The Netherlands National Football Team has given football one of the brightest moments in its history. We refer to the Total Football of the 70s with Johan Cruyff as a star player and under the direction of coach Rinus Michels. Only for this stellar moment, the Netherlands national football team should always appear in the books of excellence of our king sport.

The orange team, however, has not lavished much on titles due to the lack of resolution in the finals matches, and there is its Achilles' Heel since it has reached the World Cup final three times; specifically in the 1974 and 1978 editions and already in the 21st century in 2010 without having been able to take home the victory. As for the Euro Cups, the Dutch team won the famous Euro Cup in 1988.

This long-established Orange team started in 1889 with the establishment of the Dutch Football and Athletics Association. Subsequently, the sports were divided, leaving the Dutch Football Association as the representative entity of King sport.

In the first international competitions of the Olympic Games, he will participate in the Olympic Games in London 1908 and Stockholm 1912 where he took the Bronze Medal as well as in the Antwerp Olympics of 1920. From his beginnings, he already pointed out ways of good football.

Let's review their participation in World Cups, Euro Cups and the Olympic Games and their rankings in the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. This will allow us to assess their high competitiveness through a photograph of the most prestigious international competitions.

SIGNIFICANT RESULTS OF THE NETHERLANDS NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM AT THE WORLD CUP, EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AND OLYMPIC GAMES:

WORLD CUPS:

Italy World Cup 1934: Round of 16

France World Cup 1938: Round of 16

World Cup Germany 1974: Finalist, second place

World Cup Argentina 1978: Finalist, second place

World Cup Italy 1990: Round of 16

1994 World Cup USA: Quarter Finals

France World Cup 1998: Fourth place

World Cup Germany 2006: Round of 16

South Africa World Cup 2010: Finalist, second place

Brazil World Cup 2014: Third place.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Yugoslavia Euro Cup 1976: Third place

West Germany Euro 1988: Champion

European Championship Sweden 1992: Third place

England Euro Cup 1996: Quarter Finals

Euro Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2000: Third place

Euro 2004 Portugal 2004: Fourth place

Euro Cup Austria and Switzerland 2008: Quarter Finals

OLYMPIC GAMES:

London Olympics 1908: Bronze Medal

1912 Stockholm Olympics: Bronze medal

Antwerp 1920 Olympics: Bronze medal

1924 Paris Olympics: Fourth place

1928 Amsterdam Olympics: Round of 16

MYTHICAL PLAYERS IN THE HISTORY OF DUTCH FOOTBALL

Dutch football has given figures that are in the memory of all those who are passionate about football. They are global figures that have made us all enjoy. It is worth remembering through a review:

Johan Cruyff, born in Amsterdam in 1947, started playing football at Ajax in Amsterdam where his widowed mother enrolled him since Johan was twelve years old. Ajax was the team that shaped him as a player, from 1964 to 1973, the year in which he went on to play with Barcelona for five seasons until 1978. At Ajax, he conquered everything among eight Leagues and three European Cups in 1971, 1972 and 1973, which coincide with obtaining its three Golden Balls in the 1970s, where it reigned as the star it always was, specifically in 1971, 1973, 1974. It also went through teams from the United States, finishing its career in the Netherlands with two seasons at Ajax and one final at Feyenoord in Rotterdam in 1984. In 1985 he became a coach and returned to his roots, three years with Ajax and another eight with Barcelona.

With the Netherlands national team he started in 1964 playing 48 games and becoming captain. However, being such an exceptional player, he could not win any World Cup or Euro Cup. His best classification as an national team player was the title of runner-up in the 1974 football World Cup and the 1976 Euro Cup where the Dutch team is classified in third place. Johan Cruyff was an exceptional center of play forward, with an out of place technique, and thunderous speed, and above all a superior vision of the game, he was the total player because he could perfectly play any position, that is, he was the dream player by Rinus Michels for the development of Total football.

Johan Neeskens, born in 1951, the Dutch midfielder was part of the perfect match together with Cruyff of Total football by Rinus Michels. It started with Ajax in the late 60s and 70s and was the architect together with Cruyff of the three European Cups in a row that the team from Amsterdam took. He played at Barcelona and also at the New York Cosmos where he stayed for seven seasons. His great moment was in 1974 when he played the World Cup with Cruyff. Remember that he was only 22 years old and that he was the key man at many times, including the goal against Brazil with which he qualified for the Netherlands against the Federal Germany, which the Dutch lost. Highlight that he was the top Dutch scorer in this World Cup. He also participated in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, a competition in which the Netherlands were second again after losing the final against Argentina. Neeskens, was a midfielder of great physical quality, runner without respite, superior as a penalty taker, voracious as a ball thief in the center of the field, with a vision of the play where he always intuited the goal.

Ruud Gullit, born in 1962, was one of the best players of the 80s and 90s. He started in Haarlem in 1979, played for Feyenoord in Roterdam three seasons, at PSV Eindhoven, went through AC Milan where he played six seasons and together with his compatriots Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard marked a golden era for the Rossineri Club, he was subsequently signed by Sampdoria of Genoa and ended his career in 1998 playing for three seasons for Chelsea. With these Clubs he won everything especially with Milan. Among them are three Dutch Leagues, three Italian Scudettos, two European Cups with AC Milan. As a player and captain of the team, unlike his compatriots from the 70s, Cruyff and Neeskens, he did have the honor of winning the title of winner of the 1988 Euro Cup, the only title in the great global competitions of the team. He was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1987. Gullit is a midfielder of great technical quality and physical strength, he played total football changing position due to his great versatility, great head scorer and magnificent captain with high leadership skills.

Marco Van Basten, born in 1964, was a center forward who debuted at Ajax in Amsterdam and had an impressive start as with 20 years old he was the Netherlands' top scorer. At Ajax he spent six seasons and won three Leagues, until he was signed by AC Milan where together with the Dutch of the club, Gullit and Rijkaard led Milan to one of their best eras, winning three Scudettos and two European Cups. At the Milanese Club he stayed for another six seasons. He played 58 matches for the Netherlands national football team, where he participated in the Netherlands' victory in the 1988 European Championship. He was called the Swan for his elegance on the pitch, also a Swiss doctor who treated him said of him that he played football as a Nureyev, due to his great build due to his height but his elegance of movements, but he had different injuries to his ankle during his career that led him to have to finish his career early in 1995.

The Netherlands' national team jerseys are known throughout the world. For the orange color, for what they represent, the Mechanical Orange, for the excellence of its players, especially Cruyff, but we have already seen that not only.

We remember that the color orange is associated with the Royal Dutch family: the House of Orange-Nassau. The rampant lion shield with a sword and arrows represents the United Provinces.

The second kit shirt has been white, sporting the shield in orange.

We invite you to enter our section of Holland Football Jerseys where you can take a tour of the history of this excellent team.

Among others, you will find replicas of Johan Cruyff Holland Shirt 1974 with its emblematic number 14 and the Holland World Cup 1978 Shirt. Timeless, top quality shirts with which you can feel the best football the European continent has given you.