentinian post in the last minute of normal time, with the score 1?1.

Failure: 1982?86[edit]

Euro '80 was the last tournament for which the Total Football qualified, 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 the 1986 World Cup in succession. Qualification for Euro 1984 was within reach, but the Dutch ended the campaign on the same number of points as rivals Spain, and the same goal difference ( 16). Spain advanced having scored two more goals. The failure to reach the 1986 World Cup was also very close. In a play off with neighbours Belgium, the Netherlands lost 1?0 in Brussels, but were leading 2?0 in the home leg in Rotterdam with a few minutes remaining. Belgium scored to end the tie 2?1, and overall play off 2?2. Belgium advanced on the away goal rule.

European champions[edit]

The 1988 trophy on display in Amsterdam

Rinus Michels returned to coach the team for the Euro '88 tournament. After losing the first group match against the Soviet Union (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 stated he regretted.[8] 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 for the next three years after almost a decade in the wilderness.

Despite high expectations as the team entered the 1990 World Cup, the 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 V?ller as the Netherlands lost 2?1.

The team 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 to be van Basten's last major tournament as he suffered a serious ankle injury shortly after, eventually conceding defeat and retiring at the age of 30 in 1995.

In the 1994 World Cup, in the absence of the injured van Basten and the striking Gullit, Dennis Bergkamp led the team with three goals and the Netherlands advanced to the quarter-finals, where they lost 3?2 to eventual champions Brazil.

1996?2004[edit]

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.

The Netherlands at Euro 96 in a match against Scotland.

In the 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 quarter-final, 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.[9] 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 third place match 2?1 to upstart Croatia. Soon after the World Cup exit manager Guus Hiddink resigned after two tournaments in charge and was replaced by legendary ex-midfielder Frank Rijkaard.

Patrick Kluivert the team's leading scorer of all time was a crucial component to the rise of the Oranje in France 1998 and Euro 2000

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. Dennis Bergkamp, who failed to score during the tournament, retired from the national team after Euro 2000 (partly due to his fear of flying effectively ruling him out from the 2002 World Cup which was to be held in East Asia.) Coach Frank Rijkaard was widely criticized by the press after the defeat to the Italians as the Dutch had squandered several chances to kill the game. Rijkaard resigned, with Louis van Gaal taking over. Van Gaal is credited with initially bringing through the backbone of this Dutch side whilst manager of Ajax during the mid nineties, including Edwin van der Sar, Edgar Davids, Michael Reiziger, Clarence Seedorf, Marc Overmars, Patrick Kluivert and the De Boer twins.

Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup

Surprisingly the 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.

Dick Advocaat returned to coach the Netherlands for a second time and led the team to the semifinals of Euro 2004 but lost to Portugal and, after receiving criticism for his tactics and player changes, stepped down. This was to be the end for many of the team's World Cup veterans (mostly made up of the Ajax generation of 1995.) Frank and 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.

2006?2010[edit]

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 C?te d'Ivoire (2?1) and drawing Argentina (0?0). Both Argentina and the Netherlands finished the group stage with seven 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 1?0 to Portugal, in a match that produced 16 yellow cards (which matched the World Cup record for most cautions in one game set in 2002) and set a new World Cup record of four red cards (two for either side) and was nicknamed "the Battle of Nuremberg" by the press.[10] 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.[11]

Netherlands ? France at Euro 2008

The Netherlands began their Euro 2008 campaign with a win in Luxembourg on 2 September 2006. On 8 September 2007, the Oranje beat Bulgaria at the Amsterdam Arena on goals by Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy. On 12 September 2007, the Netherlands won a hard fought victory against Albania, with van Nistelrooy scoring the winning goal in stoppage time. This win took the Dutch squad into second place in Group G, on par with Romania for points, but behind on goal differential. The Oranje were beaten 1?0 in Romania on 13 October 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 an 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.

The Dutch team was a participant in the "Group of Death", together with France, Italy, and Romania. They began Euro 2008 with a 3?0 win over World Cup Champion Italy in Bern on 9 June 2008. This was the Netherlands' first victory over Italy since 1978. In their second group match against France on 13 June 2008, the Netherlands won convincingly with a 4?1 score. The Dutch closed out an incredible group stage campaign with a 2?0 win over Romania. However, they lost in the quarter-final to former coach Guus Hiddink's Russia by 3?1, despite a late 86th minute equalizer by Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Netherlands ? Denmark at the 2010 World Cup

Under new coach Bert van Marwijk, the Dutch team went on to secure a 100 percent record in their World Cup 2010 qualification campaign, winning all eight games and becoming the first European team to qualify for the World Cup. The World Cup Draw in Cape Town on the 4 December 2009 saw the Dutch being placed alongside Denmark, Cameroon and Japan in Group E. On June 14 the Dutch won 2?0 against Denmark in their opener at the World Cup. On June 19 they then beat Japan 1?0 with a goal from Wesley Sneijder. They were the first team to qualify for the Round of 16 after a 2?1 victory from Denmark over Cameroon. In the first knockout round they faced Slovakia. At the end it was 2?1 victory after goals from Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder. The conceded goal came in injury time from a penalty taken by R?bert Vittek. They advanced to the semifinals with a 2?1 victory over the favoured Brazilians on July 2, 2010. Brazil, who had held a 1?0 lead at the half, was the favourite to win the cup, had never lost in 37 World Cup matches (35?0?2) in which they had held a halftime lead. The first Dutch goal was originally ruled an own goal by Felipe Melo, but was later officially changed to a goal by Wesley Sneijder. The second came from a corner kick headed into the net by Wesley Sneijder despite being the shortest player on the field. In the semi-final the Dutch beat Uruguay 3?2 to advance to their first World Cup final since 1978. The Dutch hoped to cap off an undefeated run through the World Cup, but lost to Spain 1?0 after midfielder Andres Iniesta scored in extra time. This final also became Giovanni van Bronckhorst's last match in professional football.

Euro 2012[edit]

The Netherlands in 2011.

The Dutch went on after the World Cup tournament and started with the full score of 24 points from 8 matches in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.[12]

In between the qualification matches, the team went on a trip to South America for rematches of the World Cup quarter and semi-finals against Brazil and Uruguay. Although the matches ended in draws, coach Bert van Marwijk saw it as "a good test for his players, to prove they were fit to overcome hostile circumstances also."

On 2 September 2011, the Netherlands defeated San Marino 11?0, their biggest victory in history.[13]

On 6 September 2011, the Dutch defeated Finland 2?0, ensuring a place at the Euro 2012, either as Group E winner or as the best runners-ups. They later secured the top spot in the group with a 1?0 win over Moldova.

Team
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 10 9 0 1 37 8 +29 27
 Sweden 10 8 0 2 31 11 +20 24
 Hungary 10 6 1 3 22 14 +8 19
 Finland 10 3 1 6 16 16 0 10
 Moldova 10 3 0 7 12 16 −4 9
 San Marino 10 0 0 10 0 53 −53 0

Finals

The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2011 at the Ukraine Palace of Arts in Kiev, Ukraine.[14][15] Netherlands was placed in Group B along with Germany, Portugal, and Denmark, thus making it the group of death. On 17 June 2012, Netherlands lost to Portugal in a 2?1 defeat and exited the competition, having lost all three matches in the group. Johan Cruyff criticized the team's star players of poor build up play and sloppy execution of the easy passes.[16][17]

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Germany 3 3 0 0 5 2 +3 9
 Portugal 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1 6
 Denmark 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
 Netherlands 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0
9 June 2012
19:00 UTC 3
Netherlands  0?1  Denmark
Report Krohn-Dehli Goal 24'
Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv
Attendance: 35,923
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

13 June 2012
21:45 UTC 3
Netherlands  1?2  Germany
Van Persie Goal 73' Report G?mez Goal 24'38'
Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv
Attendance: 37,750
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)

17 June 2012
21:45 UTC 3
Portugal  2?1  Netherlands
Ronaldo Goal 28'74' Report Van der Vaart Goal 11'
Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv
Attendance: 37,445
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)

2014 FIFA World Cup[edit]

On 30 July 2011 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary draw, the Netherlands were placed in Group D. They commence their qualifying campaign in late 2012 in a group that features contenders Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia and Andorra[18]

Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification ? UEFA Group D

Last 10 and known next games[edit]

Date Venue Opponent Competition Result Scorers
June 2, 2012 Amsterdam Arena,  Netherlands  Northern Ireland Friendly match 6?0 W van Persie Goal 11'29'
Sneijder Goal 16'
Afellay Goal 37'52'
Vlaar Goal 78'
June 9, 2012 Metalist Stadium,  Ukraine  Denmark UEFA Euro 2012 0?1 L
June 13, 2012 Metalist Stadium,  Ukraine  Germany UEFA Euro 2012 1?2 L van Persie Goal 73'
June 17, 2012 Metalist Stadium,  Ukraine  Portugal UEFA Euro 2012 1?2 L van der Vaart Goal 11'
August 15, 2012 King Baudouin Stadium,  Belgium  Belgium Friendly match 4?2 L Narsingh Goal 55'
Huntelaar Goal 56'
September 7, 2012 Amsterdam Arena,  Netherlands  Turkey WCQ2014 2?0 W van Persie Goal 17'
Narsingh Goal 90 3'
September 11, 2012 Ferenc Pusk?s Stadium,  Hungary  Hungary WCQ2014 4?1 W Lens Goal 3'53'
Martins Indi Goal 19'
Huntelaar Goal 74'
October 12, 2012 De Kuip,  Netherlands  Andorra WCQ2014 3?0 W van der Vaart Goal 7'
Huntelaar Goal 15'
Schaken Goal 50'
October 16, 2012 Arena Na?ional?,  Romania  Romania WCQ2014 4?1 W Lens Goal 10'
Martins Indi Goal 29'
Van Der Vaart Goal 45 3'
Van Persie Goal 86'
November 14, 2012 Amsterdam Arena,  Netherlands  Germany Friendly match 0-0 D
February 6, 2013 Amsterdam Arena,  Netherlands  Italy Friendly match
March 22, 2013 Amsterdam Arena,  Netherlands  Estonia WCQ2014
March 26, 2013 Amsterdam Arena,  Netherlands  Romania WCQ2014
September 6, 2013 unknown,  Estonia  Estonia WCQ2014
September 10, 2013 unknown,  Andorra  Andorra WCQ2014
October 11, 2013 Amsterdam Arena,  Netherlands  Hungary WCQ2014
October 15, 2013 unknown,  Turkey  Turkey WCQ2014

KEY: WCQ2014 = 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Colours[edit]

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 famously plays in bright orange shirts. 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 black, with an orange rectangle surrounding the Nike Swoosh and continuing to the top of the shoulder.

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

Kit history[edit]

1974
1978
1988
1990 Home
1990 Away
1994 Home
1994 Away
1998 Home
1998 Away
2000 Home
2000 Away
2006 Home
2006 Away
2008 Home
2008 Away
2010 Home
2010 Away
2010 Special Home
2010 Special Away
2012 Home
2012 Away

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup record[edit]

Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Uruguay 1930 Did Not Enter
Italy 1934 Round 1 9th 1 0 0 1 2 3
France 1938 Round 1 14th 1 0 0 1 0 3
Brazil 1950 Did Not Enter
Switzerland 1954 Round 1 9th 3 1 0 2 10 11
Sweden 1958 Did Not Qualify
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974 Final 2nd 7 5 1 1 15 3
Argentina 1978 Final 2nd 7 3 2 2 15 10
Spain 1982 Did Not Qualify
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990 Round of 16 15th 4 0 3 1 3 4
United States 1994 Quarter-Final 7th 5 3 0 2 8 6
France 1998 Semi-Final 4th 7 3 3 1 13 7
South Korea Japan 2002 Did Not Qualify
Germany 2006 Round of 16 11th 4 2 1 1 3 2
South Africa 2010 Final 2nd 7 6 0 1 12 6
Brazil 2014 Group Stage 17th 3 1 0 2 5 5
Russia 2018
Qatar 2022
Total 10/20 3 Finals 56 28 11 17 96 66

UEFA European Championship record[edit]

Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
France 1960 Did Not Enter
Spain 1964 Did Not Qualify
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Third Place 3rd 2 1 0 1 4 5
Italy 1980 Group Stage 5th 3 1 1 1 4 4
France 1984 Did Not Qualify
West Germany 1988 Champions 1st 5 4 0 1 8 3
Sweden 1992 Third Place 3rd 5 3 2 0 12 4
England 1996 Quarter Final 8th 4 1 2 1 3 4
Netherlands|Belgium 2000 Third Place 3rd 6 5 1 0 19 4
Portugal 2004 Third Place 3rd 6 2 2 2 11 8
Switzerland 2008 Quarter-finals 3rd 6 3 1 2 13 9
Poland|Ukraine 2012 Group Stage 15st 6 6 0 0 19 2
France 2016 To Be Determined
Total 1 Titles 9/14 43 26 9 7 93 43

Summer Olympics[edit]

Host nation(s) / Year Result GP W D* L GS GA
United Kingdom 1908 Third place 2 1 0 1 2 4
Sweden 1912 Third place 4 3 0 1 17 8
Belgium 1920 Third place 4 2 0 2 9 10
France 1924 Fourth place 5 2 1 2 11 7
Netherlands 1928 Round 1 1 0 0 1 0 2
United Kingdom 1948 First Round 2 1 0 1 6 5
Finland 1952 Preliminary Round 1 0 0 1 1 5
China 2008 Quarter Finals 4 1 2 1 4 4
Total 8/31 23 10 3 10 50 45
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.
***Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Coaching staff[edit]

Position Name Notes
Manager Netherlands Louis van Gaal
Assistant Manager Netherlands Danny Blind
Assistant Manager Netherlands Patrick Kluivert
Goalkeeping Coach Netherlands Frans Hoek
Fitness Coach Netherlands Rene Wormhoudt
Team Manager Netherlands Hans Jorritsma
Head Scout Netherlands Ronald Spelbos
Physician Netherlands Gert-Jan Goudswaard
Physiotherapist Netherlands Arno Philips
Other Staff Netherlands Rob Koster
Netherlands Carlo De Leeuw
U-21 Manager Netherlands Cor Pot
U-19 Manager Netherlands Wim van Zwam
U-17 Manager Netherlands Albert Stuivenberg

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were called up to the squad for the match vs. Germany.

Caps and goals updated as October 16, 2012 after the match against Romania.

No. Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Kenneth Vermeer (1986-01-10) January 10, 1986 (age 27) 1 0 Netherlands Ajax
22 1GK Tim Krul (1988-04-03) April 3, 1988 (age 25) 4 0 England Newcastle United
23 1GK Jeroen Zoet (1991-01-06) January 6, 1991 (age 22) 0 0 Netherlands RKC Waalwijk
2 2DF Ricardo van Rhijn (1991-06-13) June 13, 1991 (age 22) 5 0 Netherlands Ajax
3 2DF John Heitinga (1983-11-15) November 15, 1983 (age 30) 85 7 England Everton
4 2DF Ron Vlaar (1985-02-16) February 16, 1985 (age 28) 14 1 England Aston Villa
5 2DF Bruno Martins Indi (1992-02-08) February 8, 1992 (age 21) 6 2 Netherlands Feyenoord
12 2DF Daryl Janmaat (1989-07-22) July 22, 1989 (age 24) 2 0 Netherlands Feyenoord
13 2DF Stefan de Vrij (1992-02-05) February 5, 1992 (age 21) 1 0 Netherlands Feyenoord
14 2DF Joris Mathijsen (1980-04-05) April 5, 1980 (age 33) 84 3 Netherlands Feyenoord
15 2DF Jetro Willems (1994-03-30) March 30, 1994 (age 19) 8 0 Netherlands PSV
6 3MF Nigel de Jong (1984-11-30) November 30, 1984 (age 29) 67 1 Italy Milan
8 3MF Ibrahim Afellay (1986-04-02) April 2, 1986 (age 27) 44 5 Germany Schalke 04
10 3MF Rafael van der Vaart (1983-02-11) February 11, 1983 (age 30) 103 21 Germany Hamburger SV
16 3MF Jordy Clasie (1991-06-27) June 27, 1991 (age 22) 2 0 Netherlands Feyenoord
18 3MF Marco van Ginkel (1992-12-01) December 1, 1992 (age 21) 1 0 Netherlands Vitesse
20 3MF Urby Emanuelson (1986-06-16) June 16, 1986 (age 27) 16 0 Italy Milan
7 4FW Ruben Schaken (1982-04-03) April 3, 1982 (age 31) 2 1 Netherlands Feyenoord
9 4FW Dirk Kuyt (1980-07-22) July 22, 1980 (age 33) 92 24 Turkey Fenerbah?e
11 4FW Arjen Robben (1984-01-23) January 23, 1984 (age 29) 63 17 Germany Bayern Munchen
17 4FW Eljero Elia (1987-02-13) February 13, 1987 (age 26) 27 2 Germany Werder Bremen
19 4FW Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (1983-08-12) August 12, 1983 (age 30) 59 34 Germany Schalke 04
21 4FW Bas Dost (1989-05-31) May 31, 1989 (age 24) 0 0 Germany VfL Wolfsburg

Recent call-ups[edit]

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Call-up
GK Maarten Stekelenburg (1982-09-22) September 22, 1982 (age 31) 54 0 Italy Roma v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
GK Michel Vorm (1983-10-20) October 20, 1983 (age 30) 9 0 Wales Swansea City v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
GK Jasper Cillessen (1989-04-22) April 22, 1989 (age 24) 0 0 Netherlands Ajax UEFA Euro 2012 preliminary squad
GK Erwin Mulder (1989-03-03) March 3, 1989 (age 24) 0 0 Netherlands Feyenoord UEFA Euro 2012 preliminary squad
DF Douglas (1988-01-12) January 12, 1988 (age 25) 0 0 Netherlands FC Twente v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
DF Nick Viergever (1989-08-03) August 3, 1989 (age 24) 1 0 Netherlands AZ v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
DF Khalid Boulahrouz (1981-09-28) September 28, 1981 (age 32) 35 0 Portugal Sporting Lisbon v. preliminary  Turkey, September 7, 2012
DF Wilfred Bouma (1978-06-15) June 15, 1978 (age 35) 37 2 Netherlands PSV UEFA Euro 2012
DF Gregory van der Wiel (1988-02-03) February 3, 1988 (age 25) 35 0 France Paris Saint-Germain UEFA Euro 2012
DF Alexander B?ttner (1989-02-11) February 11, 1989 (age 24) 0 0 England Manchester United UEFA Euro 2012 preliminary squad
DF Erik Pieters (1988-07-08) July 8, 1988 (age 25) 15 0 Netherlands PSV v.  England, February 29, 2012INJ
DF Jeffrey Bruma (1991-11-13) November 13, 1991 (age 22) 4 0 Germany Hamburger SV v.  England, February 29, 2012
MF Kevin Strootman (1990-02-13) February 13, 1990 (age 23) 15 1 Netherlands PSV v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
MF Wesley Sneijder (1984-06-09) June 9, 1984 (age 29) 90 24 Italy Internazionale v.  Hungary, September 11, 2012INJ
MF Adam Maher (1993-07-20) July 20, 1993 (age 20) 2 0 Netherlands AZ v.  Hungary, September 11, 2012
MF Leroy Fer (1990-01-05) January 5, 1990 (age 23) 2 0 Netherlands Twente v.  Turkey, September 7, 2012INJ
MF Stijn Schaars (1984-01-11) January 11, 1984 (age 29) 19 0 Portugal Sporting Lisbon v. preliminary  Turkey, September 7, 2012INJ
MF Hedwiges Maduro (1985-02-13) February 13, 1985 (age 28) 18 0 Spain Sevilla UEFA Euro 2012 preliminary squad
MF Vurnon Anita (1989-04-04) April 4, 1989 (age 24) 3 0 England Newcastle United UEFA Euro 2012 preliminary squad
MF Georginio Wijnaldum (1990-11-11) November 11, 1990 (age 23) 2 1 Netherlands PSV UEFA Euro 2012 preliminary squad
MF Siem de Jong (1989-01-28) January 28, 1989 (age 24) 1 0 Netherlands Ajax UEFA Euro 2012 preliminary squad
FW Robin van Persie (1983-08-06) August 6, 1983 (age 30) 71 31 England Manchester United v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
FW Jeremain Lens (1987-11-24) November 24, 1987 (age 26) 8 4 Netherlands PSV v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
FW Luciano Narsingh (1990-09-13) September 13, 1990 (age 23) 6 2 Netherlands PSV v.  Romania, October 16, 2012
FW Luuk de Jong (1990-08-27) August 27, 1990 (age 23) 7 1 Germany M?nchengladbach v.  Hungary, September 11, 2012
FW Ola John (1992-05-19) May 19, 1992 (age 21) 0 0 Portugal Benfica v. preliminary  Turkey, September 7, 2012
Notes

INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.

Past managers[edit]

Individual all-time records[edit]

  Still active players are highlighted

Most capped players[edit]

# Player National career Matches Goals Total career
1. Edwin van der Sar 1995?2008 130 0 1988?2011
2. Frank de Boer 1990?2004 112 13 1988?2005
3. Giovanni van Bronckhorst 1996?2010 106 6 1993?2010
4. Rafael van der Vaart 2001?0000 103 21 2000?0000
5. Phillip Cocu 1996?2006 101 10 1988?2008
6. Dirk Kuyt 2004?0000 92 24 2000?0000
7. Wesley Sneijder 2003?0000 90 24 2002?0000
8. Clarence Seedorf 1994?2008 88 11 1998?0000
9. Marc Overmars 1993?2004 86 17 1990?2009
10. John Heitinga 2004?0000 85 7 2001?0000
11. Aron Winter 1987?2000 84 6 1986?2003
Joris Mathijsen 2004?0000 84 3 1998?0000
13. Ruud Krol 1969?1983 83 4 1968?1986
14. Dennis Bergkamp 1990?2000 79 37 1986?2006
Patrick Kluivert 1994?2004 79 40 1994?2008
Mark van Bommel 2000?2012 79 10 1992?0000
17. Ronald Koeman 1983?1994 78 14 1980?1997
18. Edgar Davids 1994?2005 74 6 1992?2010
19. Hans van Breukelen 1980?1992 73 0 1976?1994
Frank Rijkaard 1980?1994 73 10 1980?1995
Last updated: 14 November 2012
Source: voetbalstats.nl (Dutch)

Most goals scored[edit]

# Player National career Goals Matches Average Total career
1. Patrick Kluivert 1994?2004 40 79 0.51 1994?2008
2. Dennis Bergkamp 1990?2000 37 79 0.47 1986?2006
3. Faas Wilkes 1946?1961 35 38 0.92 1940?1964
Ruud van Nistelrooy 1998?2011 35 70 0.50 1994?2012
5. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 2006?0000 34 59 0.57 2002?0000
6. Abe Lenstra 1940?1959 33 47 0.70 1935?1963
Johan Cruyff 1966?1977 33 48 0.69 1964?1984
8. Robin van Persie 2004?0000 31 71 0.44 2001?0000
9. Bep Bakhuys 1928?1937 28 23 1.22 1925?1946
10. Kick Smit 1935?1946 26 29 0.90 1924?1950

Last updated: 14 November 2012
Source: voetbalstats.nl (Dutch)

Titles[edit]

The bronze medalists of the 1912 Summer Olympics

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Van Gaal bondscoach, Oranje, Blind assistent" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012. 
  2. ^ http://voetbalzone.nl/doc.asp?uid=170871
  3. ^ "Netherlands: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. Retrieved 3 October 2012. 
  4. ^ The Netherlands reached the top spot in the FIFA ranking on August 10, 2011. FIFA will publish the ranking on August 24.
  5. ^ Note that this match is not considered to be a full international by the English FA, and does not appear in the records of the England team
  6. ^ "Netherlands: Full "A" internationals (1905?1910)". International Federation of Football History Statistics. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  7. ^ "Tactics: Were Holland 1974 the last true innovators?". Football Further. 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
  8. ^ "Cheeseheads vs Krauts": 30 Years of Enmity, Ajax-USA.com, June 14, 2004
  9. ^ Phil Jones (1998-07-04). "The Netherlands pay back controversial loss to Argentina". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  10. ^ Stuart Watt (2006-06-26). "Portugal wins battle of Nuremberg". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  11. ^ "Van Basten on right track". Football.co.uk. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2012. 
  12. ^ Berend Scholten (29 March 2011). "Kuyt kills off brave Hungary for Netherlands". UEFA. Retrieved 4 May 2012. 
  13. ^ Berend Scholten (2 September 2011). "San Marino on the end of record Netherlands win". UEFA. Retrieved 4 May 2012. 
  14. ^ "December date for EURO finals draw in Kyiv". UEFA. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2012. 
  15. ^ "EURO draw throws up fascinating group tests". UEFA. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2012. 
  16. ^ Cruyff: Star players didn't deliver for Netherlands, 2012-06-19.
  17. ^ Johan Cruyff kritisiert Oranje-Team, der Standard, 2012-06-19
  18. ^ "The Preliminary Draw results in full". FIFA.com. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2012. 

External links[edit]

Preceded by
1984 ? France 
European Champions
1988 (First title)
Succeeded by
1992 ? Denmark 
Awards
Preceded by
1999 Brazil 
FIFA Team of the Year
2000
Succeeded by
2001 Honduras