Record International Players - Netherlands
Note that below only Dutch national team players are listed who were born in the Dutch East Indies, all when it was a Dutch colony. Of course, there have been a number of other players in the Dutch national team with roots in current Indonesia, such as Simon Tahamata and Bert Latuheru, both of Moluccan descent, or those with a parent from the Indies, such as Sonny Silooy, Jeffrey Talan, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Denny Landzaat; however, all these were born within the current (European) borders of the Netherlands. In contrast, nearly all the players listed below had no Asian roots (the four most notable exceptions are Bertus Stom (who played in each of the first nine matches of the Dutch national team, the only player to do so), Karel Heijting, David Wijnveldt and Law Adam) but were born in the Dutch East Indies because of the professional career of their parents.
In addition to the 53 players listed below, we might also have added Joop Boutmy, who was born in Penang, Malaya (now in Malaysia), and left for the Dutch East Indies after his last match for the Dutch national team in 1914. Instead, he is included under the list of Oranje Players born Elsewhere Abroad. It is of interest to note that the players generally considered to have been the best Dutch (centre) forward (Bakhuys) and the best Dutch 'keeper (Göbel) before World War II were both born in the colony.
Players are ranked according to their number of caps. Current names of towns or cities listed between brackets whenever different (note that Jatinegara (formerly Meester Cornelis) is part of current Jakarta and not the central Javan town of the same name). All places on Java unless indicated differently, with [S] denoting Sumat(e)ra and [BN] denoting Bandanaira.
Name Place of Birth Caps Goals 1.Bep BAKHUYS Pekalongan 23 28 2.Mannus FRANCKEN Plantage Limburg (near Malang) 22 17 Just GÖBEL Soerabaja (Surabaya) 22 K 0 4.Dé KESSLER Garoet (Garut) 21 9 5.Leo BOSSCHART Kota Radja (Banda Aceh) [S] 19 1 6.Karel HEIJTING Koetoardjo (Kutoarjo) 17 0 7.Guus LUTJENS Padang [S] 14 5 8.David WIJNVELDT Djember (Jember) 13 0 9.Law ADAM Probolinggo 11 6 Jan VAN BREDA KOLFF Medan [S] 11 1 Edu SNETHLAGE Ngawi 11 10 Ben VERWEIJ Medan [S] 11 0 13.Nico BOUVY Banda Neira (Bandanaira) [BN] 9 4 Bertus STOM Malang 9 0 15.John HEIJNING Pondok Gedeh (Pondok Gede) 8 0 16.Dick MACNEILL Pasoeroean (Pasuruan) 7 K 0 17.Albert SNOUCK HURGRONJE Pradjekan (Prajekan) 6 1 18.Iman DOZY Fort Willem I (Ambarawa) 4 0 Miel MUNDT Paraban Salak (near Sukabumi) 4 0 Oscar VAN RAPPARD Probolinggo 4 0 21.Frans DE BRUYN KOPS Benkoelen (Bengkulu) [S] 3 0 Cees TEN CATE Ngawi 3 1 Vic. GONSALVES Cheribon (Cirebon) 3 0 Dolf KESSLER Batavia (Jakarta) 3 1 Tonny KESSLER Garoet (Garut) 3 1 Therus KÜCHLIN Malang 3 1 Eddy DE NEVE Batavia (Jakarta) 3 5 Dick SNOEK Djokjakarta (Yogyakarta) 3 0 Eetje SOL Tjomas (Ciomas) 3 0 Ferry VAN DER VINNE Blitar 3 1 31.Jan AKKERSDIJK Ngrantjak-Kedoe (Ngrancak, Kedu) 2 1 Lothar VAN GOGH Soekaboemi (Sukabumi) 2 2 Jur HAAK Semarang 2 2 Anton LENS Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara) 2 0 Marius SANDBERG Padang [S] 2 0 Guus DE SERIÈRE Kraksaän (Kraksaan) 2 0 Henk WAMSTEKER Madioen (Madiun) 2 0 38.Jan VAN BEEK Modjokerto (Mojokerto) 1 0 Hans BLUME Tjandi (Candi) (near Semarang) 1 1 Lo LA CHAPELLE Buitenzorg (Bogor) 1 0 Jo ESHUIJS Tandjong Balei (Tanjung Balai)[S] 1 0 Jacques FRANCKEN Djombang (Jombang) 1 1 Guus VAN HECKING COLENBRANDER Soerabaja (Surabaya) 1 0 Max HENNY Buitenzorg (Bogor) 1 0 Hans VAN KESTEREN Bandoeng (Bandung) 1 0 Jan KOK Soerabaja (Surabaya) 1 0 Harry KUNEMAN Poerwakarta (Purwakarta) 1 0 Miel VAN LEIJDEN Batavia (Jakarta) 1 0 Dolf VAN DER NAGEL Buitenzorg (Bogor) 1 0 Herman PELTZER Sidoardjo (Sidoarjo) 1 0 Frans VAN DER POEL Soerakarta (Surakarta, Solo) 1 0 Piet VALKENBURG Semarang 1 0 Rens VIS Magelang 1 0 Note: K indicates goal keeper
Note that below only players are listed who were born in Surinam (in fact, all in Paramaribo). Of course, there have been quite a number of other players in the Dutch national team with roots in Surinam (either from both parental sides or one), such as Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Patrick Kluivert, to name just the most famous ones; however, they all were born within the current (European) borders of the Netherlands.
Name Place of Birth Caps Goals
1.Clarence SEEDORF Paramaribo 87 11
2.Aron WINTER Paramaribo 84 6
3.Edgar DAVIDS Paramaribo 74 6
4.Jerrel HASSELBAINK Paramaribo 23 9
5.Edson BRAAFHEID Paramaribo 10 0
Romeo CASTELEN Paramaribo 10 1
7.Ulrich VAN GOBBEL Paramaribo 8 0
8.Henk FRÄSER Paramaribo 6 0
Stanley MENZO Paramaribo 6 K 0
10.Regi BLINKER Paramaribo 3 0
Jerry DE JONG Paramaribo 3 0
Humphrey MIJNALS Paramaribo 3 0
13.Andwelé SLORY Paramaribo 2 0
Dwight TIENDALLI Paramaribo 2 0
Marciano VINK Paramaribo 2 0
16.Hennie MEIJER Paramaribo 1 0
John VELDMAN Paramaribo 1 0
Romeo ZONDERVAN Paramaribo 1 0
Note: * indicates the player is still active, at least at club level.
K indicates goal keeper
To date, only two players born in the Dutch Antilles have played for Oranje.
Name Place of Birth Caps Goals
1.Jetro WILLEMS Willemstad (Curaçao) 22 * 0
2.Vurnon ANITA Willemstad (Curaçao) 3 * 0
Note: * indicates the player is still active, at least at club level.
K indicates goal keeper
Note that below only players are listed who were born outside of the Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies, Surinam and the Dutch Antilles. About half are of Dutch descent and most spent most of their life in the Netherlands (the main exception being Willi Lippens, born near Kleve of a Dutch father and a German mother, who never left Germany and spent his entire professional football career in the Ruhrgebiet where he remains an icon, in particular in Essen, where any fan of Rot-Weiss will know all about Die Ente).
Note that Collins and Ola John as well as Siem and Luuk de Jong are brothers.
This list does not include players with different ethnic backgrounds (e.g. Moroccan, such as Khalid Boulahrouz and Ibrahim Afellay, or Turkish, such as Otman Bakkal) who were born (and raised) in the Netherlands.
Name Place of Birth Caps Goals
1.John VAN 'T SCHIP Fort Saint John (Canada) 41 2
2.Luuk DE JONG Aigle (Switzerland) 39 * 8
3.Bruno MARTINS INDI Barreiro (Portugal) 35 * 2
4.Jonathan DE GUZMAN Toronto (Canada) 14 * 0
5.Graeme RUTJES Sydney (Australia) 13 1
6.Joop BOUTMY Penang (Malaya) 10 1
7.Youri MULDER Brussel (Belgium) 9 3
8.Arnaut Danjuma GROENEVELD Lagos (Nigeria) 6 * 2
Siem DE JONG Aigle (Switzerland) 6 2
10.Adam MAHER Aït Izzou (Morocco) 5 * 0
Guus TIL Samfya (Zambia) 5 * 1
12.George BOATENG Nkawkaw (Ghana) 4 0
Toon BRUSSELERS Heverlee (Belgium) 4 2
Terence KONGOLO Fribourg (Switzerland) 4 * 0
15.Collins JOHN Zwedru (Liberia) 2 0
16.Ola JOHN Zwedru (Liberia) 1 * 0
Willi LIPPENS Hau (Germany) 1 1
Note: * indicates the player is still active, at least at club level.
K indicates goal keeper
Record International Players - Netherlands
Many thanks to Diego Rattaggi for drawing my attention to additional players born in the Dutch East Indies
Information up to date at August 1, 2024, when exactly 808 players had won at least one official cap for the Netherlands
Additional information or corrections on places of birth are welcomed by the author
Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Karel Stokkermans
(karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 17 Sep 2024
(C) Copyright Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 2010/24
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper
acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.