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The Netherlands came home as heroes after reaching the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, things have not quite gone in their favor in the years that followed.
Despite having a handful of talents at their disposal, the Oranje failed to qualify in consecutive major tournaments (2014 World Cup and Euro 2016).
Nonetheless, things changed for the 2010 runner-ups in the recent past. Under Ronald Koeman's guidance, the Dutch cruised through Euro 2020 qualifiers to secure the second spot behind league-leaders Germany in their group.
While the tournament was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Netherlands underwent managerial changes as Koeman left for Barcelona. This meant the Dutch would be appearing in a major tournament after seven years with Frank de Boer at the helm.
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Even though the Netherlands wasn't considered one of the favorites, fans around the globe still had high expectations from the Men in Orange. They were placed in Group C alongside Austria, Ukraine and North Macedonia at Euro 2020.
De Boer's men beat all of their opponents to top the group with nine points before suffering a surprise 2-0 loss at the hands of the Czech Republic. Despite their early exit from the tournament, the Oranje had their share of stand-out performances.
On that note, let us take a look at the top 5 players for the Netherlands at Euro 2020.
#5 Patrick van Aanholt
The Crystal Palace wing-back was an integral part of Frank de Boer's plans. The Dutch coach, who deployed the 5-3-1 formation, used van Anholt as a neutral midfielder who had to help the team in both attack and defense.
The 30-year-old created quite an impact at Euro 2020. Even though van Aanholt didn't end up on the scoresheet, his work rate was lauded.
Having started in all four games (three in the group stage and one in the knockout), van Aanholt played a total of 296 minutes with a passing accuracy of almost 80%. He also made many key tackles in midfield.
#4 Daley Blind
Passing accuracy, successful tackles, assisting the forwards, you name it, and Daley Blind has done it for his team in the competition.
The Dutch left-back was an integral part of The Netherlands throughout their journey at Euro 2020. Blind's match awareness came up big for his side on numerous occasions during the tournament.
Despite the Netherlands' loss against the Czech Republic, the former Red Devils star ended up as the player with the most passes and tackles in the match.
#3 Memphis Depay
Four games, two goals, two assists — that sums up Memphis Depay's decent run of form in EURO 2020 for the Netherlands.
The former Lyon superstar led the Dutch attack from the front. While he scored the opener for the Netherlands against Austria and North Macedonia, Depay's best performance came against the latter.
The Dutch number 10 had a role to play in all three goals scored by his team. Memphis' quick feet left the opposition defenders puzzled on more than one occasion.
Despite his below-par performance in the Round of 16 game against the Czech Republic, Depay had his moments of magic in the orange jersey.
#2 Denzel Dumfries
Talking about the standout performers, here's a name that came out of the blue — Denzel Dumfries. No one expected the PSV Eindhoven player to be a regular starter, let alone one of the breakout stars for the Netherlands.
Dumfries was another versatile defender at Frank de Boer's command. He operated as a midfielder on the right despite being a natural right-back. While the Netherlands were struggling to get an edge over an evenly poised opponent in Ukraine in the tournament opener, Denzel Dumfries' 85th-minute winner got them home.
He ended his Euro 2020 campaign with two goals and the same number of Man of the Match awards from four games. Dumfries' successful campaign has made him a hot property in the transfer market and he has been linked with Premier League side Everton.
#1 Georginio Wijnaldum
After a mediocre season with Liverpool, Gini Wijnaldum ended up being the most influential Dutch player at Euro 2020. This is why the skipper deserves the top spot on this list.
Following former captain Virgil van Dijk's injury, Wijnaldum was handed the captain's armband ahead of the tournament. He led the Oranje from the front as they completed a clean sweep in Group C.
Unfortunately the Netherlands couldn't carry forward their qualifiers and group stage form into knockouts. However, Wijnaldum had his share of stand-out performances in the competition.
With three goals and one Man of the Match award to his name, Georginio Wijnaldum made everyone proud, especially his former coach, Ronald Koeman, who watched him from the stands.
Wijnaldum was set to join Koeman at Camp Nou after Euro 2020 but the Dutch captain chose PSG over the Catalan side to everyone's surprise.
