Ranking the 5 greatest Dutch footballers of the 21st century
The Dutch national team has produced some of the most impactful players in their rich footballing history. Players like Dennis Bergkamp, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Edwin van der Sar have achieved greatness with club and country in the past.
Johan Cruyff was arguably ahead of them all and is considered a pioneer of the sport. He is world-renowned for 'inventing' a turn to deceive defenders. The move went on to be named the 'Cruyff turn'.
🔙 45 years ago today, during the 1974 @FIFAWorldCup, the Cruyff Turn was born at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund! 👊 #CruyffLegacy @FIFAcom https://t.co/BZIPI1nJ5J
Dutch teams in the past have also used 'total football' as a tactic. It is a set-up in which various players in different positions across the pitch can be interchanged to create different openings to attack. Great Dutch coaches like Rinus Michels and Frank Rijkaard have been experts at using the tactic.
The Dutch team would not have achieved greatness without great players in their ranks. Many have won a variety of silverware with their clubs, however, the Dutch team were unfortunate not to win a major honor in the 21st century. They came close at the FIFA World Cup in 2010, falling at the last hurdle in a 1-0 loss to Spain in the final.
On that note, let's look back at five of the greatest Dutch players of the 21st century.
#5. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Dirk Jan Klaas Huntelaar, commonly known as Klaas-Jan, was born in Voor-Drempt, Netherlands, in 1983. He broke through the youth ranks at PSV Eindhoven and debuted for the club in 2002. The Dutchman has since played for a variety of clubs including Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan, among others.
Huntelaar is one of the most underrated strikers of this century. He has played 662 club games over the course of his career, scoring 366 goals and providing 89 assists. Huntelaar has won two domestic league titles and five domestic cups in his career.
His most notable spells came with Ajax and Schalke 04, where he scored 158 and 128 goals respectively. Earlier this year, Huntelaar became the player with the most Eredivisie goals this century.
154 – Klaas Jan Huntelaar has scored more Eredivisie goals this century than any other player; he also departs the league as the player with the 12th most goals in Eredivisie history. Hunted. https://t.co/cXP8rMWhM7
The Dutchman has played 76 times for his country, scoring 42 goals and providing 12 assists. He is their second-highest goalscorer of all-time, eight behind Robin van Persie in first place.
He retired from the national team in 2015 having been a runner-up in the 2010 World Cup and a bronze-medal winner in the 2014 edition.
Huntelaar currently plays for Schalke, who are in fourth place in the 2. Bundesliga this season.
#4. Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk, Netherlands, in 1983. He came through the ranks at Ajax as a youngster and made his senior debut for the club in 2000. Playing in midfield, van der Vaart's preferred role was as an attacking midfielder.
He enjoyed spells at Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Betis, among others, during his 18-year club career. Van der Vaart was the first-ever recipient of the Golden Boy award in 2003.
The Dutchman won two Eredivisie titles, one KNVB Cup, one Supercopa de Espana and one Danish Superliga title in his career. He played in 546 club games, scoring 175 goals and assisting 118.
Van der Vaart mainly thrived in a playmaking role in the center of midfield. He controlled the attacking tempo for his teams with the ball at his feet. The Dutchman could shoot reasonably well with with both feet and was a threat from long-range.
Here's a video of the midfielder scoring a long-range goal for Hamburger SV against Arsenal in the Champions League:
Baller ✅ Scorer of great goals ✅
🇳🇱 Rafael van der Vaart is 38 today! 🎉
#UCL | #HBD | @rafvdvaart https://t.co/rbD2vJl104
Rafael van der Vaart played in 109 games for the Dutch national team, scoring 25 goals and assisting 29 goals. He ranks fourth on the list of all-time appearances for Oranje.
The Dutchman retired from the Dutch team in 2013 owing to recurring injury issues that kept him out of the side. He retired from club football in 2018 and currently works as a presenter and analyst on Dutch television.