Ranking the 5 greatest Dutch footballers of the 21st century 

#3. Wesley Sneijder

Wesley Sneijder was one of the most influential midfielders for the Netherlands.

Wesley Sneijder was born in Utrecht, Netherlands, in 1984 and began his youth career with Ajax. He made his senior debut for them in 2002 and went on to play for multiple clubs over the course of his career. Notable ones include Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Sneijder has made 573 total club appearances, scoring 152 goals. He won one league title each with Ajax, Inter and Real Madrid, as well as two titles with Galatasaray. Sneijder has also won seven domestic cups in his illustrious career.

The Dutchman won the UEFA Champions League with Inter Milan in 2009-10 and was named UEFA's Midfielder of the Year in 2010. It capped off an incredible season in which Sneijder won several honors including the Italian treble.

The Dutchman made 134 appearances for his country, scoring 31 goals and setting up a further 32. His highest point for the Netherlands was when they finished runners-up at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with Sneijder bagging the Silver Ball.

Sneijder retired from the national team in 2018 as the most-capped Dutch player ever. A year later, he called time on his club career as well.

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#2. Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie is one of the most accomplished strikers of his generation.

Robin van Persie was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 1983. He began his youth career at local club Feyenoord and debuted for them in 2001. Van Persie played the majority of his career as a striker, sometimes being deployed on the left wing. He enjoyed successful spells at multiple clubs, most notably in England with Arsenal and Manchester United between 2004-15.

Over the course of his club career, the Dutchman has made 594 appearances, scoring 274 goals and providing 102 assists. He has won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the KNVB Cup and the UEFA Cup once each.

Van Persie has made 102 appearances for the Dutch national team, scoring 50 goals and setting up a further 20. He is their all-time top scorer. In 2010, RvP began Oranje's scoring at the FIFA World Cup in style, scoring an acrobatic header to equalize for his team.

You can watch the goal here:

The 'flying Dutchman' was also known for his volleying ability. He scored some thunderous volleys in his career. On one occasion while at Arsenal, he came barrelling down to the edge of the box and smashed a volley in off a cross from Emmanuel Eboue.

Watch the goal here:

Van Persie hung up his boots and retired from national-team duty in 2017. A couple of years later, in 2019, he played his last game for Feyenoord and called it quits in club football.

The Dutchman has worked as Feyenoord's assistant manager since 2020.

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#1. Arjen Robben

Arjen Robben wreaked havoc for several years by cutting-in from the right wing.

Arjen Robben was born in Bedum, Netherlands, in 1984. He came through the ranks at Groningen's youth academy and made his senior debut for the club in 2000. The Dutchman went on to play for other prominent clubs like Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich over the course of his career. He is most remembered for his 10-year spell at Bayern.

Robben has played in 614 total club games, scoring 209 goals and providing 166 assists. He has won one Eredivisie title, two Premier League titles, one La Liga title and eight Bundesliga titles. He has also won one UEFA Champions League in his illustrious career.

For the Dutch team, Robben played 96 games, scoring 37 times and providing 34 assists. He tied for fifth spot in their all-time scoring charts, level with Dennis Bergkamp.

Robben was known for his extremely potent left-foot curler, which he executed by cutting-in from the right wing. In 2011 in a Champions League game against Fiorentina, the Dutchman was allowed to cut in onto his left foot, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Watch the thunderous goal here:

Arjen Robben retired from international football in 2017 and followed suit by doing the same in club football in 2021. He will be remembered as the greatest Dutch footballer of the 21st century!