Dutch international football during the past 10 years has certainly been eventful. From Euro 2000 to Euro’08, Holland has always been among the tournament favourites in the past decade.
However, the Oranje haven’t won a major trophy since Euro’88, when they beat the USSR in Germany. They came close to reaching the final in 2000, but were eventually miraculously eliminated by Italy in the semi-finals.
Another opponent the Dutch don’t especially like is Portugal. The Southern Europeans prevented Holland from qualifying for the World Cup in 2002 and ended their title dreams in 2004 and 2006, too.
Holland might have had some tricky times but they certainly have had a number of world class players since 2000.
Formation: 4-3-1-2
Goalkeeper
Edwin van der Sar (1995-2008 )
The Manchester United goalie made his official Oranje debut in 1995 in the 1-0 loss against Belarus. Van der Sar showed shaky hands on more than one occasion in the match and many expected the shot stopper to have played his one and only game for Holland. However, ‘the Iceman’ went on to become Oranje’s most capped international with 130 international appearances. Van der Sar had his finest moments for Oranje at Euro’04, when he helped his team to the semi-finals by saving a spot kick in the game against Sweden. The glovesman was keen to help Holland to European success in 2008, but couldn’t prevent Russia in the quarter finals and announced his international retirement after the tournament.
Defence
John Heitinga (2004-)
Heitinga was already considered a future Dutch international the moment he broke into Ajax’s senior side in 2001 and made his first international appearance only three years later. Holland aren’t exactly known for their defensive strength, but Heitinga is one of the few class acts the Dutch have at the back. The former Ajax player has successfully succeeded Michael Reiziger as right back in the past couple of years, even though he prefers to act as centre back. Heitinga is a certainty in Bert van Marwijk’s Holland squad for South Africa 2010.
Jaap Stam (1996-2004 )
Towering defender Jaap Stam retired from international football in the summer of 2004 after Holland’s semi-final elimination against Portugal, but the Dutch still haven’t found a good enough replacement for the legendary centre back. Stam had his best years at Manchester United, but also impressed at clubs such as PSV, Lazio and Milan. ‘The bald slayer’ is one of those players who will be remembered forever by football fans all around the world, despite never winning any trophies with his country.
Frank de Boer (1990-2004)
The defensive part of the De Boer twins was the leader of the Dutch defence for several years. Frank de Boer made up for his lack of speed with his tenacity and great vision and made more than 100 appearances for Oranje. The left footed defender will not particularly be remembered for his defensive skills though. De Boer was one of the Dutch players who missed his spot kick in the Euro 2000 semi-finals against Italy, after having already missed from twelve yards in regular time. The former centre back is currently employed as youth coach at Ajax.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst (1996-)
One of the most under-rated defenders of his generation, Van Bronckhorst rarely makes the headlines in the press. However, it is difficult to think of many occasions when the current Feyenoord skipper was beaten by his man. Van Bronckhorst was one of the key men in Oranje’s 3-0 thrashing of Italy at Euro’08 and was involved in two of Holland’s three goals. ‘Gio’ will travel to South Africa next year in a last attempt to win silverware with the Netherlands.
Midfield
Wesley Sneijder (2003- )
The pint sized playmaker is one of the best midfielders around and has already made more than 50 international appearances despite his relative young age. Sneijder rose to prominence for Oranje in 2004, when he led the Dutch to an impressive 6-0 win against Scotland in the Euro ’04 qualification play-offs. The 25-year-old midfielder is known for his excellent set pieces and long range strikes and could be one of the stars of the 2010 World Cup.
Phillip Cocu (1996-2006)
Cocu made 101 international appearances for Holland, despite the fact that he only made his debut at the age of 25. The versatile player acted as a defender, a midfielder and even as a forward for the Dutch national side and developed into an indispensable player. Nevertheless, Cocu was unable to help Oranje to success and retired from international football after the 1-0 defeat against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup.
Arjen Robben (2003-)
The former Groningen, PSV and Chelsea attacker is without a doubt the best winger Holland has had since the retirement of Marc Overmars. Robben’s silky dribbles, fantastic solo efforts and dangerous crosses from the left wing have caused defences from all over the world all kinds of trouble. The Real Madrid player was one of the stars of the tournament at both Euro’04 and the 2006 WC and has the potential to be one of the star players again next year in South Africa. Robben does need to work on his fitness though, as he has been injured too often in the past couple of seasons.
Rafael van der Vaart (2001-)
Van der Vaart was only 18-years-old when he made his first international appearance for Oranje and the attacking midfielder has developed into a regular in the Holland squad ever since. The 26-year-old has already made 65 appearances for The Netherlands and is widely expected to make it to the club of 100 in the future. ‘VDV’ hasn’t yet become the world-class player he promised to be in his early years, but there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most talented Dutch players around at the moment.
Attack
Ruud van Nistelrooy (1998-2008 )
‘Van the man’ broke into the Holland squad in 1998 to partner Patrick Kluivert up-front and the two were considered a new dream duo. However, Van Nistelrooy missed out on Euro 2000 due to a serious knee injury and his partnership with Kluivert never became the big success many expected it to be. The prolific hitman had his finest moment for Oranje at Euro ’04, where Van Nistelrooy scored four goals and helped the Dutch to the semi-finals. The former Mancunian found the net 33 times in 64 international appearances.
Patrick Kluivert (1994-2004 )
It’s been a while since Kluivert shone for the Dutch national side, but he has still made it into this team following his outstanding performances at Euro 2000. The former Barcelona striker picked up the Golden Boot by scoring five goals in as many matches and was one of the star players for the Dutch back then. Kluivert has failed to make such an impact ever since due to a string of injuries. However, he’s still Oranje’s all time top scorer with 40 goals in 79 matches and has scored more goals for Holland than the legendary Johan Cruijff.
Do you agree with those who made it into the Holland Team of the Decade 2000-2010? What would be your XI? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think...
Stefan Coerts, Goal.com
However, the Oranje haven’t won a major trophy since Euro’88, when they beat the USSR in Germany. They came close to reaching the final in 2000, but were eventually miraculously eliminated by Italy in the semi-finals.
Another opponent the Dutch don’t especially like is Portugal. The Southern Europeans prevented Holland from qualifying for the World Cup in 2002 and ended their title dreams in 2004 and 2006, too.
Holland might have had some tricky times but they certainly have had a number of world class players since 2000.
Formation: 4-3-1-2
Goalkeeper
Edwin van der Sar (1995-2008 )
The Manchester United goalie made his official Oranje debut in 1995 in the 1-0 loss against Belarus. Van der Sar showed shaky hands on more than one occasion in the match and many expected the shot stopper to have played his one and only game for Holland. However, ‘the Iceman’ went on to become Oranje’s most capped international with 130 international appearances. Van der Sar had his finest moments for Oranje at Euro’04, when he helped his team to the semi-finals by saving a spot kick in the game against Sweden. The glovesman was keen to help Holland to European success in 2008, but couldn’t prevent Russia in the quarter finals and announced his international retirement after the tournament.
Defence
John Heitinga (2004-)
Heitinga was already considered a future Dutch international the moment he broke into Ajax’s senior side in 2001 and made his first international appearance only three years later. Holland aren’t exactly known for their defensive strength, but Heitinga is one of the few class acts the Dutch have at the back. The former Ajax player has successfully succeeded Michael Reiziger as right back in the past couple of years, even though he prefers to act as centre back. Heitinga is a certainty in Bert van Marwijk’s Holland squad for South Africa 2010.
Jaap Stam (1996-2004 )
Towering defender Jaap Stam retired from international football in the summer of 2004 after Holland’s semi-final elimination against Portugal, but the Dutch still haven’t found a good enough replacement for the legendary centre back. Stam had his best years at Manchester United, but also impressed at clubs such as PSV, Lazio and Milan. ‘The bald slayer’ is one of those players who will be remembered forever by football fans all around the world, despite never winning any trophies with his country.
Frank de Boer (1990-2004)
The defensive part of the De Boer twins was the leader of the Dutch defence for several years. Frank de Boer made up for his lack of speed with his tenacity and great vision and made more than 100 appearances for Oranje. The left footed defender will not particularly be remembered for his defensive skills though. De Boer was one of the Dutch players who missed his spot kick in the Euro 2000 semi-finals against Italy, after having already missed from twelve yards in regular time. The former centre back is currently employed as youth coach at Ajax.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst (1996-)
One of the most under-rated defenders of his generation, Van Bronckhorst rarely makes the headlines in the press. However, it is difficult to think of many occasions when the current Feyenoord skipper was beaten by his man. Van Bronckhorst was one of the key men in Oranje’s 3-0 thrashing of Italy at Euro’08 and was involved in two of Holland’s three goals. ‘Gio’ will travel to South Africa next year in a last attempt to win silverware with the Netherlands.
Midfield
Wesley Sneijder (2003- )
The pint sized playmaker is one of the best midfielders around and has already made more than 50 international appearances despite his relative young age. Sneijder rose to prominence for Oranje in 2004, when he led the Dutch to an impressive 6-0 win against Scotland in the Euro ’04 qualification play-offs. The 25-year-old midfielder is known for his excellent set pieces and long range strikes and could be one of the stars of the 2010 World Cup.
Phillip Cocu (1996-2006)
Cocu made 101 international appearances for Holland, despite the fact that he only made his debut at the age of 25. The versatile player acted as a defender, a midfielder and even as a forward for the Dutch national side and developed into an indispensable player. Nevertheless, Cocu was unable to help Oranje to success and retired from international football after the 1-0 defeat against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup.
Arjen Robben (2003-)
The former Groningen, PSV and Chelsea attacker is without a doubt the best winger Holland has had since the retirement of Marc Overmars. Robben’s silky dribbles, fantastic solo efforts and dangerous crosses from the left wing have caused defences from all over the world all kinds of trouble. The Real Madrid player was one of the stars of the tournament at both Euro’04 and the 2006 WC and has the potential to be one of the star players again next year in South Africa. Robben does need to work on his fitness though, as he has been injured too often in the past couple of seasons.
Rafael van der Vaart (2001-)
Van der Vaart was only 18-years-old when he made his first international appearance for Oranje and the attacking midfielder has developed into a regular in the Holland squad ever since. The 26-year-old has already made 65 appearances for The Netherlands and is widely expected to make it to the club of 100 in the future. ‘VDV’ hasn’t yet become the world-class player he promised to be in his early years, but there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most talented Dutch players around at the moment.
Attack
Ruud van Nistelrooy (1998-2008 )
‘Van the man’ broke into the Holland squad in 1998 to partner Patrick Kluivert up-front and the two were considered a new dream duo. However, Van Nistelrooy missed out on Euro 2000 due to a serious knee injury and his partnership with Kluivert never became the big success many expected it to be. The prolific hitman had his finest moment for Oranje at Euro ’04, where Van Nistelrooy scored four goals and helped the Dutch to the semi-finals. The former Mancunian found the net 33 times in 64 international appearances.
Patrick Kluivert (1994-2004 )
It’s been a while since Kluivert shone for the Dutch national side, but he has still made it into this team following his outstanding performances at Euro 2000. The former Barcelona striker picked up the Golden Boot by scoring five goals in as many matches and was one of the star players for the Dutch back then. Kluivert has failed to make such an impact ever since due to a string of injuries. However, he’s still Oranje’s all time top scorer with 40 goals in 79 matches and has scored more goals for Holland than the legendary Johan Cruijff.
Van der Sar
Heitinga - Stam – F. de Boer – Van Bronckhorst
Sneijder –Cocu – Robben
Van der Vaart
Kluivert – Van Nistelrooy
Heitinga - Stam – F. de Boer – Van Bronckhorst
Sneijder –Cocu – Robben
Van der Vaart
Kluivert – Van Nistelrooy
Do you agree with those who made it into the Holland Team of the Decade 2000-2010? What would be your XI? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think...
Stefan Coerts, Goal.com