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Netherlands have produced some of the finest and most skilled players in the game's history. Players such as Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit revolutionised the game with their flair and well-rounded style of play. They were all awarded the coveted Ballon d'Or their performances.
After the 1970s and 80s, Netherlands had their next 'Golden Generation' in the 2000s. Led in attack by Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie, the Dutch played some attractive football.
Their high was at the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, which the Netherlands lost to Spain, courtesy an Andres Iniesta extra-time strike. Since then, they have been in a rebuild of sorts. After reaching the 2014 World Cup semis, they missed out on the 2018 edition, but have qualified for Qatar 2022.
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Under Louis van Gaal, the Oranje will hope to reach the heights reached by some of their legends. With stalwarts like Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt in defence and exciting young talent further up the pitch, Netherlands could be the dark horses at next year's global spectacle.
On that note, here's a look at five youngsters who could break into and establish themselves as regulars in the Netherlands team before they board their flight to Qatar next year.
#5 Jurrien Timber (Ajax)
Jurrien David Norman Timber was born in Utrecht, Netherlands, in 2001, and began his youth career at DVSU. Timber then had a six-year spell at Feyenoord (2008-14) before joining Ajax's youth setup in 2018. It was there he signed his first professional contract as well.
Timber made his senior debut for Ajax in a 3-1 win over Heerenveen in 2020. His first goal for Ajax came nearly a year later in a 4-0 win over Emmen, which confirmed Ajax as the Eredivisie champions for a record 35th time.
Timber has made 21 appearances this season, scoring twice. He recently won the Eredivisie Talent of the month award.
Jurrien Timber made 24 appearances for Netherlands' youth teams, scoring two goals. He was selected to play for the senior Netherlands squad at UEFA Euro 2020 after he made his debut in a friendly against Scotland.
Jurrien also has a twin brother - Quinten - who plays for FC Utrecht as a midfielder. Jurrien is a versatile player on the right side of defence and the right flank. So it will be interesting to see how Louis van Gaal utilises this young talent.
#4 Brian Brobbey (RB Leipzig)
Brian Ebenezer Adjei Brobbey was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2002. He spent most of his youth career at Ajax (2010-18). He was part of Ajax's youth side. Jong Ajax, playing for them between 2018 and 2020. Brobbey was later called up to Erik ten Hag's senior side.
He made his Eredivisie debut in 2020, scoring in a 5-2 win over Fortuna Sittard. He made his European bow in a UEFA Champions League game against Atalanta in December that year. His first European goal came in that season's Round of 16 win against Lille.
Brian Brobbey was signed by RB Leipzig in 2021 for an undisclosed fee.
The Netherlands youth striker has been prolific throughout his career. He has scored 90 goals and provided 26 assists in 135 appearances across age groups at club level. Brobbey was exceptional at youth level as well, scoring 25 goals in 35 appearances.
The Netherlands look particularly short in the striker department, with Memphis Depay being the only striker offering a multi-dimensional style of play. Brobbey could surely be in van Gaal's plans for the future.
#3 Myron Boadu (AS Monaco)
Myron Boadu was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2001, and spent most of his youth career with AZ Alkmaar (2013-17). He signed his first professional contract in 2018, debuting in the Eredivisie in May that year in a 6-0 home win over PEC Zwolle.
Boadu scored his first professional goal against NAC Breda in August 2018, becoming the youngest goalscorer for AZ aged 17 years and 210 days.
The Netherlands youth striker signed for Monaco in August 2021 for a €17 million fee. He fittingly scored his first goal for his new team against former side AZ's rivals, PSV Eindhoven.
Boadu made 30 appearances for Netherlands at youth level, scoring 13 goals, with 11 of them coming for the U-21 team. Owing to his red hot form, Boadu was handed his senior debut in a 5-0 win over Estonia in 2019 in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier.
His quickness and ability to hold up defenders means Boadu is set to be a mainstay in the Netherlands squad for years to come.
#2 Noa Lang (Club Brugge)
Noa Noell Lang was born in Netherlands in 1999, and began his youth career at HION. He then moved to Feyenoord, where he played for eight years (2005-13) before joining Ajax's set-up in 2013. It was there that the winger made a name for himself.
Noa Lang racked up a stunning tally of 71 goals in 121 games for Jong Ajax before getting promoted to the senior team in 2019. In December that year, Lang became the first player in 60 years to score a hat-trick on debut as Ajax came from two goals down to beat Twente 5-2.
Lang signed for Club Brugge on an initial year-long loan with an option to make it permanent the next year. He scored his first goal for the Belgian side in a loss against OH Leuven.
Lang also impressed against PSG earlier this season in the Champions League group stage, taking the game to the opposition.
Noa Lang has made 28 appearances for Netherlands across youth levels, scoring nine goals. He made his debut for the senior side in a FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier against Latvia earlier this year. Going forward, he is expected be an exceptional player for the Oranje.
#1 Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax)
Ryan Jiro Gravenberch was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2002, and spent most of his youth career at Ajax (2010-18). He signed his first professional contract with the club in June 2018.
Gravenberch made his Eredivisie debut for Ajax in a 3-0 loss to PSV. In the process, he became the youngest player to represent Ajax in the Eredivisie, aged 16 years and 130 days, breaking Clarence Seedorf's record. He also became Ajax's youngest-ever goalscorer soon after.
The box-to-box midfielder made 22 appearances for Netherlands across youth levels, scoring twice. He was called up to the senior squad in November last year. However, he only debuted in March 2021 in a FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier against Turkey. His first goal for the Netherlands came in a 3-0 win over Georgia in a friendly.
Playing at the heart of midfield with passion, vigour and urgency, Gravenberch has shown great leadership quality. The prospect of him teaming up with Frenkie De Jong in midfield is a mouth-watering one.
