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Netherlands Football History
Known by many other names in the world like the Dutch and Holland, Netherlands has been a strong team in the game of soccer. The Royal Dutch Football Federation is the body responsible for managing the football affairs of the national team.
The country played their first international football match against the neighboring nation, Belgium in Antwerp on 30th April, 1905. Netherlands won this match by 4-1. Starting their journey with the 1934 FIFA World Cup and then qualifying for the 1938 World Cup, the European nation had to wait until the 1974 World Cup to represent their country again on the international stage.
In their success story till date, the Total Football concept has to be largely applauded, which came to the international scene in the 1970s when Ajax coach Rinus Michels took over the training role of the national football team. TheTotal Football tag is given to the tactic in football in which the role of any player is taken over by an outfield player. The only fixed position in such type of strategy is of Goalkeeper. Whenever a player changes his position, another player takes his place so that the organisation of the planned field remains intact.
Netherlands Success Story
Despite reaching the finals three times, the Dutch never got the opportunity to lift the World Cup. The team outplayed every other team in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and became the only European team to qualify for the apex tournament. There was no stopping for Netherlands even in the 2010 World Cup, as the team registered straight wins over Denmark and Japan to reach the final 16. They continued with the 2-1 win over Slovakia in first knockout game and another 2-1 victory over World Cup favorites, Brazil. The task was daunting but the Oranje carried their game where they left in their previous match against Brazil to defeat Uruguay by 3-2 in the semi finals and booked their tickets to the final. Thinking of remaining undefeated in the tournament, Netherlands’ plans were shattered by the shocking Spanish 1-0 win in the 2010 World Cup final. It remains the only team in history that held the number One position in FIFA rankings (August – September 2011) without winning any World Cup title. Will Netherlands break the jinx this time? They have taken the first step as they have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Netherlands squad |
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| Goalkeepers: | Jasper Cillessen (Ajax) Tim Krul (Newcastle United/ENG) Michel Vorm (Swansea City/ENG) Jeroen Zoet (PSV Eindhoven) |
Defenders: | Patrick van Aanholt (Vitesse Arnhem) Daley Blind (Ajax), Daryl Janmaat Terence Kongolo Bruno Martins Indi (all Feyenoord) Karim Rekik (PSV Eindhoven) Joël Veltman (Ajax) Paul Verhaegh (Augsburg/GER) Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa/ENG) Stefan De Vrij (Feyenoord) |
| Midfielders: | Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord) Leroy Fer (Norwich City/ENG) Jonathan De Guzman (Swansea City/ENG) Nigel de Jong (AC Milan/ITA) Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray/TUR) Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord) Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg/GER) Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV Eindhoven) |
Forwards: | Jean-Paul Boëtius (Feyenoord) Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven) Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04/GER) Dirk Kuijt (Fenerbahce/TUR) Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kiev/UKR) Robin van Persie (Manchester United/ENG) Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/GER) Quincy Promes (FC Twente) |
Netherlands’ performance in all FIFA World Cups:
| World Cup Year | World Cup Hosting Nation | FIFA Qualification | Quarter Final Birth | Semi Final Birth | Third Place Secured | Reached Final | Title Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | South Africa | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Lost |
| 2006 | Germany | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 2002 | South Korea | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1998 | France | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | – | – |
| 1994 | United States | Yes | Yes | No | – | – | – |
| 1990 | Italy | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1986 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1982 | Spain | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1978 | Argentina | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Lost |
| 1974 | West Germany | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Lost |
| 1970 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | England | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1962 | Chile | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1958 | Sweden | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Did Not Play | |||||
| 1950 | Brazil | ||||||
| 1938 | France | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1934 | Italy | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Did Not Play | |||||
| Total Times | 19 World Cups | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |