Oranje Players born outside the Netherlands


Oranje Players born in the Dutch East Indies
Oranje Players born in Surinam
Oranje Players born in the Dutch Antilles
Oranje Players born Elsewhere Abroad

Record International Players - Netherlands


Oranje Players born in the Dutch East Indies

Note that below only Dutch national team players are listed who were born in the Dutch East Indies, all when it was a Dutch colony. Of course, there have been a number of other players in the Dutch national team with roots in current Indonesia, such as Simon Tahamata and Bert Latuheru, both of Moluccan descent, or those with a parent from the Indies, such as Sonny Silooy, Jeffrey Talan, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Denny Landzaat; however, all these were born within the current (European) borders of the Netherlands. In contrast, nearly all the players listed below had no Asian roots (the four most notable exceptions are Bertus Stom (who played in each of the first nine matches of the Dutch national team, the only player to do so), Karel Heijting, David Wijnveldt and Law Adam) but were born in the Dutch East Indies because of the professional career of their parents.

In addition to the 53 players listed below, we might also have added Joop Boutmy, who was born in Penang, Malaya (now in Malaysia), and left for the Dutch East Indies after his last match for the Dutch national team in 1914. Instead, he is included under the list of Oranje Players born Elsewhere Abroad. It is of interest to note that the players generally considered to have been the best Dutch (centre) forward (Bakhuys) and the best Dutch 'keeper (Göbel) before World War II were both born in the colony.

Players are ranked according to their number of caps. Current names of towns or cities listed between brackets whenever different (note that Jatinegara (formerly Meester Cornelis) is part of current Jakarta and not the central Javan town of the same name). All places on Java unless indicated differently, with [S] denoting Sumat(e)ra and [BN] denoting Bandanaira.

   Name                           Place of Birth                   Caps     Goals

 1.Bep BAKHUYS                    Pekalongan                        23        28
 2.Mannus FRANCKEN                Plantage Limburg (near Malang)    22        17
   Just GÖBEL                     Soerabaja (Surabaya)              22 K       0
 4.Dé KESSLER                     Garoet (Garut)                    21         9
 5.Leo BOSSCHART                  Kota Radja (Banda Aceh)       [S] 19         1
 6.Karel HEIJTING                  Koetoardjo (Kutoarjo)             17         0
 7.Guus LUTJENS                   Padang                        [S] 14         5
 8.David WIJNVELDT                 Djember (Jember)                  13         0    
 9.Law ADAM                       Probolinggo                       11         6
   Jan VAN BREDA KOLFF            Medan                         [S] 11         1
   Edu SNETHLAGE                  Ngawi                             11        10
   Ben VERWEIJ                     Medan                         [S] 11         0
13.Nico BOUVY                     Banda Neira (Bandanaira)     [BN]  9         4
   Bertus STOM                    Malang                             9         0
15.John HEIJNING                   Pondok Gedeh (Pondok Gede)         8         0
16.Dick MACNEILL                  Pasoeroean (Pasuruan)              7 K       0
17.Albert SNOUCK HURGRONJE        Pradjekan (Prajekan)               6         1
18.Iman DOZY                      Fort Willem I (Ambarawa)           4         0
   Miel MUNDT                     Paraban Salak (near Sukabumi)      4         0
   Oscar VAN RAPPARD              Probolinggo                        4         0
21.Frans DE BRUYN KOPS            Benkoelen (Bengkulu)          [S]  3         0
   Cees TEN CATE                  Ngawi                              3         1
   Vic. GONSALVES                 Cheribon (Cirebon)                 3         0
   Dolf KESSLER                   Batavia (Jakarta)                  3         1
   Tonny KESSLER                  Garoet (Garut)                     3         1
   Therus KÜCHLIN                 Malang                             3         1
   Eddy DE NEVE                   Batavia (Jakarta)                  3         5
   Dick SNOEK                     Djokjakarta (Yogyakarta)           3         0  
   Eetje SOL                      Tjomas (Ciomas)                    3         0
   Ferry VAN DER VINNE            Blitar                             3         1
31.Jan AKKERSDIJK                  Ngrantjak-Kedoe (Ngrancak, Kedu)   2         1
   Lothar VAN GOGH                Soekaboemi (Sukabumi)              2         2
   Jur HAAK                       Semarang                           2         2
   Anton LENS                     Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara)      2         0
   Marius SANDBERG                Padang                        [S]  2         0
   Guus DE SERIÈRE                Kraksaän (Kraksaan)                2         0
   Henk WAMSTEKER                 Madioen (Madiun)                   2         0
38.Jan VAN BEEK                   Modjokerto (Mojokerto)             1         0
   Hans BLUME                     Tjandi (Candi) (near Semarang)     1         1
   Lo LA CHAPELLE                 Buitenzorg (Bogor)                 1         0
   Jo ESHUIJS                      Tandjong Balei (Tanjung Balai)[S]  1         0
   Jacques FRANCKEN               Djombang (Jombang)                 1         1
   Guus VAN HECKING COLENBRANDER  Soerabaja (Surabaya)               1         0
   Max HENNY                      Buitenzorg (Bogor)                 1         0
   Hans VAN KESTEREN              Bandoeng (Bandung)                 1         0
   Jan KOK                        Soerabaja (Surabaya)               1         0
   Harry KUNEMAN                  Poerwakarta (Purwakarta)           1         0
   Miel VAN LEIJDEN                Batavia (Jakarta)                  1         0
   Dolf VAN DER NAGEL             Buitenzorg (Bogor)                 1         0
   Herman PELTZER                 Sidoardjo (Sidoarjo)               1         0
   Frans VAN DER POEL             Soerakarta (Surakarta, Solo)       1         0
   Piet VALKENBURG                Semarang                           1         0
   Rens VIS                       Magelang                           1         0

Note: K indicates goal keeper

Oranje Players born in Surinam

Note that below only players are listed who were born in Surinam (in fact, all in Paramaribo). Of course, there have been quite a number of other players in the Dutch national team with roots in Surinam (either from both parental sides or one), such as Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Patrick Kluivert, to name just the most famous ones; however, they all were born within the current (European) borders of the Netherlands.

   Name                           Place of Birth                   Caps     Goals

 1.Clarence SEEDORF               Paramaribo                        87        11
 2.Aron WINTER                    Paramaribo                        84         6
 3.Edgar DAVIDS                   Paramaribo                        74         6
 4.Jerrel HASSELBAINK             Paramaribo                        23         9
 5.Edson BRAAFHEID                Paramaribo                        10 *       0
   Romeo CASTELEN                 Paramaribo                        10         1
 7.Ulrich VAN GOBBEL              Paramaribo                         8         0
 8.Henk FRÄSER                    Paramaribo                         6         0
   Stanley MENZO                  Paramaribo                         6 K       0
10.Regi BLINKER                   Paramaribo                         3         0
   Jerry DE JONG                  Paramaribo                         3         0
   Humphrey MIJNALS                Paramaribo                         3         0
13.Andwelé SLORY                  Paramaribo                         2         0
   Dwight TIENDALLI               Paramaribo                         2         0
   Marciano VINK                  Paramaribo                         2         0
16.Hennie MEIJER                   Paramaribo                         1         0
   John VELDMAN                   Paramaribo                         1         0
   Romeo ZONDERVAN                Paramaribo                         1         0

Note: * indicates the player is still active, at least at club level.
      K indicates goal keeper

Oranje Players born in the Dutch Antilles

To date, only one player born in the Dutch Antilles has played for Oranje.

   Name                           Place of Birth                   Caps     Goals

 1.Vurnon ANITA                   Willemstad (Curaçao)               3 *       0

Note: * indicates the player is still active, at least at club level.
      K indicates goal keeper

Oranje Players born Elsewhere Abroad

Note that below only players are listed who were born outside of the Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies, Surinam and the Dutch Antilles. About half are of Dutch descent and most spent most of their life in the Netherlands (the main exception being Willi Lippens, born near Kleve of a Dutch father and a German mother, who never left Germany and spent his entire professional football career in the Ruhrgebiet where he remains an icon, in particular in Essen, where any fan of Rot-Weiss will know all about Die Ente).

Note that Collins and Ola John as well as Siem and Luuk de Jong are brothers.

This list does not include players with different ethnic backgrounds (e.g. Moroccan, such as Khalid Boulahrouz and Ibrahim Afellay, or Turkish, such as Otman Bakkal) who were born (and raised) in the Netherlands.

   Name                           Place of Birth                   Caps     Goals

 1.John VAN 'T SCHIP              Fort Saint John (Canada)          41         2
 2.Luuk DE JONG                   Aigle (Switzerland)               39 *       8
 3.Bruno MARTINS INDI             Barreiro (Portugal)               35 *       2
 4.Jonathan DE GUZMAN             Toronto (Canada)                  14 *       0
 5.Graeme RUTJES                  Sydney (Australia)                13         1
 6.Joop BOUTMY                    Penang (Malaya)                   10         1
 7.Youri MULDER                   Brussel (Belgium)                  9         3
 8.Arnaut Danjuma GROENEVELD      Lagos (Nigeria)                    6 *       2
   Siem DE JONG                   Aigle (Switzerland)                6 *       2
10.Adam MAHER                     Aït Izzou (Morocco)                5 *       0
   Guus TIL                       Samfya (Zambia)                    5 *       1
12.George BOATENG                 Nkawkaw (Ghana)                    4         0
   Toon BRUSSELERS                Heverlee (Belgium)                 4         2
   Terence KONGOLO                Fribourg (Switzerland)             4 *       0
15.Collins JOHN                   Zwedru (Liberia)                   2         0
16.Ola JOHN                       Zwedru (Liberia)                   1 *       0
   Willi LIPPENS                  Hau (Germany)                      1         1

Note: * indicates the player is still active, at least at club level.
      K indicates goal keeper

Record International Players - Netherlands


About this document

Many thanks to Diego Rattaggi for drawing my attention to additional players born in the Dutch East Indies

Information up to date at December 31, 2023, when exactly 806 players had won at least one official cap for the Netherlands

Sources: [VI 99], [VeV 09]

Additional information or corrections on places of birth are welcomed by the author

Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans (karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 22 Jan 2024

(C) Copyright Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 2010/24
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.