Teun de Nooijer’s 453 international match record may never be beaten.
It’s not just the sheer number of caps the Dutchman has collected, it’s the quality in his play that makes him one of the very best ever.
De Nooijer won two Olympic gold medals representing The Netherlands at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. Silver medals at Athens 2004 and London 2012 also adorn his cabinet.
The midfielder with explosive speed, sublime and deceptive body swerves, devastating passing and clinical finishing also made his mark in the World Cup.
He struck a golden goal in the final against Spain to bring The Netherlands their third World Cup title at Utrecht 1998.
A silver medal at Sydney 1994 and bronze at Kuala Lumpur 2002 add to his impressive medals tally.
It all explains the Dutchman’s triple at the FIH Player of the Year awards, claiming the honour in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
De Nooijer, who sported No. 14 as a tribute to Dutch footballing legend Johan Cryuff, played club hockey for HC Alkmaar before moving to HC Bloemendaal which he helped win nine Dutch league titles.
After the 1998 Utrecht World Cup he moved to Germany for a short stint with Harvestehuder THC.
Shortly before hanging up his stick, De Nooijer played for UP Wizards in the Hockey India league.