So, who are the fifteen greatest Dutch striker ever? To answer this question, I will present the list of great forwards from the Netherlands who have reputation as great goalscorers. Be sure to let me know your favorite among the fifteen players in this list.
15. Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a player who has very high determination and work-rate. Although his true first position is a pure striker, Kuyt later was more often placed as a winger who supplies passes to the center forward from the sidelines. Along with the Dutch national team, the player has played in 98 official matches and scored 24 goals. According to this statistic, Kuyt is the most capped striker in Holland football team ever.
14. John Bosman
Bosman was actually a pretty great striker, but he was always under the shadow of other more well-known players such as Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp. The player who was born in 1965 is known as one of the greatest goal-scorers of Ajax Amsterdam and Anderlecht. He capped 30 times for Dutch national team and scored 17 goals. Although he was not included in the main starter squad, Bosman was a part of Netherlands squad that won the European Cup in 1988.
13. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
He is a striker who was very productive at the beginning of his career, but when he decided to play outside the Dutch league, he couldn't find his top form. Huntelaar who was one of the most talented striker of Ajax Amsterdam was unable to play consistently when he was recruited by the big clubs such as Real Madrid and AC Milan. It seems Huntelaar has to work very hard to restore his reputation with his current club, Schalke04.
12. Pierre van Hooijdonk
Hooijdonk was one of the most talented and dangerous Dutch striker, but failed to shine because he was involved in too many disciplinary-related problems. Hooijdonk who has Moroccan descent is extremely feared by his opponent. He is also famous for his deadly and accurate free kicks. He has toured Europe and played for various clubs such as Glasgow Celtic, Fernebahce, Nottingham Forest, and Feyenoord. His goal records throughout his career is considerably good, where he successfully scored 348 goals in 551 appearances.
11. Abe Lenstra
Among other Dutch strikers, Abe Lenstra is not too much recognized. However, his goal ratio record is quite high among the other players on this list. During his career in Holland national team in the period 1940 to 1959, Lenstra managed to score 33 goals in 47 appearances.
This player always refused to play for the national team if he was not positioned in his favorite position by the coach, which is the central forward. At club level, Lenstra became one of the legendary players of SC Heerenveen.
10. Bep Bakhuys
Bep Bakhuys is a former Dutch striker who played for the Oranje in the period of 1928 to 1937. Bep was born in Indonesia, one of the Dutch colony at that moment, precisely in a town named Pekalongan. His goal ratio is the highest among other Oranje players, with 28 goals from 23 appearances. The striker who is known for his diving header is also the second Dutch player who first played overseas, for the FC Metz club in France.
9. Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit is actually not a pure striker. He was placed in various positions, mostly as midfielder and even sometimes as a defender. His high versatility makes Gullit be a very useful player in the team. Gullit was the captain of Netherlands when this team won the European Cup in 1988. At the club level, his most notable career was during his period at AC Milan, where he successfully won the scudetto three times and the Champions League twice.
8. Rob Rensenbrink
Rensenbrink was the true tandem of Johann Cruyff. He was one of the first Dutch player who introduced total football tactics. Although he played more often in the left-wingside of the pitch, the scoring ability of Rensenbrink is considerably good. He scored 208 goals in a total of 467 appearances in his career as a professional footballer. With his club, Anderlecht, Rensenbrink won the Belgian League and the Winners Cup twice.
7. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Nistelrooy is a true type of a target-man striker, an example of a very efficient and powerful striker within the penalty box. This player really shone with PSV Eindhoven, where he scored 62 goals in 67 appearances. His career reached its best when he moved to Manchester United, the club where Ruudtje was able to win the Premier League title, became the Premier League's top scorer and awarded with the Player of the Year award in the English Premier League. He also became the Netherlands' top scorer of the decade during the year 2001 to 2010.
6. Faas Wilkes
Wilkes who played for the Netherlands during the period of 1946 to 1961 was a very brilliant striker, although his name is often forgotten by the fans. He scored a total of 35 goals in 38 appearances for the Oranje team. Unlike most Dutch players in his time, Wilkes spent most of his career in a foreign country. He played for Inter Milan, Valencia and Levante before ending his career as a player of Xerxes Rotterdam.
5. Patrick Kluivert
Kluivert's wild, ornery, and troublesome personality somehow contributed his fierceness in scoring goals as a striker. Kluivert is currently the second top scorer of all time for Netherlands. He scored 40 goals from 79 appearances. Kluivert who is also one of the top scorers in Euro 2000 went through his golden period in his career when he played for Ajax Amsterdam. At Ajax, he won the Champions League in the year 1995.
4. Dennis Bergkamp
There are not many football players who have a talent like Dennis Bergkamp. As a striker, he possessed complete skills. He had excellent technique, dazzling ball dribbling skills, as well as good finishing. Not surprisingly, over the years, Bergkamp's position in the national team was not replaceable. Bergkamp was a part of the Arsenal's Golden Generation. He played an important role in helping Arsenal win three Premier League titles.
3. Robin van Persie
With a record of 41 goals (and still counting), van Persie is the all-time top scorer of the Dutch national team. The player who was raised by Arsene Wenger can be a nightmare for the defender when he plays in his best conditions. He has speed, technique, and power which are above-average. Although he hasn't won many team trophies, van Persie has received a lot of individual awards, such as the top scorers as well as the best players in the Premier League.
2. Marco van Basten
Marco van Basten had the potential to be as good as Pele or Maradona if he did not have to retire early because of severe injuries. Together with Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, van Basten was the greatest strength of AC Milan and the Dutch national team in the early 90s period.
Van Basten is regarded as a "football artist." He was able to score dozens of great goals and could easily deceive the defenders and goalkeepers. Throughout his career, van Basten scored 218 goals in 280 appearances.
1. Johan Cruyff
Instead of playing as a pure striker, Cruyff is actually more suitable to be called as a playmaker or a team's architect. However, his role as the heart of the team did not prevent him to score a lot of goals. As a player, Cruyff was able to win eight Dutch league titles, one La Liga title, and three times awarded with the Ballon d'Or. His record as a manager is also quite impressive, where Cruyff successfully presented four La Liga trophies and a European (UEFA) Cup trophy for Barcelona.
