Few teams can say they've had more of an impact on the sport of football than the Netherlands national team. The Dutch donned their iconic orange jerseys for the first time in 1905, but it was in the 1970s that the national team – and Dutch club giants AFC Ajax – popularised the "Total Football" tactical revolution, centred on the idea that all outfield players should be adaptable, intelligent, and technically gifted enough to adopt any position on the pitch at any given moment. To this day, Holland – as they are often informally known – are renowned for playing skilful, attractive attacking football. With legendary players such as Johan Cruyff in their side, they reached back-to-back FIFA World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978, but they lost to West Germany and Argentina, respectively. Having also finished as runners-up to Spain in 2010, no other team has reached the final so often without winning it. Indeed, the Oranje are widely regarded as the best team never to win the World Cup. They have tasted success in the UEFA European Championship, however, lifting it in 1988.
