It’s just a short hop from the Netherlands to England, and plenty of Dutch players have come to play their club football in the Premier League over the years.
Wimbledon goalkeeper Hans Segers and Manchester City defender Michael Vonk were there at the very beginning in 1992, and dozens of their compatriots have followed in their footsteps since.
Here, we run through the standout Dutch stars of the Premier League era…
Bolo Zenden
A lively left-sided winger capped 54 times by the Netherlands, Boudewijn ‘Bolo’ Zenden played Premier League football for Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Sunderland.
The former PSV and Barcelona man, who was voted Dutch Young Player of the Year in 1997, made 180 Prem appearances between 2001 and 2011, chalking up 35 goal contributions.
Mario Melchiot
Signed from Ajax in 1999, Mario Melchiot made well over 100 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, predominantly playing at right-back
Having helped the Blues finish second in his final season at Stamford Bridge, 2003/04, the 22-cap Netherlands international turned out in the English top flight for Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic, captaining the latter.
Dirk Kuyt
One of the most relentlessly hard-working players in Premier League history, Dirk Kuyt scored 51 goals in the competition during a memorable six-year spell at Liverpool.
The versatile ex-Feyenoord forward, who represented his country 104 times, hit double figures in three Prem campaigns, peaking with 13 in 2010/11, and provided a total of 27 assists.
Nigel de Jong
Nigel de Jong was a key member of the Dutch team who reached the 2010 World Cup final, and he provided similarly crucial steel to Manchester City’s midfield between 2009 and 2012.
An £18m arrival from Hamburg, De Jong featured 21 times during City’s maiden Premier League title-winning campaign of 2011/12.
Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart joined Tottenham from Real Madrid for £8m in September 2010 – and quickly made his price tag look even more of a bargain than it seemed at the outset.
A thoroughly entertaining playmaker who earned 109 international caps, Van der Vaart delighted Spurs fans with 24 goals and 15 assists in 63 Premier League games.
Gini Wijnaldum
Having exploded onto the Premier League scene with an impressive 11-goal first season at Newcastle, Gini Wijnaldum went on to establish himself as one of the finest box-to-box midfielders around after joining Liverpool in 2016.
Netherlands captain at Euro 2020, Wijnaldum played a vital part in Liverpool’s maiden Prem title win of 2019/20.
Ruud Gullit
Simply one of the best players of all time, Ruud Gullit finished his career in the Premier League, making 48 appearances for Chelsea after joining in the summer of 1995.
The exceptionally versatile midfielder who could play just about anywhere capped his debut campaign in England by being named the Blues’ Player of the Year, as well being included in the PFA Team of the Year.
He took over as player-manager at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 1996/97 season.
Jaap Stam
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that he regretted selling Jaap Stam to Lazio in 2001, a mark of how imperious the all-time great centre-back was for Manchester United.
A Premier League champion in each of his three full campaigns at Old Trafford, Stam formed highly effective defensive partnerships with Ronny Johnsen then Mikael Silvestre.
Marc Overmars
A seriously classy and creative winger, Marc Overmars was instrumental as Arsenal won their first Premier League title in 1997/98, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further five.
Voted the Gunners’ 12th-greatest player ever in a 2008 supporters’ poll, Overmars made exactly 100 Prem appearances for the North London giants, finding the net 25 times.
Arjen Robben
As good as unstoppable in thrilling full flow, Arjen Robben was undoubtedly among the very best wingers of his generation, regularly leaving full-backs for dead.
One of Jose Mourinho’s first Chelsea signings in the summer of 2004, the 96-cap Netherlands star featured 67 times across three campaigns with the Blues, winning two Premier League titles, making the 2004/05 PFA Team of the Year and notching 31 goal involvements in total.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
A Premier League scorer for Leeds United, Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Charlton Athletic, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was the first Dutchman to hit the 100-goal mark in the competition, netting 127 times overall.
Boasting a seriously powerful shot and devastating free-kicks, Hasselbaink shared the 1998/99 Golden Boot and won it outright two seasons later – when he enjoyed his first of successive 23-goal campaigns with Chelsea.
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar spent a decade in the Premier League, cementing his status as one of the game’s greatest-ever goalkeepers.
Quite a coup when he signed for newly promoted Fulham in 2001, the six-foot-six shot-stopper, the Netherlands’ long-time number one, went on to win four titles with Manchester United, keeping a total of 132 clean sheets in the English top flight and being named in three PFA Teams of the Year.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Signed by Manchester United from PSV for £19m ahead of the 2001/02 season, Ruud van Nistelrooy wasted no time in showing English football what an incredibly clinical striker he was, banging in 23 goals in his debut Premier League campaign and being voted PFA Players’ and Fans’ Player of the Year.
The supreme poacher, who scored 94 of his 95 Prem goals from inside the box, upped his tally to a Golden Boot-winning 25 the following season, firing Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to the title.
Virgil van Dijk
Unquestionably one of the very best centre-backs ever to grace the Premier League, Virgil van Dijk produced many a colossus-like performance for Liverpool, as well as excelling with his top-quality ball-playing attributes.
Integral to the Reds’ 2019/20 title success under Jurgen Klopp, the 2018/19 PFA Players’ Player of the Year – who began his Prem journey with Southampton – eventually captained both Liverpool and the Netherlands.
Robin van Persie
Scorer of spectacular goals and generally just a lot of goals, Robin van Persie made the net ripple 146 times during his dazzling Premier League career – more than any other Dutch player.
The former Feyenoord man was really in his pomp during the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons, scoring 30 Prem goals for Arsenal then 26 for Manchester United to scoop back-to-back Golden Boots.
A 2012/13 champion with United, Van Persie did the prestigious double of PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year in his final campaign as a Gunners player.
Dennis Bergkamp
A quite magical footballer capable of doing jaw-dropping things on the regular, Arsenal icon Dennis Bergkamp is our pick for the best Dutch player in Premier League history.
His extraordinary flick and finish against Newcastle in 2001 was once voted the Prem’s greatest-ever goal, and it really did epitomise his spectacular streak.
Voted PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year for his title-winning exploits for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners in 1997/98, Bergkamp finished his career in England’s top flight with 87 goals and 94 assists to his name.
