UEFA European Championship Holland

Holland Euro 2008 Team History and Overview

The Dutch national team is often referred to as ‘Clockwork Orange’ because of their traditional bright orange kit and their innovative and precise game strategy titled ‘Total Football’. The Dutch flag does not contain the orange used for the team uniform. Instead, it is the historical national colour found in the coat of arms of the country’s founding father, William of Orange-Nassau.

In 1905, Holland played their first international match against Belgium and won convincingly (4 – 1). The Dutch team entered their first FIFA World Cup final tournament in 1934 and qualified once again in 1938. However, the team was not recognized as a strong international force until the 1970s and the invention of Totaalvoetbal, where all players are trained to function in any position on the field.

Holland saw their finest hour during Euro 88. They defeated West Germany during the semi-final in a dramatic revenge match. The two countries have been considered rivals since the Dutch team lost the final match of the World Cup to West Germany in 1974. Holland went on to crush USSR in the final round of the tournament, gaining their first major international title.

You can click here to see previous UEFA European Championship results for the Netherlands or view the players in the Holland Euro 2008 Team.

Since 1976, The Netherlands has also reached the European Championship semi final four times. Holland has also made it into the final round of two consecutive World Cups (1974 and 1978) and obtained three Olympic Bronze Medals.

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