Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association. It won Euro 88 and reached two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 but lost both finals to their respective host nations, West Germany and Argentina. At the peak of its success in the 1970s, the team was famous for its mastery of Total Football and was nicknamed "Clockwork Oranje" for i... more

The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association. It won Euro 88 and reached two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 but lost both finals to their respective host nations, West Germany and Argentina. At the peak of its success in the 1970s, the team was famous for its mastery of Total Football and was nicknamed "Clockwork Oranje" for its precision passing. In many countries and even the Netherlands itself, the team is colloquially referred to as "Holland". It is currently ranked 3rd in the FIFA World Rankings and 3rd in the World Football Elo Ratings. The Netherlands played their first international match in Antwerp against Belgium on 30 April 1905. The Dutch won the game 4–1, with all four of their goals coming from Eddy de Neve. De Neve would score six goals during his international career, which would span only three games. Technically, however, the Dutch had played four... less