The Netherlands were left reeling after one of the most disappointing World Cup campaigns in their history.
Ronald Koeman’s side scored ten goals during the group stage and looked capable of mounting a serious challenge for the trophy.
They drew with Japan before recording convincing victories over Sweden and Tunisia.
However, everything unravelled during their Round of 32 clash with Morocco.
Cody Gakpo’s second-half goal looked set to send the Dutch into the next round.
Instead, a late equaliser forced extra time before the Netherlands crashed out on penalties.
The defeat marked the earliest World Cup exit in the country’s history.
It also brought an end to their remarkable record of always reaching at least the Round of 16.
The fallout eventually led to Koeman stepping down as head coach.
However, Dutch football has now produced a very different story away from the international stage.
Excelsior Rotterdam have officially signed goalkeeper Fleur Jansen van Rosendaal after discovering her through videos posted on TikTok and Instagram.
The 25-year-old had been playing for amateur men’s side VV Schoondijke before receiving the opportunity to train with the club.
Excelsior goalkeeping coach Danijel Ribaric came across the clips online and decided to take a closer look.
A successful trial period followed before the club offered her a professional contract until 2027. The move completes a remarkable rise from amateur football to the professional game.
The goalkeeper had originally spent much of her football career playing as a striker before moving between the posts at the age of 18.
Her match footage and training clips then began attracting attention online. Those videos have now helped turn a childhood dream into reality at Excelsior Rotterdam.
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