Netherlands national under-21 football team

Netherlands U21

Nickname(s)	Jong Oranje (Young Orange)
Association	Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond
Head coach	Cor Pot
Most caps	Arnold Bruggink (31)
Top scorer	Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (18)
Home colours Away colours
Appearances	(First in 1988)
Best result	Winner, 2006, 2007

The Netherlands national under-21 football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held every two years.

Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the Dutch Under-21 team was formed. The team did not have a very good record, failing to qualify for nine of the fifteen tournaments. The team did not enter for the 1978 competition, but since then has reached the semi-finals twice, and qualified for the last eight on three other occasions.

Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, the Netherlands' record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown. The first competitive match was in the "Under-23 Challenge", a match which they lost. The team qualified for the last eight of each of the three U-23 tournaments.

In 2006 the Netherlands national under-21 football team of coach Foppe de Haan won the 2006 European Under-21 Championship. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar became top scorer and player of the tournament with four goals, and also broke the all-time goalscoring record of 15 goals previously held by Roy Makaay and Arnold Jan Bruggink, in his last match with the team as he pushed this record to 18 goals. The following year, Netherlands national under-21 football team successfully defended their title by winning the 2007 European Under-21 Championship in the final against Serbia with 4–1. Maceo Rigters was the top scorer of the competition with four goals and Royston Drenthe was the Player of the Tournament. The win meant that the Netherlands qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The team failed to qualify for the 2009 European Under-21 Championship, after losing out to Switzerland in their final qualifying match.

UEFA U-23 Championship record

The Netherlands were randomly chosen to play cards Bulgaria for the title in a one-off match in Sofia, which the Netherlands lost.

• 17 April 1968: Bulgaria 3–1 Netherlands.
• 1972: Losing quarter-finalists.
• 1974: Losing quarter-finalists.
• 1976: Losing semi-finalists.

UEFA U-21 Championship Record

Serbia and the Netherlands enter on to the field for the final of the 2007 tournament.

• 1978: Did not enter.
• 1980: Did not qualify. Finished 3rd of 3 in qualification group.
• 1982: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group.
• 1984: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group.
• 1986: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 4 in qualification group.
• 1988: Losing semi-finalists.
• 1990: Did not qualify. Finished 3rd of 4 in qualification group.
• 1992: Losing quarter-finalists.
• 1994: Did not qualify. Finished 5th of 6 in qualification group.
• 1996: Did not qualify. Finished 3rd of 6 in qualification group.
• 1998: Fourth.
• 2000: Finished 3rd of 4 in finals group. Joint fifth.
• 2002: Lost in playoff.
• 2004: Did not qualify. Finished 4th of 5 in qualification group.
• 2006: Winners
• 2007: Winners
• 2009: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 5 in qualification group.
• 2011: Lost in Playoff against Ukraine.

Notable players

• Jo Bonfrere
• Roy Makaay
• Arnold Bruggink
• Wilfred Bouma
• Peter Wisgerhof
• Victor Sikora
• Mark van Bommel
• Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink
• Dirk Kuyt
• Kenneth Vermeer
• Gijs Luirink
• Nicky Hofs
• Stijn Schaars
• Urby Emanuelson
• Romeo Castelen
• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
• Robin van Persie
• Boy Waterman
• Ron Vlaar
• Ryan Donk
• Gianni Zuiverloon
• Hedwiges Maduro
• Otman Bakkal
• Maceo Rigters
• Ryan Babel
• Royston Drenthe
• Tim Krul
• Erik Pieters

Current squad

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club GK Marco Bizot March 10, 1991 (1991-03-10) (age 20) SC Cambuur GK Sergio Padt June 6, 1990 (1990-06-06) (age 21) K.A.A. Gent DF Patrick van Aanholt March 19, 1990 (1990-03-19) (age 21) Wigan Athletic F.C. DF Lorenzo Burnet January 11, 1991 (1991-01-11) (age 20) FC Groningen DF Virgil van Dijk July 8, 1991 (1991-07-08) (age 20) FC Groningen DF Kelvin Leerdam June 24, 1990 (1990-06-24) (age 21) Feyenoord DF Stefan de Vrij February 5, 1992 (1992-02-05) (age 19) Feyenoord MF Leandro Bacuna August 21, 1991 (1991-08-21) (age 20) FC Groningen MF Jordy Clasie July 27, 1991 (1991-07-27) (age 20) Feyenoord MF Lerin Duarte August 11, 1990 (1990-08-11) (age 21) Heracles Almelo MF Leroy Fer January 5, 1990 (1990-01-05) (age 21) FC Twente MF Maikel Kieftenbeld June 26, 1990 (1990-06-26) (age 21) FC Groningen MF Adam Maher July 20, 1993 (1993-07-20) (age 18) AZ MF Ben Rienstra June 5, 1990 (1990-06-05) (age 21) Heracles Almelo FW Nacer Barazite May 27, 1990 (1990-05-27) (age 21) FK Austria Wien FW Ola John May 19, 1992 (1992-05-19) (age 19) FC Twente FW Luciano Narsingh September 13, 1990 (1990-09-13) (age 21) SC Heerenveen FW Alex Schalk August 7, 1992 (1992-08-07) (age 19) NAC Breda

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 6 months.

Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Call-up GK Jeroen Zoet January 6, 1991 (1991-01-06) (age 20) RKC Waalwijk v.  Austria, October 6, 2011 DF Anthony Bentem March 19, 1990 (1990-03-19) (age 21) Sparta Rotterdam v.  Albania, May 30, 2011 DF Daley Blind March 9, 1990 (1990-03-09) (age 21) AFC Ajax v.  Austria, October 6, 2011 DF Ties Evers March 14, 1991 (1991-03-14) (age 20) De Graafschap v.  Luxembourg, September 6, 2011 DF Jeffrey Gouweleeuw July 10, 1991 (1991-07-10) (age 20) SC Heerenveen v.  Scotland, November 14, 2011 DF Johan Kappelhof August 5, 1990 (1990-08-05) (age 21) FC Groningen v.  Austria, October 6, 2011 DF Bram Nuytinck May 4, 1990 (1990-05-04) (age 21) N.E.C. v.  Austria, October 6, 2011 DF Kaj Ramsteijn January 17, 1990 (1990-01-17) (age 21) Feyenoord v.  Luxembourg, September 6, 2011 DF Ricardo van Rhijn June 13, 1991 (1991-06-13) (age 20) AFC Ajax v.  Albania, May 30, 2011 MF Marco van Ginkel December 1, 1992 (1992-12-01) (age 18) Vitesse v.  Scotland, November 14, 2011 MF Ricky van Haaren June 21, 1991 (1991-06-21) (age 20) Feyenoord v.  Austria, October 6, 2011 MF Davy Pröpper September 2, 1991 (1991-09-02) (age 20) Vitesse v.  Sweden, August 10, 2011 MF Marko Vejinović February 3, 1990 (1990-02-03) (age 21) Heracles Almelo v.  Albania, May 30, 2011 MF Georginio Wijnaldum November 11, 1990 (1990-11-11) (age 21) PSV Eindhoven v.  Albania, May 30, 2011 FW Steven Berghuis December 19, 1991 (1991-12-19) (age 19) FC Twente v.  Austria, October 6, 2011 FW Jerson Cabral January 3, 1991 (1991-01-03) (age 20) Feyenoord v.  Austria, October 6, 2011 FW Luc Castaignos September 27, 1992 (1992-09-27) (age 19) F.C. Internazionale Milano v.  Luxembourg, September 6, 2011 FW Leon de Kogel November 13, 1991 (1991-11-13) (age 20) FC Utrecht v.  Albania, May 30, 2011 FW Florian Jozefzoon February 9, 1991 (1991-02-09) (age 20) NAC Breda v.  Albania, May 30, 2011 FW Rick ten Voorde June 20, 1991 (1991-06-20) (age 20) RKC Waalwijk v.  Albania, May 30, 2011 FW Género Zeefuik April 5, 1990 (1990-04-05) (age 21) N.E.C. v.  Austria, October 6, 2011

See also

• Netherlands national football team
• Netherlands national under-19 football team
• Netherlands national under-17 football team
• UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

Sources/External links

• UEFA Under-21 website Contains full results archive
• The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21/U-23 Championships.
• Official KNVB U-21 site in Dutch