Memphis Depay will show up late for The Netherlands in the ongoing World Cup qualifier as the veteran’s passport got stolen in Brazil. Depay is the most successful player for Netherlands as he is the player with the most number of goals (52 in 104 games) for the Dutch team. His services will be essential for the World Cup 2010 runners-up to reach the next round of the tournament. Depay struggled to perform for The Netherlands in the 2024 Euro Cup, where he struggled to be among the goals due to an injury. However, forgetting last year’s failures, the 31-year-old will be expected to step up in the upcoming competition and justify his role as a senior player.
On Memphis Depay’s passport theft and his delayed joining, the Dutch team’s head coach
Ronald Koeman called it unfortunate but hoped for the star player’s joining as soon as possible. "This is unfortunate, primarily for Memphis, but also for us. You naturally want to start your international preparations with a full squad. At the same time, there are circumstances beyond our control. We hope he can indeed travel to join us at the training camp as soon as possible," remarked Koeman.
The Netherlands will square off against Malta on October 9
The Netherlands will take on Malta at the National Stadium on October 9. The Dutch team are at the top of the tally with three wins and a loss in four outings. In June 2025, The Netherlands got the better of Finland and Malta while in September, their contest against Poland ended in a stalemate. In another match last month, they beat Lithuania by 3-2.
In June, when the Dutch team met Malta, the latter side faced a 8-0 humiliation at Euroborg. The Netherlands will look to extract victories in the upcoming matches against Malta and Finland to advance to the tournament’s next stage.
