Whether by choice or based upon an edict from governing bodies classifying orange as a ‘light’ colour, six of the last seven Netherlands change kits have been blue or black.
The latest addition to the canon is a bus-seat-style navy offering with blue and orange accents – the only exception in the past decade was the white and orange kit launched in 2015. Even that was an ‘in between’ release, outside of the usual cycle coinciding with major tournaments, but the Netherlands’ failure to qualify for Euro 2016 meant it wouldn’t have been worn even if kept on.
You have to go back to the 2010 World Cup for the last time the Dutch wore white at a finals but that, and its 2006 counterpart (as well as 2013, another ‘in-betweener’) were joined with red and blue trim.
For those of us of a certain age, the ‘true’ Netherlands second kit is a straight reversal of an orange and white home strip, but you have to go back two decades for such an example.
There is a consolation in that these kits were fine exhibits from the Nike Total 90 range. The primary kit first appeared in a friendly against the United States in February 2004 while its inverse was worn in a home game against France the following month.
The default orange-white-ornage look appeared in the Euro 2004 opener against Germany but for the next two group games, against the Czech Republic and Latvia, they were in all-orange.
Having finished second to the Czechs, the Netherlands faced Sweden in the quarter-finals and this time they were in all-white as they won on penalties.
That look was also seen in the semi-final against hosts Portugal but a 2-1 defeat saw them exit the competition.
It remains the last time they wore orange-trimmed white shirts at a major tournament.
