 |
| Kuyt and Van Persie |
Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.
Volume 1 takes you back in time and asks the questions every football fan has dreamed about. What if Brazil had a more beautiful team in 1982 — would they have cruised to the title? What if the United Kingdom could send its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth. What if Argentina had fielded both Omar Sivori and Alfredo Di Stéfano together in 1958? What if Johan Cruyff had lined up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard? What if Eusébio had played for Brazil? And that's only scratching the surface — Volume 1 is packed with legendary "what ifs" that will keep you turning pages.
Volume 2 brings the fantasy closer to home. What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and others in 2026 — could they go all the way? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018? What if the United States could select more players in 2010? It would be the greatest American side ever. And what if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had actually played for the same national team in 2006? It could have happened — if the soccer gods had smiled on us.
Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.
Volume 1 takes you back in time and asks the questions every football fan has dreamed about. What if Brazil had a more beautiful team in 1982 — would they have cruised to the title? What if the United Kingdom could send its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth. What if Argentina had fielded both Omar Sivori and Alfredo Di Stéfano together in 1958? What if Johan Cruyff had lined up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard? What if Eusébio had played for Brazil? And that's only scratching the surface — Volume 1 is packed with legendary "what ifs" that will keep you turning pages.
Volume 2 brings the fantasy closer to home. What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and others in 2026 — could they go all the way? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018? What if the United States could select more players in 2010? It would be the greatest American side ever. And what if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had actually played for the same national team in 2006? It could have happened — if the soccer gods had smiled on us.
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index
Surnamese-Dutch
North Holland, South 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Surnamese-Dutch
North Holland, South 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 |
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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
