The Dutch national team is a great supplier of quality players to the leading European teams. Unfortunately, the national team itself cannot boast stable play and trophies. The team is haunted by total bad luck in key matches. In this article, we will remember five great Dutch soccer players on whom fans had high hopes.

Great Dutch players

Johan Cruyff

Leading the list is Johan Cruyff, considered by many fans and pundits around the world as the country’s greatest soccer talent. As a pupil of Ajax, this player was incredibly fast, easy with the ball, skillful with dribbling. He helped his birth team win three consecutive Champions Cups, making the team a hegemon of European soccer. Johan Cruyff’s own play did not go unnoticed either, as he was also recognized three times as the best soccer player in Europe and became the owner of the “Golden Ball.” The Dutch legend decided to take on a new challenge and went to Barcelona.

Marco Van Basten

Equally important in his national team was Marco Van Basten. With his phenomenal ball work, he turned every match into a real show. It would not be surprising to say that Marco, unlike Johan Cruyff, has been called the bigger player, as his participation won the Dutch national team the only trophy in its history. In 1988, he helped his home team win the European Championship. This player is also a pupil of Ajax, who brought future glory to Italian Milan, with whom he won two Champions Cups.

Frank Rijkard

Frank Rijkard also went through Ajax’s youth academy, one of the strongest in the world. Already at the age of 18, this Dutch soccer player has shown himself at a high level. With his great playing intelligence, Frank also made the history of “Ajax” and “Milan” and together with them achieved victories in the most important matches of the European tournament. And he did so alongside Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit. By the way, at that time they all had one sponsor in the person of the Dutch Fgfox Casino.

Ruud Gullit

Unlike the previous players, Ruud is not a student of Ajax or another well-known soccer academy. He reached his top level by winning for lower-level clubs. After being noticed by Feyenoord, he helped the team win the national league in 1984 and became the team’s best player. His career continued at PSV, AC Milan and Chelsea, but it was with the Italian team that he left his biggest mark.

Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp is not as iconic a player for Dutch soccer as Cruyff or Van Basten, but he managed to become iconic for his generation. He is a perfect example of a strong soccer player who made himself by taking his technical skills to world-class levels. He spent the best part of his career at Arsenal in London. Yet to this day, this team cannot boast of great achievements, both in the national championship and in the European arena.

Conclusion

There are many other great Dutch players not included in this top. Clarence Zedorf, Edwin Van Der Sar, Ronald Koeman, Frank De Boer and many others can be mentioned here. The Dutch national team, participating in yet another international tournament, is a solid mid-tier player, but there is always only a small difference between winning a trophy. Perhaps a new generation of young soccer players can help them achieve success!