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Dutch players have always held a special place in the hearts of football fans around the world. From the charismatic Johan Cruyff to the fascinating Arjen Robben, the world of football has, over the years, always been mesmerized by the footballers in the trademark orange shirt. Dutch players have been at the heart of some stellar teams at the club level as well and they have lit up every top league in Europe with their brand of football.
Also read: Barcelona News: Frenkie de Jong suggests Matthijs de Ligt could join Blaugrana in the near future
The current crop of footballers playing for the Oranje also includes some brilliant players, which has prompted us to prepare a list of the top players to emerge out of the Netherlands in the last 10 years. Read on to find out the top 5 Dutch footballers of the decade.
#5 Memphis Depay (Lyon)
The former Manchester United winger started his football career with local club vv Moordrecht, before moving on to Sparta Rotterdam at a young age. He turned heads with his performances for the Sparta youth team and came under the radar of quite a few big Dutch clubs. However, Memphis Depay joined PSV Eindhoven as a 12-year-old and continued his development with the Red and Whites.
After 5 years with Jong PSV, the reserves team of the club, the Dutchman finally made it into the first team in the 2011/12 season, managing 5 goals from 11 appearances. In the next couple of seasons, Depay went from strength to strength and established himself as one of the rising talents of Dutch football. In the 2014-15 season, the Dutchman touched exceptional heights, scoring 28 goals from 40 appearances and helping his club win the Eredivisie. By the summer of 2015, Manchester United had seen enough to bring him to Old Trafford.
Unfortunately, Depay failed to live up to the expectations following his move to the Premier League and struggled to seal a place in the first eleven under Louis Van Gaal and later on, Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese allowed the Dutchman to join Lyon in January 2017 and Depay departed having managed just 7 goals from 53 games during his one and a half year association with the Red Devils.
In Ligue 1, however, the Dutchman regained his rhythm and soon returned to his scintillating best. Depay managed 22 goals from 51 appearances in his first full season with the club and has already scored 14 goals from 17 appearances this season.
Playing Style: Depay is a quick, tricky winger who is good with both feet, but prefers to use his right. He can operate as an inverted winger from the left side, running inside to shoot with his stronger right foot. He has a very direct style of play and can be a handful for the opposition defenders due to the wide array of tricks in his arsenal. The Dutchman also has a powerful shot in him and knows his way to the goal well.
ALso chekc out: EPL table Champions League table La liga table 2019-20
#4 Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus)
The Juventus defender rose through the ranks at Ajax, joining the club at a very young age and impressing for the youth team. Pretty soon, it was clear that the boy was a once-in-a-generation talent who had the ability to become the best in the world. At Ajax, Matthijs de Ligt was nurtured into a leader and a defensive stalwart. He made his debut for the first team in the 2016-17 season and soon became a mainstay in the club’s team.
The Dutchman started by helping his team reach the final of the Europa League in his debut season but ended up in the losing side against Manchester United. However, de Ligt continued to develop into one of the hottest properties in European football and last season, he was an omnipresent feature of the Ajax team that won the Eredivisie as well as the KNVB Cup, while also reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. His performances ensured that there was a bidding war for his services over the summer, and it was Juventus who ultimately won the race for his signature.
At Turin, however, de Ligt has struggled to replicate his form from last season, but there’s no denying his talent. Still one of the most promising youngsters in the world, de Ligt is expected to improve even further in the near future.
Playing Style: The youngster is strong and well built, which means that he is a sturdy presence at the back. However, de Ligt is also extremely fast and has an aerial presence that works very well on both ends of the pitch. He plays with maturity and has displayed leadership attributes beyond his age. The Dutchman is also quite comfortable on the ball and has an impressive tackling ability.
#3 Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool)
One of the most underrated footballers of recent times, Georginio Wijnaldum has been a revelation since joining Liverpool in 2016. Under the masterful guidance of Jurgen Klopp, the Dutchman blossomed into a fantastic midfielder and one of the stalwarts of the current Liverpool side. He was crucial for the Reds in their UEFA Champions League winning run last season and continues to be an important member of Klopp’s team this year.
The Dutchman started his career at Sparta Rotterdam and showed great promise even at a tender age. He was associated with the club's youth team for 7 seasons, before he joined Feyenoord. At the Stadium Club, Wijnaldum was a standout performer for the youth team and came to the attention of the first team manager Erwin Koeman. Subsequently, the Dutchman became the youngest player to play for the club in 2007.
After 5 seasons with the Feyenoord first team, Wijnaldum joined PSV Eindhoven at the beginning of the 2011/12 season. He spent 4 seasons at the club, scoring 54 goals from 154 games and ventured into the Premier League in the summer of 2015, to join Newcastle United. He managed 11 goals from 40 appearances for the Magpies, but could not save them from relegation. Klopp ultimately picked up the Dutchman in the summer of 2016 and Wijnaldum has not looked back since.
Playing Style: Under Klopp, Wijnaldum has added a defensive responsibility to his attacking instincts. The Dutchman is very good at implementing Klopp’s pressing tactics and likes to make intelligent runs into the box. He is a box to box midfielder who is strong, tactically aware and very mobile on the pitch.
#2 Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
Frenkie de Jong is another fantastic midfielder to come out of Ajax in recent times. The Dutchman rose through the ranks at Willem II and even made his debut for Eredivisie for the club as a 17-year-old in the 2014/15 season. In the summer of 2015, de Jong signed for Ajax and was immediately loaned back to his former club for the first half of the season.
After returning to Ajax in January 2016, the Dutchman stayed in the fringes of the first team and mostly appeared for Jong Ajax. De Jong still managed 11 appearances in the first team before the end of the season, scored one goal and looked at ease in the middle of the park. In his first full season, the Dutchman appeared 26 times for the Jews, mostly in the center-back alongside good friend de Ligt. However, it was as a part of a three-man midfield that de Jong turned heads, his calmness and composure helping Ajax dictate terms with ease. The Dutchman managed 8 assists from 22 appearances in the league that season.
De Jong missed 3 months due to injury at the back end of the season but was back to his best in the following term. He was a permanent feature in the Ajax midfield last season and helped his team to the Eredivisie title as well as the KNVB Cup. In January of this year, the Dutchman signed a deal with Barcelona and went on to join the Catalans in the summer. Since then, de Jong has already picked up 24 appearances this season and looks all set to rule the Blaugrana midfield in the coming years.
Playing Style: The Dutchman is a typical Barcelona midfielder who loves to have the ball at his feet. He can play across the midfield and is comfortable even in the defensive role. He has exquisite ball control and a vision and passing ability to match.
#1 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
The Liverpool defender’s rise in world football has been nothing short of a fairy tale. Virgil van Dijk deserves all the accolades and praise showered on him, because he truly is the best defender in the world at the moment. The Dutchman is the reigning UEFA Men’s Player of the year as well as the UEFA Defender of the season and also finished second in the 2019 Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year as well as the 2019 Ballon d’Or.
Van Dijk’s tryst with football started at Willem II, where he played initially as a right-back as a kid before growth spurge prompted him to switch to a central defender position. He joined Groningen in 2010 on a free transfer and after struggling initially, soon sealed his berth in the first eleven. After 3 seasons, the Dutchman joined Celtic in the summer of 2013. At the Celtic Park, Van Dijk played for 3 seasons, powering the Hoops to 2 Scottish Premiership titles and 1 Scottish League Cup.
In September 2015, the Dutchman joined Southampton and steadily developed into a force to reckon with. His performances drew a lot of praise and van Dijk was soon under the radar of every European powerhouse. Liverpool emerged the winner in the race for his signature and made him the costliest defender of the world at that time when he joined the Red in January 2018.
At Anfield, van Dijk had an instant impact, turning Liverpool’s fortunes around and helping them reach the UEFA Champions League final, which they lost to Real Madrid. In his first full season with the Red, the Dutchman was practically unconquerable at times, and he guided his team to the UEFA Champions League title. Van Dijk has since also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with Liverpool so far, summing up a tremendous 2019 for his team. He is the best Dutch footballer of the last decade.
Playing Style: The Dutchman is a strong defender who is blessed with pace and is also fantastic in the air. He is very good with the ball at his feet and regularly initiates attacks with cross-field balls from the back. His biggest asset is his calmness on the pitch, a trait that van Dijk has successfully transmitted into his team.
