Monday, August 31, 2015

South Holland Greatest All-time 23 member team

Kuyt and Van Persie
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index

Surnamese-Dutch
North HollandSouth Holand.
The rest of Netherlands excluding North and South Holland
Netherlands All-Time Team After Johan Cruyff
Dutch Players' surnames starting with "Van"
Netherlands 2002

This is my all-time 23 member team for players born in South Holland.  South Holland is the name of a province in Netherlands.  South Holland has a population of just over 3.6 million as of 2015. It produced second highest numbers of international players after North Holland.  It is where Rotterdam, the home of Feyenoord is located.  The club is known for its rivalry with Ajax.  It is also the home of Sparta Rotterdam, Excelsior and ADO Den Haag.

Please also see my All-time Dutch 23 member team: here.

Team
GK Edwin Van de Sar (Voorhout)
Edwin Van Der Sar is the most capped player in Dutch history with 130 caps.  He went to 1994, 1998 and 2006 World Cup and Euro 1996, 2000 and 2004.  He was best remembered for being the Ajax keeper in 1995 that won the Champions' League and then, later for Manchester United for 6 seasons.  He won the Champions' League in 2007-2008. In between, he also played with Fulham and Juventus.
Edwin Van der Sar
GK: Ed de Goey (Gouda)
De Goey played for both Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord. He later spent 6 seasons with Chelsea during the pre-Roman Abramovich days, winning the Cup Winners' cup in 1998.  He had 31 caps for the Dutch national team. He went to the 1994 World Cup Finals in the 1994, starting all of Oranje's games.  He was a member of the WC squad in 1998 and European Championship of 1996 and 2000.

GK: Eddy Treijtel (Rotterdam)
Eddy Treijtel went to Feyenoord from Xerxes/DHC in 1968 along with Willem van Hanegem, and moved to AZ'67 in 1979.  Treijtel's best years were spent at Feyenoord.  He won the UEFA Cup in 1974. He was remembered by killing a gull with a goal kick in 1970.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1974 as a backup keeper.

RB: Harry Dénis (The Hague)
Harry Dénis  participated in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1920.  He actually delivered the Olympic Oath during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.  Dénis started playing football with local side DVV and joined HBS aged 11. He would stay at the club for the rest of his career, winning the 1925 Netherlands Football League Championship with them.

RB: Ben Wijnstekers (Rotterdam)
Wijnstekers was considered among the greatest defenders in Feyenoord's history.  He made his professional debut at Feyenoord Rotterdam, but also played for K.R.C. Mechelen and Germinal Ekeren. He was capped between 1979 and 1986.  He went to Euro 1980, but otherwise, in a period between two Golden Generations of Dutch players.

CB/RB: John Heitinga (Alp aan den Rijn)
Heitinga belonged to the same generation of Ajax players as Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart.  He later played for Atletico Madrid, Everton and Fulham. He was a regular member national team from Euro 2004 to Euro 2012.  He was the starting centre-back in 2010 as Oranje reached the WC Final in South Africa.

CB: Wim Rijsbergen (Leiden)
Wim Rijsbergen later played in the North American Soccer League, for the New York Cosmos. Rijsbergen began his professional career at PEC Zwolle, and ended it in 1986 at FC Utrecht. He played for Feyenoord between 1971 and 1978.  From 1979 to 1983, he joined NY Cosmos.  He had 28 caps.  He was a part of Oranje's World Cup team on both 1974 and 1978.

CB: Khalid Boulahrouz (Massluis)
Born in Holland of Moroccan descent, Khalid Boulahrouz  started with RC Waalwijk in 2001.  At the domestic club level, he played for Hamburger, Chelsea, Sevilla VfB Stuttgart, Sporting CP, Brondby and Feyenoord with short stints everywhere. He earned 35 caps for Netherlands between 2004 and 2012, participating in all major tournaments during that period.  In 2010, Holland reached the Final of the World Cup Finals in South Africa.
Khalid Boulahrouz 
CB: Cor Veldhoen (Rotterdam)
Cor Veldhoen spent his entire career with Feyenoord between 1956 and 1970.  He played over 380 games for them.  He was a member of the team that won the European Cup in 1970.  The trophy was the first ever European title won by a Dutch club team.  He earned 27 caps between 1961 and 1967 for the Dutch national team.  

LB: Adri Van Tiggelen (Oud-Bijerland)
Adri Van Toggelen was the starting left back at Euro 1988, where Holland won its first major international trophy.  He earned 56 caps.  He also went to the World Cup Finals in 1990 and European Championship in 1992.  He played mainly for Sparta Rotterdam early on in his career.  He later moved to Anderlectd and PSV.

LB/DM:  Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Rotterdam)
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst played for Netherlands in three World Cups, in 1998, 2006 and 2010, as well as three European Championships, in 2000, 2004 and 2008.  He was the captain of Holland at World Cup 2010, where Holland finished second.  He played 106 times for Holland.  He also played with Feyenoord, Barcelona Arsenal and Rangers.  

CM: Wim Jansen (Rotterdam)
Wim Jansen was a part of the great Feyenoord team of the late 1960's and early 1970's.  He formed a great midfield with Willem van Hanegem and Theo De Jong. They became the first Dutch club to win the European Cup in 1970.  He later played for Washington Diplomats and then, Ajax Amsterdam at the end of his  career. He was an important part of Netherlands' World Cup team in 1974. He earned 65 caps between 1967 and 1980.
Wim Jansen
CM: Kevin Strootman (Ridderkerk)
Strootman started with Sparta Rotterdam before moving to PSV after a short stop at FC Utrecht. In 2013, he moved to Roma, where he quickly established as one of the nest midfielders in Serie A.  However, a series of injuries have been affecting his career.  He went to Euro 2012, but missed the World Cup Finals in 2014 due to an injury.

CM: Mick Clavan (the Hague)
Mick Clavan played for both ADO De Haag and SHS(Holland Sport) with two stints each for the two clubs, sandwiching each other.  Part of his club career was played as an amateur.  He earned 26 caps between 1948 and 1965.  His international career lasted nearly 17 years and it is the third longest for the Dutch national team.  He participated in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. 

CM/LM: Puck Van Heel (Rotterdam)
Puck Van Heel was an inside-left and left wing-half in the 1930's. He spent his entire career with Feyenoord.  He was a cornerstone of the Feyenoord success preceding the World War II, winning five Eredivisie Championships and two KNVB Cups. During his time there, he became the team captain for the club. He was capped 64 times, a record until 1979.  He went to the World Cup finals in 1934 and 1938. 
Puck Van Heel
RW: Tscheu La Ling (the Hague)
With Chinese ancestry, Tscheu La Ling was known for his career with Ajax in the late 1970's and his partnership with Simon Tahamata, another player with Asian background there.  He also played for Den Haag, Panthinaikos, Marseilles and Feyenoord.  He was capped 12 times for Oranje between 1977 and 1982.  He played for both Ajax and Netherlands in the post-Cruyff era. His surname in Chinese is actually Ling.  

LW: Arie de Vroet (Oud-Beijerland)
From 1938 and 1950, Arie de Vroet played for Feyenoord with the war in between his two stints.  After the War, he became the captain of the Dutch national team.  In 1950, he left for France and became a professional player, ending his amateur status and his career with the national team.  He played for La Havre and Rouen in France. 

LW: Coen Moulijn (Rotterdam)
He was considered the best left winger in Dutch football.  He started his career with Xerxes in 1954.  A season later, he joined Feyenoord. He stayed there until 1972. He won the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup with them in 1970. He had 38 caps at a time when Netherlands was not considered a major power in football. He scored 4 goals for the Netherlands national football team.

FW:  Faas Wilkes (Rotterdam)
Faas Wilkes was one of the first Dutch player to play aboard.  In 1949, he joined Inter Milan, where he had the best of his career.  He also had a great career with Valencia..  He was considered to Holland's best player until the emerge of the Golden Generation of the 1970's. He was capped 38 times scoring 35 goals.  He was banned from the national team between 1949 and 1955 because KNVB did not select professional players. He was Holland's all-time leading scorer until 1998.
Faas Wilkes
FW/LW: Tinus Bosselaar (Rotterdam)
Bosselaar is a club legend at Sparta Rotterdam in the 1950's. After a disputes with Sparta Rotterdam whom prevented him to play for Netherlands, he joined Feyenoord in 1954. After two seasons, he returned to Sparta Rotterdam in which Feyenoord fought a court case to keep him.  This was a major issue in the rivalry between the two clubs. He was capped 17 times for Netherlands.

FW: Wim Lagendaal (Rotterdam)
Between 1930 and 1935, Lagendaal played 15 times, scoring 13 goals for Holland.  He was a part of Netherlands' World Cup team in 1934, but did not play in Holland's only match of the tournament in Italy. He played for XerxesDZB.  His daytime job was a manager at the Rotterdam police station, where he saved the lives of many Dutch footballers during the war,

RW/ST: Dirk Kuyt (Katwijk aan Zee)
Kuyt started as a striker, but played mainly as right wing. He started his career with FC Utrecht, but the peak of his career was spent with Feyenoord, Liverpool FC and Fenerbahce. He went to World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014 as well as Euro 2008 and 2012. He played a big role in two World Cup Finals, where Netherlands finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

ST: Robin Van Persie (Rotterdam)
Robin Van Persie started with Feyenoord, but was known for his career playing in England. He spent 8 seasons with Arsenal, winning both PFA and FWA Player of the Year in 2011-2012.  Immediately after winning the two awards, he made a controversial transfer to rival Manchester United. He later played for Fenerbahçe S.K. in Turkey.  At the international level, he has earned 102 caps, helping Netherlands to finish second in 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa. He captained the national team in Brazil, four years later.
Robin Van Persie
Honorable Mention
Tim Krul, Bas Paauwe, Winston Bogarde, Mauk Weber, Peter Houtman, Sjaak Troost, John Bosman, Wim Koevermans, Wim Koevermans, Eljero Elia, Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum.

Squad Explanation
-- Edwin De Sar, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst and Faas Wilkes are also on my Netherlands All-Time team.
-- Basically, I went down a list of the greatest Dutch players and checked their birthplace.  I might have missed a few players from South Holland.
-- Leo Beenhakker and Dick Advocaatwas were born in South Holand.  I do not select manager of any of my All-Time team.  If I have to pick one, the two of them would be be my obvious choice.
-- South Holland is the home of Feyenoord.  However, only eight players are on my Feyenoord All-Time team.  Willem van Hanegem was born in Zeeland.  Thirteen members of this team played for Feyenoord.
-- Feyenoord won the European Cup in 1970.  The starting lineup on the Final that day included the following native sons: Win Jansen, Coen Moulijn and Theo van Duivenbode.  Cor Veldhoen did not play in the Final.
-- The Dutch football is sometimes divided into a period called "BC"(Before Cruyff).  This team is older than North Holland.  Ten players started their their career before Cruyff "BC".  Only three players on North Holland played in the "BC" era.
-- Edwin Van De Sar was a lock on the team.  I took Ed de Goey and Eddy Treijtel  over Tim Krul because the two of them had stronger ties to the province.  Krul never played for any club over there.
-- Winston Bogarde was considered. I chose Khalid Boulahrouz  over him because Boulahrouz had more international experience. Cor Veldhoen had more steady club career that was associated with the province.
-- I am a big fan of Kevin Strootman, but injuries have kept him from fulfilling his potentials.  So I almost did not take him. 
-- From the 1974 World Cup team, I selected Wim Jenson and Wim Rijsbergen. Pleun Strikand and Eddy Treijtelis are also men bears of the team in West Germany, but they did not make my South Holland All-Time team.  Jenson is the only player who played a significant role on the 1974 World Cup team.  He was basically a replacement for Gerrie Muhren who missed the World Cup Finals.  Pleun Strik
-- Adri van Tiggelen is the only member of the Euro 1988 team selected on this team. Sjaak Troost, John Bosman and Wim Koevermans were born in this province.
-- Netherlands reached the Final of the 2010 World Cup Finals.  I have three players from that team: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, Dirk Kuyt and Khalid Boulahrouz. Eljero Elia was also on the 2010 World Cup squad, but he did not make this all-time team.
-- Faas Wilkes is the best Dutch player ever before the emerge of Johan Cruyff. He was known for his career in Italy's Serie A.  He later played in Spain with Valencia.
-- Coen Moulijn is also one of the greatest players from Netherlands before the emerge of Johan Cruyff.
-- Puck Van Heel was another all-time great with Netherlands before Johan Cruyff "BC".
-- I do not have the resource and knowledge to do a Dutch team "Before Cruyff" All-Time team, but I assumed Faas Wilkes and Coen Moulijn would be my star players.  Puck Van Heel came close.
-- Eleven players were born in Rotterdam.  It is the second-largest Dutch city after Amsterdam.

Starting lineup
Formation: 4-3-3
As usual, the formation is based on 4-3-3 used by Holland 1974.  The starting lineup is very straight forward.



Sunday, August 30, 2015

North Holland Greatest All-time team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Rep, Cruyff and Neeskens
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Surnamese-Dutch,
North HollandSouth Holand.
The rest of Netherlands excluding North and South Holland
Netherlands All-Time Team After Johan Cruyff
Netherlands 2002
Dutch-Indos/Indonesia-born Dutch All-Time Team

This is my all-time 23 member team for players born in North Holland.  North Holland is the name of a province in Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. The capital and seat of the provincial government is Haarlem.  It is where Amsterdam, the home of AFC Ajax, is located.  The club is known for its academy.  AZ is located in Alkmaar, North Holland.  HFC Haarlem went bankrupt in 2010.

The province of North Holland as it is today has its origins in the period of French rule from 1795 to 1813. This was a time of bewildering changes to the Dutch system of provinces. In 1795, the old order was swept away and the Batavian Republic was established. In the Constitution enacted on 23 April 1798, the old borders were radically changed. The republic was reorganised into eight departments (département) with roughly equal populations. 

Please also see my All-time Dutch 23 member team: Netherlands.



 Frank Rijkaard ans Ruud Gullit

Team
GK: Jan van Beveren (Amsterdam)
Jan van Beveren was considered one of the best keepers in the 1970's.  In 1970, Van Beveren joined PSV Eindhoven, where he won three Eredivisie titles, two domestic cups and the UEFA Cup in 1978. He had 32 caps from 1967 to 1977. His career with the national team was cut short because of a feud with Johan Cruyff. He missed the World Cup Finals in 1974 because of that. 

GK: Jan Jongbloed (Amsterdam)
Jan Jongbloewd played over 700 games in Eredivisie for DWS (later FC Amsterdam), Roda JC and Go Ahead Eagles. Prior to the World Cup Finals in 1974, he was relatively unknown.  He was drafted into the national team because of a feud between Johan Cruyff and Jan van Beveren.  He became the starting keeper for both 1974 and 1978 World Cup Finals. 

GK: Maaten Skekelenburg (Haarlem)
Maaten Skekelenburg was better known for his career with Ajax from 2002 and 2011. He was the backup keeper to Edwin Van de Sar during the World Cup Finals in 2006 and the Euro 2008 that followed.  He was the starting keeper as Oranje reached the World Cup Final in 2010.  At the club level, he began his career at Ajax, winning nine honours including two Eredivisie titles. Stekelenburg went on to play for AS Roma, Fulham, Monaco, Southampton and Everton.
Maaten Skekelenburg
RB: Michael Reiziger (Amstelveen)
Michael Reiziger was a member of the Golden Generation from Ajax that won Champions League with Ajax in 1995.  After a brief stint with AC Milan, he moved to Barcelona in 1997.  In 2004, Reiziger moved to Middlesbrough on a Bosman transfer. He was capped 70 times for Netherlands, representing the nation in three European Championships and the 1998 World Cup Finals.

RB: Bertus Caldenhove (Amsterdam)
Born in Amsterdam in 1913, Bertus Caldenhove was capped 25 times between 1935 and 1940.  He went to the 1938 World Cup Finals in France. He started playing football for SDZ then joined Door Wilskracht Sterk, where he was made captain when he was 18 years old.  He played his entire career there.

CB: Ronald Koeman (Zaandam)
Ronald Koeman was the rock solid sweeper of Netherlands' Euro 1988 winning team.  At the international level, he was capped 78 times. He also won two European Cups, one each for PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona.  He scored the winning goal for Barcelona's victory in 1992. The Cup was Barcelona's first ever European Cup.  In Netherlands, he played for the big three, namely Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.
Ronald Koeman
CB: Cor Van der Hart (Amsterdam)
Cor Van der Hart became the third Dutch player in history to play board and one of the first professional player in Netherlands when he joined Lille in 1950.  Before that, he played for Ajax.  Widely considered one of the best Dutch defender in history.  He had 44 caps, but the cap total largely was limited because the KNVB suspended all players that left the country to play professional football. 

CB:  Rinus Israel (Amsterdam)
Nicknamed "IJzeren Rinus (Iron Rinus)", Rinus Israel had 47 caps for Netherlands.  He was a part of the 1974 World Cup team that finished second at the World Cup Finals in West Germany.  During his career he played for AFC DWS (1962–66), Feyenoord Rotterdam (1966–74), Excelsior Rotterdam (1974–75) and PEC Zwolle (1975–82).  He won an European Cup with Feyenoord in 1970. 

CB/LB: Frank De Boer (Hoorm)
At one point, Frank De Boer was Oranje's most capped player. He was a part of Ajax's Champions' League winning team in 1995.  He was an important player in the late 1990's. He captained the Oranje to the semi-finals of both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000.  He also played with FC Barcelona for 6 years. His twin brother Ronald also played with him for Oranje.

LB/SW:  Ruud Krol (Amsterdam)
Ruud Krol was one of the most important defender in Holland's history.  He was capped 83 times. He helped Oranje to reach the World Cup Final in both 1974 and 1978.  He was a leftback at the World Cup in 1974 and switched to sweeper later in his career.  At the club lebel, he won three straight European Cups with Ajax in the 1970's. He also played in Italy with Napoli, in France with Cannes and the NASL with Vancouver Whitecaps.
Ruud Krol
DM: Wim Jonk (Volendam)
Wim Jonk played for Ajax, Inter Milan, PSV and Sheffield Wednesday during the 1990's.  He was capped 45 times for Netherlands.  He is best remembered for scoring a long-range shot against Saudi Arabia at the 1994 World Cup Finals in the United States.  He also played at 1998 World Cup Finals in France.

CM: Gerrie Muhren (Volendam)
Gerrie Muhren was a key player for Ajax when they won three straight European Cup between 1970 and 1972.  He became a cult hero with Real Madrid when he played against them. He also played club football in Spain and Hong Kong. He would have been a key player for Oranje at the 1974 World Cup too, but he skipped the Finals due to an illness in his family.  His brother Arnold won the Euro 1988.

CM: Johan Neeskens (Heemstede)
Johan Neeskens was considered to be one of the greatest Dutch midfielders. He had 49 caps for Netherlands.  Her led Netherlands to two second place finishes at the World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1978.  He was Netherlands' top scorer at the 1974 World Cup Finals.  He also won three straight European Cups with Ajax: 1971, 1972, 1973. He also played with Barcelona FC and New York Cosmos.

DM/CB: Frank Rijkaard (Amsterdam)
Frank Rijkaard was one of Holland's most important player.  Capped 73 times.  He won the Euro 1988 in West Germany. He notably played for Ajax and AC Milan. His Milan side was considered the greatest club team in the world.  He won two European Cup with them. In 1995, he led a young Ajax team to their famous Champions' League victory.  That team is also considered one of the greatest club sides ever.

RW/FW: Johnny Rep (Zaandam)
Johnny Rep was a part of Netherlands' Golden Generation in the 1970's.  Rep scored the winning goal for Ajax Amsterdam against Juventus in the 1973 European Cup final in Belgrade. He also helped SC Bastia reach the finals of the 1978 UEFA Cup.  Rep joined St-Etienne in 1979 and was part of the side that included Michel Platini.  He was a part of Holland's amazing team at the World Cup Finals in 1974.  He picked up 42 caps.
Johnny Rep
LW: Piet Keizer (Amsterdam)
Piet Keizer was widely considered to be as good as Johan Cruyff while the two of them played together at Ajax, but his career was overshadowed by Cruyff.  He was a part of the glorious Ajax team in the 1970's, but only managed one appearance at the World Cup Finals in 1974.  In 1973, he was voted by his teammates to become Ajax's captain ahead of Cruyff.  Cruyff would leave the team a few weeks later because of this incident. 

AM: Ruud Gullit (Amsterdam)
Ruud Gullit was the iconic captain of Ntherlands 1988.  In 1987,  he moved from PSV Eindhoven to A.C. Milan for a world record transfer fee.  He was an important player for AC Milan during the 1980's where they won two straight European Cups. He was the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989.  He spent one season with Sampdoria winning the Italian Cup in 1994.

FW: Johan Cruyff  (Amsterdam)
Johan Cruyff is the greatest Dutch player ever.  He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974.  He was considered one of the best players in history.  He was noted for his brilliant performance at the World Cup in 1974.  He also won three straight European Cups with Ajax in the 1970's.  He moved to Barcelona in 1973 for a world record transfer fees, where he became a legend.  He also played in the NASL.
Johan Cruyff

FW: Dennis Bergkamp  (Amsterdam)
Dennis Bergkamp was the best-known Dutch player of the mid-1990's.  He helped Netherlands to reach the semi-final of the 1998 World Cup Finals in France.  His goal vs Argentina at was considered among the best ever scored in World Cup history.  Bergkamp surpassed Faas Wilkes's record to become the country's top goalscorer of all time in 1998. At the club level, he started with Ajax and played for Inter Milan.  He also had a successful career with Arsenal whom he played between 1995 and 2006.
Dennis Bergkamp
LW/FW: Rob Rensenbrink (Amsterdam)
Rob Rensenbrink had an uneventful career in Netherlands before he moved to play in Belgium.  He first played for Club Brugge, but his greatest height was with Anderlecht.  He won two Cup Winners' Cup in 1976 and 1978.  For the national team, he was a key player as Oranje reached both World Cup Final in 1974 and 1978.

SS/FW: Ruud Geels (Haarleem)
Ruud Geels was a part of Feyenoord when they won the European Cup in 1970.  However, his best years were spent with Ajax from 1974 to 1978.  He was Eredivsie top scorer in 4 straight seasons with them. He won one more scoring title with Sparta Rotterdam.  At the international level, he played 20 matches and scored 11 goals for Holland.He was a part of Netherlands' World Cup team in 1974.

ST: Kick Smit (Bloemendaal)
Kick Smit was a member of Netherlandsd World Cup team in 1934 and 1938. He scored 26 goals in 29 matches for Netherlands.  He is the first Netherlands football player who scored a goal in a World Cup (27 May 1934 against Switzerland). During his club career, he played for HFC Haarlem.

ST: Wim Kieff (Amsterdam)
Wim Kieff played for Ajax in the late 1970's and then, moved to Italy in 1983.  He played for Pisa and then, Torino.  In 1987, he joined PSV  and immediately won the European Cup in 1988.  For the national team, he was a part of the Golden Generation that won Euro 1988 and participated at the WC in 1990 and Euro 1992.  He mainly used a substitute role at both Euro 1988 and the WC in 1990.

ST: Patrick Kluivert (Amsterdam)
Patrick Kluivert was yhe teenage star of the great Ajax team of 1995.  He joined AC Milan in 1997, but he quickly left for Barcelona a season later.  He had a relatively successes at the club, but left for Newcastle United in 2004.  His career was never the same due to injuries.  He was an important part of the national team from 1994 to 2004, playing over 70 matches.  He went to three European Championship (1996, 2000 and 2004) and a single World Cup Finals in 1998.
Patrick Kluivert

Honorable Mention
Eddy Peter Graafland (Amsterdam)Roel Wiersma, Arthur NumanArnold Muhren (Volendam)Rafael van der Vaart (Heemskerk), Ronald De Boer (Hoorn), Erwin Koeman (Zaandam)

Squad Explanation
-- The greatest Dutch footballers came from North Holland. Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Johan Neesken and Dennis Bergkamp, Jan van Beveren, Rinus Israel and Ronald Koeman are on my All-Time team for Netherlands.
-- Only seven players selected did not play for Ajax.  Ruud Gullit was on of them. He started with Haarlem before joining PSV and Feyenoord. Bertus Caldenhove also did not play for them.  He went to the 1938 World Cup Finals with Netherlands.  Rob Rensenbrink was known for his career in Belgium. He was relatively unknown player heading toward the 1974 World Cup Finals.  He emerged as one of the star players. 
-- Ajax of 1994-1995 season is considered one of Europe's greatest club side.  However, Frank Do Boer, Michael Reiziger, Patrick Kluivert and Frank Rijkaard are selected here. Of course, Rijkaard belonged to the older generation.  
-- AZ is located in Alkmaar.  In recent years, they are one of the more successful clubs in Netherlands.  However, none of their players made them.
-- HFC Haarlem went bankrupt in 2010.  Ruud Gullit began his career with them in 1979.  He made his debut for the club at just 16 years old, becoming at the time the youngest player in the history of the Eredivisie.  He helped the club to finish 4th in the 1981-1982 Eredivisie and qualified for Europe.
-- I normally brought 8 defenders to most of my all-time 23 member team, but I only selected 7 for this team.  Frank De Boer and Ruud Krol could play as centre back and left back so I do not need a backup left back.  Instead, I brought an extra attacker.
-- Arnold Muhren is more famous player than his brother Gerrie because he played with Manchester United and started for Holland at the 1988 European Championship.  Gerrie Muhren was actually more highly rated.  He played with Ajax in the 1970's.  He missed the 1974 World Cup Finals because of a family issue.  Perhaps, he would be more famous if he had gone. I took Gerrie Muhren and kept Arnold as honorable mention.
-- Ronald De Boer and Edwin Koeman are brothers of Frank De Boer and Ronald Koeman. Ronald De Boer played along side his twin brother Frank throughout his career.  Edwin Koeman also played in Euro 1988 and 1990 World Cup Finals.
-- MarcoVan Basten played for Ajax Amsterdam, but he was born in Utrecht.
-- The striker position is weak.  Apart from patrick Kluivert, the other strikers chosen are relatively forgotten in history.  Wim Kieft played for Netherlands at Euro 1988.

Starting lineup
Formation: 4-3-3
-- The team would try to play the 4-3-3 formation used by Netherlands in 1974.  
-- Bergkemp did not play on the left, but the formation required him to move around.  So I am confident that he could handle the job.




Monday, August 24, 2015

Dutch-Surinamese Greatest All-time 23 member team



Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, at Euro 1988 Final

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index. 

Nethetlands All-Time Team
Dutch Indos/Indonesian-born Dutch

Suriname is a former Dutch colony.  For international football, its national plays in the CONCACAF even through it is located in South America. Approximately 350,000 individuals of Surinamese descent now live in the Netherlands, with mass migration beginning in the years leading up to Suriname's independence in 1975, and continuing in the period immediately after independence and during military rule in the 1980s.  However, Suriname discourages dual citizenship and Surinamese-Dutch players who have picked up a Netherlands passport are barred from selection to the national team.  The national team remains weak in the region, despite a number of Holland's footballers were born in Suriname or traced their ancestry to Suriname.

This is my selection of the Dutch-Surinamese all-time 23 member team.  All players here has chosen to represent Netherlands.

Team
GK: Stanley Menzo
Stanley Menzo spent over 10 years with Ajax.   He also played with PSV Eindhoven, Lierse SK and Girondins de Bordeaux. For Holland, he earned 6 caps.  He went to the World Cup in 1990 and the European Championship in 1992 as a backup keeper.  He was the Dutch Goalkeeper of the Year in 1990.  At the club level, he spent most of his career with Ajax.

GK: Michel Vorm
Vorm started his career with FC Utrecht in 2005 and played for them until 2011.  He played for Swansea between 2011 and 2014.  He moved to Tottenham Hotspurs in 2014.  Since 2008, he played 15 times for Holland. He was the backup keeper at both 2010 and 2014 World Cup Finals.  He played part of the the third place match in the 2014 edition.

GK: Kenneth Vermeer
Vermeer was a long term keeper for Ajax.  In 2014, he shocked the football world by joining rival Feyenoord.  At the time of writing, he received 5 caps for the national team. He is the current Dutch national team record holder for longest streak in goal without conceding in a match, having not conceded a goal since his debut in 2012. 

RB: Michael Reiziger
Michael Reiziger was a member of the Golden Generation from Ajax that won Champions League in 1995.  After a brief stint with AC Milan, he moved to Barcelona in 1997.  In 2004, Reiziger moved to Middlesbrough on a Bosman transfer. He was capped 70 times for Holland, representing the nation in three European Championships and the 1998 World Cup Finals.

RB: Mario Melchio
Born in 1976, Melchio started with the youth of Ajax.  He made his senior debut in 1996, but the peak of his career was spent with Chelsea between 1999 and 2004.  He also played for Rennes, Birmingham City and Wigan.  He was capped 20 times for Netherlands. He went to European Championship in 2008.

DM/CB: Frank Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard was one of Holland's most important player.  He was capped 73 times.  He won the 1988 European Championship in West Germany. He notably played for Ajax and AC Milan. He spent 5 seasons with AC Milan when Milan was considered the greatest club team in the world.  He won two European Cup with them. In 1995, he led a young Ajax team to their famous Champions' League victory.  That team is also considered one of the greatest club sides ever.
Frank Rijkaard
CB: Virgil van Dijk 
Van Dijk started with Groningen before he moved to Celtic in 2013. In S2015, he joined Southampton before signing for Liverpool in 2018 for £75 million, a world record transfer fee for a defender. Van Dijk was named the PFA Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season for the 2018–19 season. Van Dijk starred as Liverpool won the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final where he was named man of the match. From 2015 onward, he played for Netherlands and was named captain.

CB: Humphrey Mijnals
Born in Suriname, Humphrey Mijnals became the first Surinamese player to play for Holland.  He began his professional career in Brazil with America Futebol Clube.  In 1956, he went to play for USV Elinkwijk in Netherlands. He made his national team against Bulgaia in 1960.  He was remembered for clearing a ball from the goalline through a overhead kick in that match. His international career was limited due to a dispute with the Dutch FA.  He later played for the Surinamese National Team.
Humphrey Mijnals
CB: Winston Bogarde
Winston Bogarde won 20 caps for Netherlands.  He was a member of the Golden Generation from Ajax that won Champions League in 1995.  He represented Netherlands at the Euro 1996 and the World Cup Finals in 1998. He played briefly for AC Milan. In 1998, he joined the Dutch contingency at Barcelona.  Two seasons later, he joined Chelsea, where he played until 2004.

LB/CB: Wilfred Bouma
Born in 1978, Wilfred Bouma won 37 caps for Netherlands between 2000 and 2012. He played in three European Championship: 2004, 2008 and 2012, but he never played in the World Cup Finals.  From 1994 to 2005, he played for PSV Eindhoven.  He won the Eredivisie in 2000, 2001, 2003 and  2005.  In 2005, he moved to Aston Villa, where he had a successful career before returning to PSV. 
Wilfred Bouma
DM: Edgar Davids
Nicknamed "the Pitbull", Edgar Davids was one of the greatest defensive midfielders in the world.  He won the European Champions' League with Ajax in 1995.  He was capped 74 times. He was an important player at the World Cup Finals in 1998 when Netherlands reached the semi-final. At the club level, he also spent 7 seasons with Juventus at the height of his career.  He also played for Tottenham Hotspurs, Barcelona, AC Milan, etc.

DM: Nigel De Jong
Known as tough defensive midfielder, Nigel De Jong made his name with Ajax, Hamburger and Manchester City.  At Manchester City, he helped the club to win their first ever Premiership. He moved to AC Milan in 2012 where he spent three and half years. He also played for Galatasaray, LA Galaxy, Maniz 05, etc. He is a regular member of the national team since 2004.  He is probably best remembered for kung-fu kicking Xabi Alonso at the World Cup Final in 2010.
Nigel De Jong
A youth product of Feyenoord, Wijnaldum became the youngest player ever to represent the club when he made his debut in 2007.  From 2011 to 2015, he played for PSV and one season withnewcastle before joining Liverpool.  In 2021, he joined PSG.  He was a member of the squad which finished third at the 2014 World Cup as well captaining the national team at Euro 2020.
 
Clarence Seedorf is the first player to win three Champion League titles with 3 different clubs. He was a member of the Golden Generation from Ajax that won Champions League in 1995.  In 1996, he moved to Real Madrid, where he quickly established himself as a star.  He would win two Champions League title there.  He later played for both AC Milan and Inter Milan, winning two more Champions League titles with AC Milan.  He was a key player for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2008.
Clarence Seedorf
RM: Aron Winter
Born in Suriname of an unique ethnic background, Aron Winter was both an Indian and Chinese descendent.  He started his career with Ajax, where he played from 1986 to 1992. He oined Lazio at the height of Serie A during the early 1990's.  He later played for Inter Milan between 1996 and 1999.  For the national team, he was a regular member of the team.  He was capped 84 times and a part of the Euro 1988 winning team.  His last major tournament was the Euro 2000.

RW: Gerald Vanenburg
During the 1990's, Gerald Vanenburg formed a dangerous partnership Marco Van Basten and Wim Kieft at Ajax.  He would join PSV in 1986. He later played in Japan, Germany and France. For the national team, he was a part of the Golden Generation that won the European Championship in 1988. He played for Netherlands 42 times.

RW/SS: Gaston Taument
Gaston Taument played the vast majority of his 14-year professional career with Feyenoord, amassing Eredivisie totals of 204 games and 45 goals over the course of nine seasons., where he starred along side Regi Blinker.  He earned 15 caps.  He played for Netherlands at the World Cup Finals in 1994 and at Euro 1996.

LW: Bryan Roy
Bryan Roy played for Ajax in the late 1980's and early 1990's.  He won UEFA Cup in 1992 with them.  He went to play with Italy's Foggia in 1992 when Ajax decided to promote their young players. He later played for Nottingham Forrest, Hertha Berlin and NAC. His transfer fee to Nottingham Forest was the club's record. At the international level, he was capped 32 times and played at both World Cup Finals in 1990 and 1994, and the 1992 European Championship.
Bryan Roy
LW: Regi Blinker
Regi Blinker played for Feyenoord between 1986 and 1996. He was known for his partnership with Gaston Taument at Feyenoord.  He later played for Sheffield Wednesday, Celtic, RBC and Sparta Rotterdam. He picked up 3 caps for Netherlands between 1993 and 1994. He made his senior international debut against San Marino. He was born in Suriname.

AM: Ruud Gullit
Gullit was the iconic captain of Netherlands' Euro 1988 winning team.  In 1987,  he moved from PSV Eindhoven to A.C. Milan for a world record transfer fee.  He was an important player for AC Milan during the 1980's where they won two straight European Cups. He was the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989.  He spent one season with Sampdoria winning the Italian Cup in 1994, and then, three more seasons with Chelsea.
Gullit at Euro 1988
ST: Pierre Van Hooijdonk
Pierre Van Hooijdonk played for many clubs in his career. His longest stints were with NAC Breda, Nottingham Forrest, Feyenoord and Celtic.  Between 1994 and 2004, he played over 40 times for Netherlands, despite the fact that he played in the same generation as Patrick Kluivert, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Roy Makaay and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
  
ST: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was late bloomer where he played with smaller clubs until he moved to Portugal in 1995.  His best spell was probably in England with Leeds United and Chelsea.  He was the Premier League Golden Boot winner in both 1998-1999. 2000-2001.  He only played 23 times for Netherlands because of Netherlands loaded with forwards during the peak of his career.

ST: Patrick Kluivert
Kluivert was the teenage star of the great Ajax team of 1995. scoring the wining goal the Champions' league Final..  He was also a star with Barcelona.  He joined Milan in 1997, but he quickly left for Barcelona a season later.  He had a relatively successes at the club, but left for Newcastle United in 2004.  His career was never the same due to injuries.  He was a part of the national team from 1996 to 2004.
Patrick Kluivert

Honorable Mention
Romeo Castelen, Jerry De Jong, Edson BraafheildLuciano Narsingh, Ken Monkou, Ryan Babel, Romeo Castelen, Henk Fraser, Marciano Vink, Jeremain Lens, Ulrich Van Gobbel, Eljero Elia, André Kamperveen, Orlando Engelaar, Quincy Promes.

Squad Explanation
-- Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Edgar Davids are on my All-Time Team for Netherlands
-- Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Aron Winter and Gerald Vanenburg were parts of the Dutch national team that won the European Championship in 1988.
-- The 1998 World Cup team that Netherlands reached the semi-final consisted of Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Michael Reiziger, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Aron Winter and Winston Bogarde who were of Surinamese origins.
-- The 2010 World Cup team that reached the Final included Michel Vorm and Nigel De Jong on this all-time team. Edson Braafheid, Eljero Elia and Ryan Babel are also of Surinamese background. They made honorable mention. Gregory van der Wiel is of Curaçao descent.
-- The fantastic 1974 World Cup team did not include a single Surinamese player.
-- André Kamperveen was a Surinamese player to play club football in Brazil and Holland.  He was the captain of the Surinamese national team. The National Stadium is named after him.  However, this blog is about Dutch-Surinamese.  He was a Surinamese playing in Netherlands  I do not know if he is considered Dutch.
-- Born in Suriname of an unique ethnic background, Aron Winter was both an Indian and Chinese descendent.
-- Ken Monkou was uncapped.  I preferred capped players even through that does not say much about the skilled level of the players.

-- The team was updates in June, 2019 immediately after Liverpool won the Champions' League.  Virgil van Dijk replaced Ulrich Van Gobbel on the team.  He is the best defender in the world at this moment.
-- Humphrey Mijnals was selected for his historical role of being the first Surinamese player to play for Netherlands. 
-- Jerry De Jong is probably better known as Nigel's dad.  His club career was not too impressive.
-- Marciano Vink's position is well-covered by Davids, Rijkaard and Seedorf.  His injuries really destroyed his career.  So I took Orlando Engelaar instead.
-- I did not take Romeo Castelen because there are too many wingers on the team.
-- I believe John Heitinga is not of Surinamese origin.
-- During Euro 2020, I replaced Orlando Engelaar with Georginio Wijnaldum.  Wijnaldum was the Dutch captain in the tournament.  He played over 70 times for the national team.  He was the Dutch Player of the Year in the 2014-2015 season.
-- I never heard of Curacao until their recent runs at the Gold Cup in 2017 and 2019.  Their national team decided to look for Dutch professional players to represent them.  Suriname could improve their national team if they also look for Surinamese Dutch playersIn November 2019, Suriname created a so-called sports passport would allow Dutch professional footballers from the Surinamese diaspora to represent Suriname.  Suriname qualified for the 2021 Gold Cup with 2–1 CONCACAF Nations League win over Nicaragua and made their first appearance in a CONCACAF tournament since 1985.  This development would lead to more quality players to the country.  However, this blog team is still about Surinamese Dutch players.  The contributions to the Surinamese national team and the football in Suriname also play no role on future selection.  It was about the quality of the players. As mentioned,  Humphrey Mijnals was selected for his historical role as the first Surinamese in Dutch professional football.

-- Denzel Dumfries was the star of Netherlands at the European Championship in 2021.

Starting lineup
Formation 4-4-2(diamond)
-- Van Hooijdonk mkght have picked up many caps than Hasselbaink, but Hasselbaink was a better player.
-- I dropped Rijkaard to the backline so that I could play Winter.  Virgil van Dijk might take one of the starting position one day.