The Historical Bad Luck of the Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup

It is the clash of nations fighting for the ultimate glory in the space between goalposts; it is the ascension and fall of dreams; it is the greatest international festival. Many famous and unexpected nations have won the World Cup over the years. But one deserving nation has time and again come precariously close to lifting the trophy, but ultimately fate has denied them the satisfaction. The country under discussion is none other than the Netherlands.

Johan Cruyff and the 1974 World Cup

The first golden opportunity for the Netherlands football team to win the World Cup came in 1974 when the squad was led by the all-time legend Johan Cruyff and had other dexterous players like Arie Haan, Ruud Geels, etc. Cruyff, the winner of three Ballon D'ors in total, had previously won all competitions like the Champions League and was the protagonist of the 'Total Football' philosophy along with his teammates, which was an emancipated, diverse and modern playing style. The Netherlands practically sailed to the finals where they clashed with another wonderful team, West Germany, who had giants like Paul Breitner, Franz Beckenbauer, and Gerd Müller.

The Beginning of the Bad Luck

Before West Germany even touched the ball, the Netherlands received a penalty after a harsh tackle pushed Cruyff to the ground, and Johan Neeskens comfortably put the Dutch up front. But the tackle put off Cruyff's flair for the rest of the match, and

as they put in two goals to take away the Netherlands' coveted cup. But, just as Germany won the World Cup in 1974 in a thrilling fashion, it is possible to overcome harsh odds and earn money by placing your bet at 

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Defeat to Argentina in 1978

The Dutch run in the 1978 Argentina World Cup was not much of a different story as they were defeated 3-1 in the Finals by the host nation with a brace from the legendary striker Mario Kempes. The only difference with the 1974 Cup was that Cruyff did not participate in the 1978 tournament.

The Unlucky 1990s

The Netherlands were hands down favourites in the 1990 Italy World Cup, with generational talents like Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard. Still, West Germany upset them 2-1 in the Round of 16 Knockout stages. The United States World Cup of 1994 also had a fantastic Dutch team, and they had a dream run up until a Ronaldo Phenomenon lead Brazil narrowly bested them by 3-2.

2010 - The Best Chance They Got

In the South Africa World Cup of 2010, the Netherlands had the most skilled, balanced and lethal team in their history. The Netherlands had:

• An attack led by Robin Van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben

• A midfield studded with Nigel de Jong, Mark Van Bommel, etc., and 

• Defenders like Giovanni van Bronckhorst

The Dutch team looked and was, up to a certain extent, invincible. 

They reached the tournament finals without batting an eyelid, where they were faced with the golden generation Spanish team, who, as everybody knows,

. But that the match was by no means one-sided is evident from the Guinness World records holding 14 yellow cards in the match, where no team dominated the other. Robben almost snuck in a goal which Iker Casillas miraculously saved with the corner of his right boot.

The Netherlands has optimistic progress in this year's 2022 Qatar World Cup. When this article was being written, they have qualified in the quarter finals against Argentina. Let us hope luck favours this underrated team this time.