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Like most European countries, the Netherlands (Holland) has a long history of
taking part in international football tournaments, the FIFA World Cup being no
exception. The Netherlands national football team - more commonly known
as Holland - is managed by the Royal Netherlands Football Association, the
country's football governing body.
The Netherlands made its World Cup debut in 1934 and has played in the majority
of World Cups ever since. While the Netherlands national football team has never
won a World Cup, it has reached the finals twice, in 1974 and in 1978. In the
early 1970s, the team's nickname was 'Clockwork Orange' due to its bright orange
uniforms and its players' superb passing abilities.
However, by the 1974 World Cup the team was rife with infighting amongst the
players and as well as then coach George Knobel. This, coupled with the fact
that their opponents were in top form, resulted in the teams' loss to West
Germany by 2-1.
The following World Cup in 1978 also saw the Netherlands national football team
reach the final, this time against Argentina. However, as the less impressive of
the teams, Holland lost by 3-1 at extra time.
Since then, while never having made it to the final again, the Netherlands
national football team is still considered a formidable opponent amongst the
other World Cup contenders.
Top Dutch players past and present include Ruud Krol, Dennis Bergkamp, Aron
Winter, Marc Overmars, Clarence Seedorf, Phillip Cocu, Edwin van der Sar, Ruud
van Nistelrooy and many more.
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