His trophy cabinets have two gold medals each won at the Olympics and World Cup.
And as captain of the Netherlands team, Stephan Veen scored a hat-trick in the final of the 2000 Sydney Olympics against South Korea which ended 3-3 in regulation time.
The ebullient midfielder then scored the decisive goal in the ensuing penalty shootout to help the Dutch retain the gold medal they first won four years earlier at Atlanta. Could anyone ask more of one’s captain?
Veen, born on July 27, 1970, won the first ever FIH Player of the Year award in 1998 and won it again in 2000.
Both awards reflected his contribution to the Dutch World Cup winning efforts at the Utrecht World Cup and Sydney Olympics.
Veen made his debut at the 1990 World Cup as a 19-year-old but did not play the final which the Netherlands won beating hosts Pakistan.