Press Releases News Letters Press Kits

Holland

Dutch Flag

18th qualifier
UEFA (Europe)

Patrick Kluivert, age 21, 15 caps

The Country | The Road to FRANCE98 | The Team | Honours | Coach


the_country.jpg (2787 bytes)

Land area: 34 000 km²
Population: 15 000 000
Capital: Amsterdam
Main cities: Rotterdam, Eindhoven, The Hague
System of government: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of state: Beatrix
Prime Minister: Wim Kok
Currency: Gulden
Time difference: None

the_road.jpg (4480 bytes)

5 October 96 Wales - Holland 1-3
9 November 96 Holland - Wales 7-1
14 December 96 Belgium - Holland 0-3
29 March 97 Holland - San Marin 4-0
2 April 97 Turkey - Holland 1-0
30 April 97 San Marin - Holland 0-6
6 September 97 Holland - Belgium 3-0
11 October 97 Holland - Turkey 0-0

19 points
26 goals scored
4 goals conceded


the_team.jpg (1975 bytes)

Goalkeeper: VAN DER SAR (age 27, 21 caps)
Defenders:  REIZIGER (age 24, 22 caps)
F. DE BOER (age 27, 50 caps)
STAM (10 caps)
BOGARDE (age 27, 10 caps)
Mid-field: R. DE BOER (age 27, 36 caps)
SEEDORF (age 21, 26 caps)
JONK (39 caps)
COCU (age 27, 15 caps)
Striker: BERGKAMP (age 28, 57 caps)
KLUIVERT (age 21, 15 caps)

Number of players used during the qualifying rounds: 23

National team colours: orange and white

FIFA ranking (on 16 October 1997):  8th


the_honours.jpg (1793 bytes)


the_coach.jpg (1633 bytes)

Guus HIDDINK
In Valencia 3 seasons ago, where Guus Hiddink was the coach, he had a racist banner removed from the ground before a game began. It was an act praised by the entire Spanish "Liga", and, as it happens, typical of Hiddink, who sent Edgar Davids back home in the middle of Euro 96 after a quarrel! Clearly managing a team of stars holds no terrors for him. An ex-PSV Eindhoven player and coach (3 times Dutch champions and European Cup winners in 1988), he also managed Fenerbahçe and Valencia. Hiddink, who is a close friend of Johan Cruyff, advocates attractive football and relies on the right blend of his country's Italian and Spanish exiles to make up the body of the national team. Even though they were beaten by Brazil in the 1994 quarter-finals in the U.S.A and by France in Euro 96, the Dutchmen will still be hoping to cut a swathe in FRANCE.

 

Photo Copyright AllSports, all reproduction rights retained