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The Netherlands has a rich footballing tradition, which is reflected in the success of Dutch clubs in the UEFA Champions League. Three Eredivisie teams have won Europe's premier club competition, with four-time winners Ajax Amsterdam joined in the winners' club by Feyenoord Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven, who have won one title each.
Dutch clubs have struggled in the Champions League since the turn of the century
It is important to note that four of the six occasions on which Dutch clubs have won the Champions League came between 1970 and 1973. Feyenoord and Ajax combined to win four consecutive European Cups during that spell.
However, the Eredivisie clubs have not won the tournament in almost 30 years. Ajax's win over AC Milan in the final of the 1995 edition remains the most recent instance of a Dutch team winning the competition.
One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the Netherlands' ability to produce technically gifted and classy players. Dutch stars continue to grab eyeballs with their skill on the ball and attacking approach to the game. On that note, here's a look at the top five Dutch goalscorers in the history of the Champions League:
#5 Marco van Basten and Johan Cryuff (19 goals)
Two former superstars who are widely acknowledged to be among the greatest players to have graced the sport, Marco van Basten and Johan Cryuff are tied for fifth place.
Ajax and AC Milan legend Marco van Basten's exploits are all the more impressive considering he was forced to retire at the age of 28 due to injuries. One of the best centre-forwards of all time, the three-time Ballon d'Or winner (1988,1989,1992) won two European Cups with AC Milan (1989 and 1990).
He needed just 27 games to hit his tally of 19 goals and seven assists, and finished as the top-scorer in the 1988-89 edition, scoring ten times as Milan lifted the cup. Van Basten scored 24 times in 58 games for the national team and was part of the squad that won Euro 1988, which remains their only international trophy so far.
Cryuff, another three-time Ballon d'Or winner (1971,1973,1974), won three consecutive European Cups with Ajax from 1971 to 1973. In 49 European games, he contributed 19 goals and 12 assists from midfield.
Arguably the Dutch national team's greatest captain, Cryuff scored 33 goals in 48 goals for Oranje but famously never won an international trophy. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 68.
#4 Robin van Persie (25 goals in 59 appearances)
One of the greatest strikers of his era, there is a sense that fans never quite saw the best of Robin van Persie in the Champions League. The Dutchman netted over 250 goals in a glittering career for Arsenal, Manchester United and Feyenoord. 25 of those goals came in the Champions League from 59 games. Interestingly, he never managed to net more than five times in a single edition of the competition.
Van Persie never won the Champions League in his career as Arsenal regularly flattered to deceive in European football. He did, however, score 50 times in 102 games for the Dutch national team but was never able to win an international trophy either.
#3 Roy Makaay and Patrick Kluivert (29 goals)
Another tie for third place sees former Bayern Munich striker Roy Makaay level with Barcelona legend Patrick Kluivert. Although Makaay never won the Champions League, he scored 29 times in 61 appearances, while Kluivert took 71 games to reach the figure. However, the former Barcelona star had 14 assists compared to Makaay's seven.
Makaay made over 100 appearances for each of Bayern Munich, Deportivo La Coruna, Vitesse and Feyenoord. He mustered more than 300 goals in over 600 club games, displaying remarkable consistency. Despite being capped 43 times by the Dutch national team, he scored only six times for Oranje.
Meanwhile, Kluivert made over 250 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 122 times. He also netted 52 times in 100 games for Ajax. His solitary Champions League triumph came in 1995 with the club, although his best display came for Barcelona in 1999-00 when he scored seven times and assisted four goals.
Unlike Makaay, Kluivert was terrific for Oranje, scoring 40 times in 79 games to finish as the third-highest scorer in the country's history.
#2 Arjen Robben (29 goals in 110 appearances)
One of the greatest players of his era, Arjen Robben made 110 appearances in the Champions League for PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
A winger with blistering pace and a lethal left foot, Robben scored the only goal of the 2013 Champions League final to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. He appeared in 17 editions of the competition, with his best return of four goals and six assists coming in 2013-14.
Robben is best remembered for his time with Bayern Munich, where he scored 144 goals and provided 101 assists in 309 games. He also scored 37 times in 96 games for the Netherlands. At his peak, he was considered to be a Ballon d'Or candidate capable of challenging the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the award.
#1 Ruud van Nistelrooy (56 goals in 73 appearances)
Despite never winning the Champions League, Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy had a stunning record in European football. With 56 goals in just 73 games, he finished as the top scorer of the competition three times in four years.
This included back-to-back seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03) in which he scored in double figures, netting 12 and 10 times, respectively. The two-time Dutch Player of the Year spent his best years with the Red Devils, for whom he scored 150 times in 219 games.
He then moved to Real Madrid, where he netted 64 goals in 96 appearances. Nistelrooy also averaged a goal in every two games for the national team, scoring 35 times in 70 appearances.
His tally of 56 UCL goals is 27 more than second-placed Arjen Robben, and it is unlikely that anyone will break Nistelrooy's record for a very long time.
