There are plenty of famous Netherlands soccer players who are worth noting, but this list includes some of our favorite picks which we think are worth knowing right now!
There have been plenty of amazing Dutch world football players, as well as coaches, and they have shown amazing skill in playing the game.
You can see when looking at our picks that a lot of the players which we have chosen to highlight come from an era where Total Football began, and you can see this in how they have paved the way for their successors who have now started playing.
So, while there was plenty of choice for great Dutch players, we have managed to narrow it down quite a bit for this list!
Our Picks For The Best Netherlands Soccer Players
While this list does not include every notable player from the Netherlands as there simply is not enough room for this, we have narrowed it down to a few which we think everyone should know, so keep on reading so you can learn about some amazing players!
Johan Cruyff
When it comes to well-known soccer players from the Netherlands it is hard to not mention Johan Cruyff. This player is a genius when it comes to how he handles the ball and his play of the game.
We can see more than Cruyff’s amazing skill in controlling the ball, but also the words which he has spoken are still well regarded nowadays. He is also an incredibly decorated player having picked up trophies when playing for Feyenoord, Ajax, as well as Barcelona.
We can see Cruyff as a main part of the premier inception with Total Football.
Marco van Basten
It is unfortunate to consider how the career of Marco van Basten was cut so short, in spite of this, the player managed to claim plenty of impressive trophies while playing on a domestic level, but also when playing on a continental level as well.
It is worth noting that Van Basten was not just participating in the team during these games, but he was one of the main parts of the team.
He can be seen as one of the most skilled strikers in the history of soccer, and his average goals a game is an incredible 0.99 putting him massively above average.
Dennis Bergkamp
While it is not the best practice to constantly compare players, it is hard not to see Dennis Bergkamp as someone who is similar to both Van Basten and Cruyff.
We can see him having the absolute genius understanding and control of the game which Johan Cruyff has, but he also has an astounding control of the goal similarly to how Marco Van Basten did.
This does not mean that he lives in the shadows of these players. In fact Bergkamp gave us some of the best and most memorable moments, and he is still well regarded for the massive range of achievements he has claimed (see also ‘Best Moments In Soccer‘).
Edwin van der Sar
When discussing the best Dutch goalkeepers, it is very difficult to overlook the impact of Edwin van der Sar and how much impact he has had on the sport.
He had a massive level of success when he was playing on a club level like for Ajax as well as Manchester United.
It is worth specifying that while Sar did not have a massive amount of success when it came to playing at an international level, he is still the most capped player when it comes to players from the Netherlands.
He was able to repeatedly display his quality as a player all while playing for 2 separate teams which he helped dominate.
Ruud Gullit
One of the most well known and renowned Dutch players is Ruud Gullit who was well known for being able to play a massive variety of different positions throughout his prolific career.
One of his most notable roles was when playing as a part of the AC Milan teams throughout the later years of the 80s into the earlier years of the 90s.
Furthermore, one of his other most notable roles was how he was captain of the Dutch side which was when they managed to take the ‘88 win for the championship.
Ronald Koeman
Koeman is well known for playing for two of the most famous teams in Holland, on top of the Catalan giants Barcelona. He showed that he could have great success with both of these teams and was part of the reason why both of them were so successful.
Ronald Koeman started his soccer career playing as a midfielder, however, he transitioned throughout his career and spent most of his time actually serving as a defender who was most popular for his incredibly impactful free kicks.
Koeman was also one of the players in the Netherlands main trophy win. Koeman is also one of the highest scoring defenders in the history of the game (see also ‘What Is The Highest Scoring Soccer Game?‘).
Johan Neeskens
This is another player who was a part of the aforementioned Ajax team, and he was most prevalent in the team around the earlier 70s.
Neeskens was an incredibly technically advanced midfielder, and he was well known for how astounding his scoring capabilities were. He was seen as an indispensable player for both his country and his club.
Frank Rijkaard
Rijkaard is seen to be one of the most technically proficient players in Dutch history, and one of the best technical defensive midfielders overall. He was a major part of the success of two well known teams being AC Milan and Ajax.
He also notably got voted as the best foreign player by Serie A in 1992 showing just how well respected his skills are.
Rob Rensenbrink
As a Dutch player, we do not think Rensenbrink gets as much respect as he deserves, and we can accredit this to him mainly getting the foundations for his soccer career when playing for Anderlecht in Belgium.
However, he was a big part of the Dutch National team between 1974 and 1978 and almost scored them the winning goal.
Soccer is the most popular sport played and watched in the world, yet it is one rarely talked about in the United States. Why is this?
Hi, my name is Adrian Turner and I am a self-proclaimed soccer head.
Since I was young, I have always been fascinated by soccer, and any of the games I could find on the TV channels. There weren’t many games broadcast, so thankfully I could find more on the internet as I grew up.
I turned all of my friends onto soccer and we’d play into the evenings after school.
