Benelux Union in this definition includes Netherlands,
Belgium and Luxembourg (no player to be mentioned). Historically, the three
low-countries were merged several times as Burgundian Neterlands, Habsburg
Netherlands, the United Kingdom of Netherlandsm etc. However, there is no football competition
to relate between these nations.
Benelux
European
Championship Participation : 12 Times
(1972, 1976,
1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
World Cup
Participation : 15 Times (Disappearance in 1950, 1958, 1962 and 1966)
Achievement :
3 Times FIFA World
Cup Runner-Up (1974, 1978, 2010)
1988 European
Championship Winner
1980 European
Championship Runner-Up
Most Caps : Wesley Sneijder (134 games)
Top Scorer : Robin Van Persie (50 Goals)
The Greatest
Player Ever : Johan Cruyff
All-Time Benelux Squad
Goalkeeper
|
Defender
|
Midfielder
|
Forward
|
Edwin Van Der Sar (Netherlands)
Thibat Courtois
(Belgium) |
Eric Gerets
(Belgium)
Wim Suurbier
(Netherlands)
Ruud Krol
(Netherlands)
Ronald Koeman
(Netherlands)
Virgil Van Dijk
(Netehrlands)
Japp Stam
(Netherlands)
Armand Swartenbroeks (Belgium) |
Frank Rijkaard
(Netherlands)
Johan Neeskens
(Netherlands)
Willem Van Hanegem
(Netherlands)
Eden Hazard
(Belgium)
Ruud Gullit
(Netherlands)
Arjen Robben
(Netherlands)
Jan Ceulemans
(Belgium)
|
Johan Cruyff
(Netherlands)
Dennis Berkamp
(Netherlands)
Paul Van Himst
(Belgium)
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
(Netherlands)
Rob Rensenbrink
(Netherlands)
Marco Van Basten
(Netherlands)
|
Manager : Rinus Michels (Netherlands)
Stadium : Amsterdam Arena (Netherlands)
Formation XI
Statistics
By Decade
|
By Nation
|
1910s : 1
1920s : -
1930s : 2
1940s : 2
1950s : 1.5
1960s : 4.5
1970s : 2
1980s : 3
1990s : 1
2000s : 2
2010s : 3
|
Netherlands : 17
Belgium : 5 |
Table of Positional Ranking
| Goalkeeper | Side-Back | Central Defender | ||||||
| R. | Name | Nation | R. | Name | Nation | R. | Name | Nation |
| 1 | Edwin Van Der Sar | NED | 1 | Ruud Krol | NED | 1 | Ronald Koeman | NED |
| 2 | Thibat Courtois | BEL | 2 | Eric Gerets | BEL | 2 | Virgil Van Dijk | NED |
| 3 | Jean Marie-Pfaff | BEL | 3 | Wim Suurbier | NED | 3 | Jaap Stam | NED |
| 4 | Michael Preud'Homme | BEL | 4 | Giovanni Van Bronkhorst | NED | 4 | Frank De Boer | NED |
| 5 | Hans Van Breukelen | NED | 5 | Michael Reiziger | NED | 5 | Vincent Kompany | BEL |
| 6 | Jan Van Beveren | NED | 6 | Denzel Dumfries | NED | 6 | Rinus Israel | NED |
| 7 | Christian Piot | BEL | 7 | Jan Vertonghen | BEL | 7 | Barry Hulshoff | NED |
| 8 | Eddy Pieters Graafland | NED | 8 | George Heylens | BEL | 8 | Danny Blind | NED |
| 9 | Frans de Munck | NED | 9 | Adrie Van Tiggelen | NED | 9 | Bok De Korver | NED |
| 10 | Piet Schrijvers | NED | 10 | Michael Renquin | BEL | 10 | Lauren Verbiest | BEL |
| 11 | Mark Stekelenburg | NED | 11 | Roel Wierma | NED | 11 | Stefan De Vrij | NED |
| 12 | Jean Nicolay | BEL | 12 | Armand Swartenbroeks | BEL | 12 | Toby Alderweireld | BEL |
| 13 | Gejus van der Meulen | NED | 13 | Fons Van Brandt | BEL | 13 | Matthijs de Ligt | NED |
| 14 | Jan Jongbloed | NED | 14 | Daniel Van Buyten | BEL | |||
| 15 | Ed de Goey | NED | 15 | Thomas Vermaelen | BEL | |||
| 16 | Gerrit Keizer | NED | 16 | John Heitinga | NED | |||
| 17 | Jean De Bie | BEL | 17 | Frank Verlaat | NED | |||
| 18 | Piet Kraak | NED | 18 | Harry Denis | NED | |||
| 19 | Wim Andersen | NED | ||||||
| Defensive Midfilder | Playmaker | Winger | ||||||
| R. | Name | Nation | R. | Name | Nation | R. | Name | Nation |
| 1 | Frank Rijkaard | NED | 1 | Ruud Gullit | NED | 1 | Arjen Robben | NED |
| 2 | Johan Neeskens | NED | 2 | Kevin De Bruyne | BEL | 2 | Eden Hazard | BEL |
| 3 | Edgar Davids | NED | 3 | Willem Van Hanegem | NED | 3 | Piet Keizer | NED |
| 4 | Clarence Seedorf | NED | 4 | Jan Ceulemans | BEL | 4 | Marc Overmars | NED |
| 5 | Wim Jansen | NED | 5 | Westley Sneijder | NED | 5 | Johnny Rep | NED |
| 6 | Arie Haan | NED | 6 | Enzo Scifo | BEL | 6 | Coen Moulijin | NED |
| 7 | Wilfried Van Moer | BEL | 7 | Joseph Jurion | BEL | 7 | Sjaak Swart | NED |
| 8 | Puck Van Heel | NED | 8 | Rafael Van De Vaart | NED | 8 | Rene Van De Kerkhof | NED |
| 9 | Vic Mees | BEL | 9 | Kees Rijvers | NED | 9 | Franky Vercauteren | BEL |
| 10 | Franky Van De Elst | BEL | 10 | Gerrie Muhren | NED | 10 | Gerald Vanenberg | NED |
| 11 | Frenkie De Jong | NED | 11 | Marl Wilmots | BEL | 11 | Bertus De Harder | NED |
| 12 | Phillip Cocu | NED | 12 | Jan Peters | NED | 12 | Jan de Natris | NED |
| 13 | Willy Van De Kerkhof | NED | 13 | Ludo Coeck | BEL | 13 | Francois Van De Elst | BEL |
| 14 | Mark Van Bommel | NED | 14 | Arnold Muhren | NED | 14 | Boudewijn Zenden | NED |
| 15 | Arin Winter | NED | 15 | Wim Jonk | NED | 15 | Wilfried Puis | BEL |
| 16 | Louis Pilot | LUX | 16 | John Van't Schip | NED | |||
| 17 | Nijel De Jong | NED | 17 | Victor Lemberechts | BEL | |||
| 18 | René Vandereycken | BEL | 18 | Memphis Depay | NED | |||
| 19 | Radja Nainggolan | BEL | 19 | Ronald De Boer | NED | |||
| 20 | Richard Witschge | NED | 20 | René Vandereycken | BEL | |||
| Forward | Striker | |||||||
| R. | Name | Nation | R. | Name | Nation | |||
| 1 | Johan Cruyff | NED | 1 | Marco Van Basten | NED | |||
| 2 | Dennis Bergkamp | NED | 2 | Ruud Van Nistelrooy | NED | |||
| 3 | Paul Van Himst | BEL | 3 | Patrick Kluivert | NED | |||
| 4 | Rob Rensenbrink | NED | 4 | Jeff Mermans | BEL | |||
| 5 | Faas Wilkes | NED | 5 | Ruud Geels | NED | |||
| 6 | Abe Lenstra | NED | 6 | Erwin Vandenbergh | BEL | |||
| 7 | Raymond Braine | BEL | 7 | Albert De Cleyn | BEL | |||
| 8 | Robin Van Persie | NED | 8 | Roy Makaay | NED | |||
| 9 | Willy Van De Kuijlen | NED | 9 | Jimmy F. Hasselbaink | NED | |||
| 10 | Romelu Lukaku | BEL | 10 | Luc Nilis | BEL | |||
| 11 | Henri Coppens | BEL | 11 | Coen Dillen | NED | |||
| 12 | Bernard Voorhoof | BEL | 12 | Klass Jan Huntelaar | NED | |||
| 13 | Raoul Lamberts | BEL | 13 | Kees Kist | NED | |||
| 14 | Dries Mertens | NED | 14 | Henk Groot | NED | |||
| 15 | Louis Van Hege | BEL | 15 | Pierre Van Hoojdonk | NED | |||
| 16 | Victor Nurenburg | LUX | 16 | Noud Van Melis | NED | |||
| 17 | Kick Smit | NED | 17 | Piet Van Reenen | NED | |||
| 18 | Dirk Kuyt | NED | 18 | Tonny Van Der Linden | NED | |||
| 19 | Mark Degryse | BEL | 19 | Arthur Ceuleers | BEL | |||
| 20 | Jean Capelle | BEL | ||||||
| 21 | Victor Wegria | BEL | ||||||
Managers
1. Rinus Michels (Netherlands)
2. Guus Hiddink (Netherlands)
3. Loius Van Gaal (Netherlands)
4. Raymond Goelthal (Belgium)
5. Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
The Greatest Benelux Players of the Era
10s : Bok De Korver
20s : Harry Denis (1st Half), Raymond Braine (2nd Half)
30s : Raymond Braine (1st
Half), Beb Bukhuys (2nd Half)
40s : Faas Wilkes (2nd
Half)
50s : Abe Lenstra (1st
Half), Joseph Jurion (2nd Half)
60s : Paul Van Himst (1st
Half), Johan Cruyff (2nd Half)
70s : Johan Cruyff (1st
Half), Rob Rensenbrink (2nd Half)
80s : Jan Ceulemans (1st
Half), Marco Van Basten (2nd Half)
90s : Dennis Bergkamp (1st
Half), Edgar Davids (2nd Half)
00s : Ruud Van Nistelrooy (1st
Half), Wesley Sneijder (2nd Half)
10s : Eden Hazard
10s : Eden Hazard
20s : Virgil Van Dijk (1st Half)
The Greatest Benelux Footballers of All-Time
1. Johan
Cruyff
2. Ruud Gullit
3. Marco Van
Basten
4. Frank
Rijkaard
5. Ruud
Krol
6. Dennis Bergkamp
7. Willem Van Hanegem
8. Johan Neeskens
9. Paul
Van Himst
10. Ruud
Van Nistelrooy
11. Ronald Koeman
12. Arjen Robben
13. Michael Preud’homme
14. Jean Marie Pfaff
15. Rob Rensenbrink
16. Abe Lenstra
17. Faas Wilkes
18. Raymond Braine
19. Piet Keizer
20.
By Nation
Netherlands : 15
Belgium : 5
Benelux Footballers of The Year
By Nation
Netherlands : 56
Belgium : 29
where is Nilis
ReplyDeleteAs Edwin van Der Sar has been revaluated he is ahead of the belgian keeper selected in the team
ReplyDeleteClarence Seedorf (HOL) defensive midfielder?
ReplyDeleteHe is central midfielder. If I need to select between DM and AM, I think he is more DM as he plays very deep and his defensive skill is qualified as well.
DeleteThere is a mistake in All-Time Benelux Squad : Bixente Lizarazu should not musrt be here. Maybe it would be interesting to name the best Luxembourg player maybe Louis Pilot
ReplyDeleteOK thanks
DeleteHi Naratorn. How come is Luc Nilis not even mentioned in forwards ranking? His club record is impressive, in a good era for both Belgian and Dutch football.
ReplyDeleteHere is Ronaldo Nazário stating he was the best striker partner he had.
https://www.foxsports.it/2019/05/05/ronaldo-luc-nilis/
I think his scoring record in international career is incredibly low.
DeleteI would suggest Victor Lemberechts, Belgian right winger. He is highly regarded by the Pes miti del Calcio Belgian editor: http://www.pesmitidelcalcio.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6834.
ReplyDeleteHe was selected to play for the Rest of Europe for a friendly agaist Great Britain in 1947, alongside Carey, Parola, Gren, Wilkes, Praest, Nordahl and Poul Petersen.
These articles in Dutch suggest he was considered one of the best wingers in Europe in the immediate post-war times (this is confirmed by his selection for the Rest of Europe team). http://peterbc112.112.axc.nl/interviews.html
Furthermore, he has excellent scoring stats for club and country, and he won the only three titles for Mechelen before their golden era in the late 80s.
I would like if you took him into account.
Thanks for this player. I originally name him in minor reserve group of Belgium squad. I read article and I agree he should be in 22-men squad also due to tactical reason as there is no winger in substitution at first so I just remove Vandenbergh to make space for him.
DeleteHakim Ziyech should be Moroccan. He has over 33 caps for Morocco, he is of Arab and African ethnicity and even though he was born and raised in the Netherlands, he himself declared he chose Morocco over the Netherlands as his own decision, even though he played youth football with the Oranges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Pq4G46vcE
ReplyDeleteYour Northern African selection could have greate use of Ziyech.
OK, He played only Morocco and succeed Moroccan blood. That is actually enough to include him in North Africa squad.
DeleteIn the "Holland" all time team, you put Harry Denis as a right back, but here you put Harry Denis as a central defender. Can you fix that?
ReplyDeleteKevin De Bruyne's ranking must be updated (I guess 2nd offensive midfielder behind Gullit)
ReplyDeleteAlso certainly Top 20 in the best Benelux footballers of all time
Hi Van der kuijlen in 50 table is forward o offensive midfielder?
ReplyDeleteThe best 30 players of Luxembourg in the history.
ReplyDelete1. Louis Pilot, 2. Jeff Strasser, 3. Guy Hellers, 4. Roby Langers, 5. Nico Braun, 6. Luc Holtz, 7. Daniel da Mota, 8. Mario Mutsch, 9. Lars Gerson, 10. René Peters, 11. Jonathan Joubert, 12. Laurent Jans, 13. Christopher Martins, 14. Leandro Barreiro, 15. Danel Sinani, 16. Gerson Rodrigues, 17. Maurice Deville, 18. Anthony Moris, 19. Vincent Thill, 20. Sébastien Thill, 21. Ben Payal, 22. Marc Birsens, 23. Carlo Weis, 24. Denis Scuto, 25. Manou Cardoni, 26. Jean-Paul Girres, 27. Serge Thill, 28. Armin Krings, 29. Marcel Bossi, 30. Théo Malget