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Goalkeepers
1-Edwin van der Sar ("Man Utd") Date of birth: 29.10.70. Matches for the national team: 107. Goals scored: 0.
Undoubtedly one of the most reliable and experienced goalkeepers in the old continent. The 35-year-old player has been the goalkeeper for the Dutch national team since 1995 when he made his debut after a great season with Amsterdam's "Ajax".
In 2001, he moved to "Fulham", having previously had an unsuccessful spell with Turin's "Juventus", and now he is the main goalkeeper for one of the strongest clubs in England and all of Europe, "Man Utd".
22-Henrik Timmer ("AZ Alkmaar") Date of birth: 3.12.71. Matches for the national team: 1. Goals scored: 0.
A reliable goalkeeper, Timmer made his debut for the national team just last November. He played for a long time for second league team "Pac Zwolle" before moving to "AZ Alkmaar".
Interesting fact - H. Timmer's wife is the speed skating 1998 Olympic champion.
23-Maarten Stekelenburg (Amsterdam's "Ajax") Date of birth: 22.9.82. Matches for the national team: 1. Goals scored: 0.
A talented player developed in the "Ajax" club, he made his national team debut in 2004 in a friendly match against Liechtenstein.
Although he started playing for the main "Ajax" team in 2002, due to constant injuries, the Dutchman played only 30 matches in the first three years. Nevertheless, his career started to rise again - last season, after taking over as coach at "Ajax," Maarten Stekelenburg became the main goalkeeper for the club.
Defenders
3-Khalid Boulahrouz ("SV Hamburg") Date of birth: 28.12.81. Matches for the national team: 10. Goals scored: 0.
A fearless defender, Boulahrouz turned professional in 2001, playing for the "RKC Waalwijk" team managed by Martin Jol. He previously played in a striker position but later became a center-back for Hamburg in 2004.
His game in Germany was very successful, and soon after his arrival, he was nicknamed "Cannibal" by the media and other players due to his exceptional playing style.
5-Giovanni van Bronckhorst ("Barcelona") Date of birth: 5.2.75. Matches for the national team: 55. Goals scored: 3.
Originally included in the national team as a left-back by Guus Hiddink right after the 1996 European Championship.
He started his professional career with Rotterdam's "Feyenoord," later moving to Glasgow's "Rangers," and in 2001 to London's "Arsenal." Unfortunately, his time in England was not very successful - van Bronckhorst had to miss one year due to a serious injury but was later loaned to the "Barcelona" team, which eventually purchased him.
This will be the 31-year-old player's fourth serious tournament with the national team and his second World Cup.
12-Jan Kromkamp ("Liverpool") Date of birth: 17.8.80. Matches for the national team: 8. Goals scored: 0.
An attacking full-back, he began his career at the "Go Ahead Eagles" team in the second league, joining "AZ Alkmaar" in 2000 at the invitation of Marco van Basten to the national team.
Last season, he attracted the attention of big clubs on the continent with his excellent performance in the UEFA Cup. In the summer, Villarreal signed him; however, he mostly sat on the bench in Spain and was later sold to Liverpool in the winter.
13-Andre Ooijer (Eindhoven's "PSV") Date of birth: 11.7.74. Matches for the national team: 17. Goals scored: 2.
He started his career as a defensive midfielder but has successfully played as a center-back or right-back for the past nine years. Despite his successful performance with the "PSV" team, Ooijer has not fully revealed his potential in the national team.
14-Johnny Heitinga (Amsterdam's "Ajax") Date of birth: 15.11.83. Matches for the national team: 16. Goals scored: 1.
A versatile defender, he made his debut for "Ajax" at the age of just 17. In 2003, Heitinga suffered a serious knee injury, but after his return, he demonstrated a solid and reliable performance on the field. He played in three out of five matches in the 2004 European Championship.
This season has not been very successful for the 22-year-old player, but he has improved his game recently and managed to break into the national team's lineup.
He started his career as a right-back, but in this World Cup, Heitinga will try his hand at the center-back position.
4-Joris Mathijsen ("AZ Alkmaar") Date of birth: 5.4.80. Matches for the national team: 6. Goals scored: 0.
He started his career at Tilburg's "Willem II" team and, after six seasons, in 2004, moved to "AZ Alkmaar." He played quite successfully for the new team and made his way into the national team.
He is currently recovering from a knee injury but will soon be back on the field.
15-Tim de Cler ("AZ Alkmaar") Date of birth: 8.11.78. Matches for the national team: 2. Goals scored: 0.
An attacking left-back who started his career at "Ajax" but failed to fully develop for over five years. In 2001, he moved to "AZ Alkmaar" and made his national team debut last year in a friendly match against Germany.
He will likely have to settle for being the backup to G. van Bronckhorst in the World Cup.
2-Kew Jaliens ("AZ Alkmaar") Date of birth: 15.9.78. Matches for the national team: 1. Goals scored: 0.
Also a reliable and versatile defender, likely to be a reserve player.
Midfielders
8-Phillip Cocu (Eindhoven's "PSV") Date of birth: 29.10.70. Matches for the national team: 95. Goals scored: 10.
A versatile 35-year-old midfielder experiencing a second youth. He made his national team debut just before the 1996 European Championship. Those championships started in the second match against Scotland, and since then, he has played in all the national team matches in the final tournaments.
He returned to the "PSV" team in 2004 after spending six years at "Barcelona." He plans to retire from the Dutch national team after this World Cup.
10-Rafael van der Vaart ("SV Hamburg") Date of birth: 11.2.83. Matches for the national team: 35. Goals scored: 6.
He debuted for the national team at the age of seventeen in the main team of "Ajax" and then in the national team just a year later. Once considered the country's brightest talent, he had an extremely unsuccessful season last year. However, unexpectedly deciding to move to "Hamburg," he did not make a mistake - his season in Germany was excellent, earning him a place in M. van Basten's team.
He will likely fight for the role on the left side of the midfield with P. Cocu.
20-Wesley Sneijder (Amsterdam's "Ajax") Date of birth: 9.6.84. Matches for the national team: 20. Goals scored: 5.
Just like R. van der Vaart, he made his debut for the national team at the age of 18. Despite a successful performance in the qualifying matches for the 2004 European Championship, he played only 58 minutes in the final tournament in Portugal.
In Germany, he will likely have to settle for a place on the bench.
18-Mark van Bommel ("Barcelona") Date of birth: 22.4.77. Matches for the national team: 35. Goals scored: 7.
A midfielder who can both attack and defend, he debuted for the national team right after the 2000 European Championship. He missed last year's European Championship due to injury.
After a successful season with the "PSV" team, he moved to "Barcelona," but the last season was not as successful. It is not surprising that M. van Bommel lost his place in the starting lineup of the national team.
16-Hedwiges Maduro (Amsterdam's "Ajax") Date of birth: 13.2.85. Matches for the national team: 9. Goals scored: 0.
He broke into the main "Ajax" team last season when Danny Blind took over the club, and soon after received an invitation to the national team, making his debut in March.
Maduro is a defensive midfielder, excelling in the position of a center-back.
6-Denny Landzaat ("AZ Alkmaar") Date of birth: 6.5.76. Matches for the national team: 20. Goals scored: 1.
He started in the youth team of "Ajax," but after playing just one match in the main squad, he decided to leave. In 2001, he debuted for the national team under Louis van Gaal. After Dick Advocaat took over the team, Landzaat lost his place in the national team, but M. van Basten brought him back to the main team - he played in 10 out of 12 matches in the World Cup qualifiers.
Forwards
9-Ruud van Nistelrooy ("Man Utd") Date of birth: 1.7.76. Matches for the national team: 49. Goals scored: 25.
Having experienced a relatively successful season with "Man Utd," the Dutchman is the eighth most productive player of all time for the Dutch national team.
He scored seven times in the World Cup qualifiers and will play in the final tournament for the first time.
11-Arjen Robben (London's "Chelsea") Date of birth: 23.1.84. Matches for the national team: 18. Goals scored: 6.
Considered one of the most talented young Dutch players, his career has been plagued by constant injuries - due to various injuries, the left-winger, who signed with "Chelsea" in 2004, missed most of his first season in England.
Recently, he has been one of the main players for the London club, but there are rumors that he may leave for another team this summer.
17-Robin van Persie (London's "Arsenal") Date of birth: 6.8.83. Matches for the national team: 7. Goals scored: 1.
A product of the "Feyenoord" youth academy, he signed with "Arsenal" in 2004.
After a successful season in England, van Persie attracted media attention, facing allegations of rape, which were later dismissed.
7-Dirk Kuyt (Rotterdam's "Feyenoord") Date of birth: 22.7.80. Matches for the national team: 16. Goals scored: 4.
A forward playing centrally, who managed to score over 100 goals in the first seven seasons of the Dutch league. However, in M. van Basten's national team, the 25-year-old usually plays as a right-winger.
He will likely sign a contract with one of the English teams showing great interest either before or during the World Cup.
21-Ryan Babel (Amsterdam's "Ajax") Date of birth: 19.12.86. Matches for the national team: 4. Goals scored: 2.
A talented winger who debuted for "Ajax" at the age of 17 and later for the national team at 18.
However, last season was not as successful for Babel.
19-Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink ("PSV Eindhoven") Date of birth: 7.11.78. Matches for the national team: 6. Goals scored: 0.
With probably the longest name in professional football, he replaced longtime member Pierre van Hooijdonk in the national team.
A tall striker with great aerial ability, he made his debut for the national team under Louis van Gaal, although Dick Advocaat did not invite him to the national team.
He joined "PSV" in 2001 from "Twente," but this season lost his place in the starting lineup.
