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Famous People from Holland
Dutch Soccer Stars
Successful at Home and Away
Team sports such as hockey and basketball are highly popular in Holland, but by far the most popular sport of all is soccer. The two leading soccer clubs Ajax and Feyenoord have both won the European Cup and the Dutch national team played in the final of the World Cup in both 1974 and 1978.
Holland has always produced soccer players of the highest quality. Dennis Bergkamp and Ruud van Nistelrooy are probably two of the most famous and talented players to come out of Holland in recent years.
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Born on May 10th 1969 in Amsterdam, Dennis joined the Ajax youth team when he was 12 years old. He was brought into the Ajax first team at the age of 17. He won many medals with Ajax and set a record in the Dutch league by scoring in ten consecutive matches. |
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All this earned Bergkamp a place on the Dutch national team. He made his first international appearance against Italy in September, 1990, and two months later he scored his first goal for Holland against Greece. |
| His excellent performance in Euro '92 attracted attention from some of the most famous clubs in Europe and in the summer of 1993, Dennis Bergkamp joined Inter Milan. However, Bergkamp did not enjoy his time in Milan and in 1995 he decided to play for Arsenal in England. |
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Since his move to Arsenal he hasn't disappointed his fans. He has even silenced his critics by continuing to score goals and to create chances for his fellow teammates. In 1998, Dennis Bergkamp finished third in the FIFA "Player of the Year" award which was voted on by coaches around the world. In 1992 and 1993, Bergkamp was given the accolade of Dutch "Footballer of the Year". |
Although coming towards the end of his career, Dennis Bergkamp can still amaze and delight fans of soccer with his fancy footwork and his superb scoring ablility. Back to the top
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While Dennis Bergkamp is coming towards the end of his soccer career, one player who is just at the start of his, is Ruud van Nistelrooy. Born on July 1st, 1976 in Oss, Van Nistelrooy joined Manchester United for a British record fee of £19m in April, 2001. It was his amazing goal scoring record that first attracted Sir Alex Ferguson's attention. |
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Ferguson desperately wants to make Manchester United a force in the Champions League once again. This is why he paid so much money for Van Nistelrooy in 2001. |
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| Since his arrival at Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy has consistently scored goals for his team and has won the respect of his fellow footballers. |
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His goal scoring record strikes fear into his opponents and has made him one of the best known players in the Premiership. |
Holland is not only famous for producing skilled soccer players but for being the home of Anne Frank from 1933 until she was captured by the Nazis in 1944. It is also known for producing artists of the highest quality. Rembrandt and Van Gogh are probably two of the best known artists to come from Holland. Click here to find out more about Anne Frank, Rembrandt and Vincent van Gogh.
