Where are they now? The rising stars of Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands squad at World Cup 2014
It seems like only yesterday that Louis van Gaal guided a much-unfancied Netherlands side to a third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup.
A lot has happened since then, including Van Gaal joining and leaving Manchester United, as well as the Dutch failing to reach the subsequent two international tournaments.
Their failure to qualify for Euro 2016, especially after Uefa expanded tournament participation, raised eyebrows considering how many ‘rising stars’ were in Van Gaal’s squad in Brazil.
Another absence at the World Cup in 2018 added weight to question marks surrounding the future of the Oranje set up. The appointment of Ronald Koeman put the Netherlands on the right track, securing qualification for Euro 2020.
Frank de Boer did a modest job building on Koeman’s good work, but a disappointing European championship performance saw him replaced by a returning Van Gaal, who has since led Oranje to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
But looking back to 2014, Van Gaal’s 23-man selection eight years ago included 11 players, aged 24 or below, who only made their international debuts in the two-year period prior to Fifa’s showpiece event.
They’ve all since left the club they were representing at the time, but not all have achieved the same heights, with some doing much better than others. So, who are they?
Memphis Depay
Age at 2014 World Cup: 20
Position: Forward
Netherlands caps: 85
Current club: Barcelona
After playing an instrumental role in PSV ending their seven-year wait for an Eredivisie title in 2015, Depay joined Van Gaal at Old Trafford.
However, his time at United was one of struggle, failing to impose himself under Van Gaal and successor Jose Mourinho, ultimately playing 53 times and managing seven goals and five assists in the process.
Depay would ultimately leave for Lyon in January 2017 and has since got his career back on track with a string of impressive performances for the Ligue 1 giants which has translated into him being Oranje‘s most important player.
Under the leadership of Koeman, he made the second-most appearances (18) as well as being their leading scorer (11). The pair were reunited briefly in Barcelona and will soon link up together with Koeman announced as Van Gaal’s successor following the 2022 World Cup finals.
Memphis Depay has now scored 15 goals in 17 caps since Louis van Gaal took charge of the Netherlands in August 2021.
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Terence Kongolo
Age at World Cup 2014: 20
Position: Defender
Netherlands caps: 4
Current club: Le Havre (on loan from Fulham)
Kongolo was one of several Feyenoord players in Van Gaal’s squad at the World Cup but, unlike the rest, he remained with the Rotterdammers for a number of years following Brazil 2014. The defender ended up making 138 appearances for his boyhood club and subsequently played a key role in their first championship triumph since 1999.
He moved to AS Monaco in the summer of 2017 but failed to really light up the Stade Louis II, relocating to West Yorkshire, joining Huddersfield Town in 2018 on a permanent basis following a short loan stint. Kongolo repeated that process recently with current employers, Fulham, but has since been loaned out to Le Havre in Ligue 2.
A versatile defender, capable of playing in central defence and left-back, Kongolo — who’s grown in stature and becoming a leader in his own right — has made four appearances for the Netherlands.
Bruno Martins Indi
Age at World Cup 2014: 22
Position: Defender
Netherlands caps: 36
Current club: AZ Alkmaar
A promising talent under then-Feyenoord boss Ronald Koeman, the Portugal-born defender was one of many players who saw their stock rise in Brazil, which led to a foreign adventure.
Martins Indi opted to join FC Porto after the World Cup, but struggled to establish himself at the Estadio do Dragao and was loaned out to Stoke City, where he gradually rehabilitated his reputation (including returning from international football wilderness) after it was damaged following two difficult seasons with the Dragons.
Mark Hughes brought him back to the Potteries on a permanent basis in the summer of 2017, and he has remained at the club since their relegation to the Championship, before permanently joining AZ Alkmaar.
Stefan de Vrij
Age at World Cup 2014: 22
Position: Defender
Netherlands caps: 59
Current club: Inter Milan
Another player who swapped Feyenoord for a move abroad immediately after the Brazilian tournament. De Vrij, who previously captained the Rotterdammers, is now a mainstay in the Dutch and was in the Lazio defence prior to his move to Inter in 2018 — making 118 appearances and scoring 10 goals for the Serie A club. Since joining the Nerazzurri, he’s been just as good and will no doubt be a long-term fixture.
Joel Veltman
Age at World Cup 2014: 22
Position: Defender
Netherlands caps: 28
Current club: Brighton & Hove Albion
One of Brighton’s recruits in 2020, Veltman was a near ever-present for Ajax after playing in his first major international tournament, having amassed 246 appearances (and 10 goals and 15 assists) after graduating to their first team.
Nominally a central defender, the 30-year-old is proficient at playing right-back as well. This level of versatility has been regularly tested in England’s top division.
Georginio Wijnaldum
Age at World Cup 2014: 23
Position: Midfielder
Netherlands caps: 86
Current club: Roma
Interest in Wijnaldum grew substantially after his exploits, where he featured in all seven games as well as registering a goal in the 3-0 third-place win over hosts Brazil, but like club teammate Memphis he chose not to remain with PSV.
It was a choice that paid off as he left the Netherlands in the summer of 2015 clutching a championship medal. His subsequent decision to join Newcastle ended in relegation, despite bagging 11 goals across 38 matches, but Wijnaldum remained a Premier League footballer by relocating to Liverpool.
Following that move he’s been instrumental in the Reds winning the Champions League and league title in consecutive seasons. The Rotterdammer is one of the main components of the national side and following a brief spell at Paris Saint-Germain he has since joined Roma on loan, though a leg fracture in August ruled him out for the year, and sadly, the World Cup.
Jordy Clasie
Age at World Cup 2014: 23
Position: Midfielder
Netherlands caps: 17
Current club: AZ Alkmaar
Another graduate of Feyenoord’s esteemed academy that represented the Netherlands in what is, until 2021, their last major tournament appearance.
Clasie was nominally a substitute under Van Gaal, a big change from being a regular presence with then-club Feyenoord, whom he left for Southampton in 2015, reuniting with former boss Koeman. His time on the English south coast was mixed, after initially struggling the Haarlem native turned it around under former boss Claude Puel — which included his first Premier League goal — but he only featured in two of Oranje‘s nine games across the 2016/17 campaign.
He’s since returned to Dutch football, turning out for childhood team Feyenoord before joining rivals AZ on a permanent basis.
Daley Blind
Age at World Cup 2014: 24
Position: Defender
Netherlands caps: 98
Current club: Ajax
Blind lifted the Europa League title at the expense of his boyhood club for Manchester United, and unlike Memphis, he had initially settled into life at Old Trafford before falling down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho.
Nominally a defensive midfielder, the Amsterdammer is capable of playing in central defence as well as left-back which was the role he undertook when United faced Ajax in Stockholm in May 2017.
The Dutchman made 141 appearances for the Red Devils after joining Van Gaal weeks after he took charge of the record 20-time English champions, though he has since rejoined the Amsterdammers where his Premier League experience is paying dividends.
Leroy Fer
Age at World Cup 2014: 24
Position: Midfielder
Netherlands caps: 11
Current club: Alanyaspor
After rising to prominence with FC Twente, following an impressive season or two at Feyenoord, the Dutch midfielder has become somewhat of a journeyman since leaving the Eredivisie in 2013.
A season with Norwich, before turning out for Oranje at the World Cup in 2014, was followed by two seasons with QPR – suffering the ignominy of relegation from the Premier League at both clubs.
He would return to England’s top flight on loan at Swansea City before signing a permanent deal, though he was unable to prevent the Swans suffering relegation.
After toiling in the Championship he’d return to Feyenoord before moving onto Turkish outfit Alanyaspor.
Daryl Janmaat
Age at World Cup 2014: 24
Position: Defender
Netherlands caps: 34
Current club: Retired
Much like those around him, Janmaat used his newfound profile to seek a move abroad, relocating to Newcastle United from Feyenoord.
He’d spend two and a bit seasons at St James’ Park, making 75 appearances, before travelling down south and joining Watford.
Following his arrival in England, Janmaat struggled to hold down a regular place with the national side, having ended the 2014 World Cup seemingly as Oranje‘s first choice right-back, with 12 of his 34 total caps being attained while representing an English club.
Janmaat has since hung up his boots following a stint at ADO Den Haag and is now the club’s technical director.
Jasper Cillessen
Age at World Cup 2014: 25
Position: Goalkeeper
Netherlands caps: 63
Current club: NEC
Cillessen was Van Gaal’s first-choice goalkeeper in Brazil (except when it came to a penalty shootout) and remains number one when fit now.
The 33-year-old ended a five-year association with Ajax in 2016 when he became the latest Dutchman to sign for Barcelona. His appearances, however, were restricted to the Copa del Rey with Marc-Andre ter Stegen the undisputed No.1 in Catalonia.
That ultimately prompted him to chase new pastures and after turning out for Valencia, he is now back on familiar soil with boyhood club NEC Nijmegen.
