VI points out the biggest highlight and disappointment of the Dutch national team in 2024

Wessel Before20 nov 2024, 11:01

Last updated: Nov 20, 2024, 11:01 am

The calendar year 2024 is over for the Dutch national team. Football International has drawn up a final report in which ten internationals are assessed on their performance on behalf of the Dutch team. According to the weekly magazine, the biggest star was in midfield.

The editors of VI have established a rule that the assessed players played for at least half an hour in at least eight (out of sixteen) matches. As a result, only ten internationals received a final assessment.

Jerdy Schouten comes out best with a 6.72. “Schouten was one of the trendsetters, especially in the European Championship match against Romania, when he received an 8. In addition, he also received a 7 seven times in ultimately eleven international matches. Schouten recorded one insufficient score: a 5 against Austria.”

Bart Verbruggen (6.60) is number two on the list, while Virgil van Dijk (6.58) completes the top three. Nathan Aké (6.55) and Stefan de Vrij (6.45) follow at an appropriate distance. Cody Gakpo (6.34) and Tijjani Reijnders (6.14) also score higher than a 6.

This does not apply to Xavi Simons (5.96) and Memphis Depay (5.8). Voetbal International calls him the biggest setback for the Dutch team in 2024. “Partly due to a 4 in the European Championship match against France and a 5 in the semi-final of EURO 2024 against England, in which he was injured, Depay ends up at the bottom.”

The rankings could have looked different if national coach Ronald Koeman had made different choices a number of times. “For example, Ryan Gravenberch played in six games, especially after the European Championships, and could have been high in the rankings with his average of 6.66.”

Others actually come out of it just fine. “Of the internationals who played at least thirty minutes in at least two matches, Jorrel Hato received the lowest average score: 5. Justin Kluivert received a 5 on Tuesday for his performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina, also his only international match this year. Brian Brobbey (5.6), Quinten Timber (5.6) and Joey Veerman (5.7) also did not have happy performances (on average) in the Dutch national team.”