Putting politics aside, multiculturalism in football is a big thing. Have you ever thought about how many players from one country represent a different one? It’s kind of a normal thing for people to move from one place to another.
Such stories follow many footballers who grew up outside the country they were born in and later became part of that country’s national team. I personally found one state impressive in two ways.
First, the number of foreign players in that team is big. Second, all the players there were and are amazing. You can now rest and enjoy the best Suriname football players who were part of the Dutch national team.
Michel Vorm (Goalkeeper)
Born in 1983, Michel Vorm built a big athletic career. He played for four different teams throughout his whole career. This is one of the Surinamese Dutch players who started off in Utrecht. Technically speaking, he was on loan in Den Bosch during the first year.
Later he came back to Utrecht and spent another five years there. Then, he joined the Premier League, where he played for Swansea. During that time span, Vorm had some of the best moments in his career. Even more, the Dutch went on to join Tottenham in 2014.
Vorm made 13 appearances as a replacement in the Spurs squad. This goalkeeper also stayed for one more season in North London. His national team career lasted for six years (2008-2014). For most of his stay, Vorm was the second goalkeeper for the Dutch team.
Aron Winter (Defender)
The veteran defender started his career back in 1986. Winter is one of the very versatile players whom many strikers feared, but also many defenders. The Dutch was the pillar of Ajax’s defence for eight years. He had 187 caps and scored 46 goals as a defender.
Lazio signed him shortly after. The Italian club was his home for four years, where Winter made 123 appearances and scored 21 times. Before ending his career in 2002 in Sparta Rotterdam, this Surinamese footballer played for Inter and once again for Ajax for three years.
His national team career was huge. After 13 years, Winter had 84 caps and six goals for the Netherlands national football team.
Frank Rijkaard (Defender)
Kids nowadays may not remember, but I’m sure every football fan knows who Rijkaard is. Frank, now a 61-year-old football coach, was one of the Suriname Dutch footballers who went down in history as one of the best defenders ever.
His more than rich career features 545 appearances. Rijkaard made his first steps in youth clubs like SC Buitenveldert, Blauw-Wit Amsterdam, DWS, and Ajax. Moving forward, Frank was listed in the Ajax A team.
He joined Sporting and remained there for one season. Rijkaard was also on loan at Zaragoza. But the real history was written while he played for Milan. This defender was in Milan’s squad almost 150 times over a five years period. He wore the Oranje jersey for 13 years and played in the Euro and World Cup twice, respectively.
Virgil van Dijk (Defender)
Virgil van Dijk is one of the greatest Liverpool defenders ever. But when he’s not playing for the Reds, he has some more than amazing performances for his national team. Although of Surinamese origin, van Dijk was born in Breda.
He spent more than 10 years at youth clubs, Willem II and Groningen. Virgil continued his career in Groningen and later Celtic for two more years. His first Premier League performance was in 2015 after his transfer to Southampton.
And then, in 2018, van Dijk made the best move of his life. As part of Liverpool’s team, the Dutchman made almost 200 appearances and won one Champions League and Super Cup trophy.
Plus, Virgil is one of the rare Suriname football players with the Premier League and FA Cup titles. Even nowadays, van Dijk is one of the best Premier League players. He began to play for the Netherlands U21 team in 2011. Afterwards, the Dutchman joined the senior team in 2016 and will now play in the Euro 2024.
Edgar Davids (Midfielder)
Like many other Dutch players from Suriname, Davids started his journey at Ajax. After playing at the youth club, he became a senior, playing for the same club. He began his career in Italy soon after. Davids wasn’t a starter in Milan, so he quickly decided to go to Juventus.
After six years, the name Edgar Davids was common in any football news article. The Surinamese midfielder is ranked among the best players on the planet. His stay at Barca and the Juventus era made him a legend.
Davids didn’t stop there; he played for Inter, Tottenham, Ajax, Crystal Palace, and Barnet until 2014. His national team career boasts 74 caps, World Cup and Euro appearances.
Nigel De Jong (Midfielder)
The defensive midline of the Netherlands national team has always had great players. I’m talking about David’s successor, Nigel De Jong. This player of Surinamese origin has much to be proud of in his long-lasting career. As he was born in the Netherlands, he started playing for Ajax at first.
The highlights of his career included a period when he played for Man City. A three-year stay in Manchester made this footballer shine and show his immense talent. De Jong had no intention of stopping there, so he kept on playing for almost ten additional years.
Just the same, Nigel didn’t miss a chance to represent the Netherlands in numerous competitions. His contribution to this team was invaluable. Regardless of that, some fans remember De Jong as a thug who fouled Alonso in the World Cup 2010.
Georginio Wijnaldum (Midfielder)
The list of Surinamese Dutch footballers won’t ever be full without Wijnaldum. Still active, this 33-year-old master of football is a player the Saudi Pro League clubs are afraid of.
But before he went to Saudi Arabia, the Dutchman had performances rarely anyone could have. He spent his golden years in Liverpool alongside his fellow countryman, van Dijk.
Wijnaldum was part of the Reds when they won the Champions League and Super Cup. The same applies to the Premier League and FA Cup trophies. For eight years, Georginio played for the youth national team. He is now part of the senior team, and we’ll see him at Euro 2024.
Ruud Gullit (Midfielder)
Gullit is the old-school genius who used to play for the Netherlands as one of the Suriname football players. He’s one of the very rare footballers who played in three positions. He was a defender, a midfielder, and a striker.
Back in the day, Gullit used to strengthen the lines of Haarlem, Feyenoord, and PSV. His career peaked during the late eighties and throughout the nineties as he played in Serie A and later in the Premier League.
What’s more impressive is that Gullit had memorable performances for the Dutch team. He is part of the generation that won Euro 1988 after defeating the USSR by 2:0 in the finals.
Clarence Seedorf (Midfielder)
Having his zenith in Milan, Clarence Seedorf’s performance was never far from his best days. He was no exception to playing for the Dutch youth clubs and beginning his senior career in one of them.
I’m aiming for the nineties and noughties when the Surinamese footballer made everyone’s jaw drop. First, he tried himself and Italy and did well. Up until the year 2000, Seedorf ruled the midline of Real Madrid. He spent two seasons in Inter and then went to Milan to make himself a legend.
Clarence ended his career in 2014 in Botafogo. The Dutch fans remember him as one of the most skilled players on the Dutch team. He was part of it for 12 years, which felt like an eternity.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Striker)
The amazing striker, Hasselbaink, is another footballer who played in the eighties, nineties, and noughties. His career got to the top during the nineties when started playing for Portuguese clubs.
After that, this player joined the Premier League and won the Premier League Golden Boot two times in a row. The following year, he was part of Atletico Madrid. The Surinamese rejoined the Premier League and spent the rest of his career playing in England. He played for the Netherlands only 32 times, as this team was overloaded with amazing forwards at that time.
Patrick Kluivert (Striker)
Partrick Kluivert is the very best attacker who was one of the Suriname football players in the Dutch squad. This footballer spent his entire career playing for top-notch clubs. He played for Ajax, Milan, Barcelona, Newcastle, Valencia, PSV, and Lille.
His career stats feature as many as 343 caps for these clubs and 149 goals. He was exceptionally good while playing for Barcelona. The Dutch made 182 appearances and scored 90 goals. A 14-year-long career in the Netherlands left a mark on fans and this team as well. Kluivert made it to the starting 11 around 80 times and scored 40 times.
