Topics: Netherlands, Euro 2024, Football, Xavi Simons, Ronald Koeman
Football fans are realising why the Netherlands national team wear an orange shirt despite the colour not featuring on the country's flag.
On the international stage, fewer teams are as iconic as the Netherlands. Since 1905, they've wowed the world with a stunning brand of football.
Their 'total football' has captivated the imagination of coaches all around the world and its impact is still extremely prominent in today's game.
The Netherlands have been drawn in Group D for Euro 2024, alongside Poland, Austria, and France.
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While they were eliminated in shock fashion at the last tournament against the Czech Republic, there is a considerable amount of optimism in the Dutch camp with youngsters like Xavi Simons coming through.
Ronald Koeman’s kicked off their tournament with a 2-1 win against Poland on Sunday at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and substitute Wout Weghorst.
The flag of the Netherlands is red, white, and blue, but have you ever stopped to wonder why the shirts they wear are orange?
They are not the only country who wear a different coloured kit to the ones represented on their flag, with Germany's iconic white kit in stark contrast to the red, black and yellow that adorns their national flag.
Well, we've got the answer.
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The Netherlands' kit and crest are orange because it's the colour of the House of Orange-Nassau - the Dutch royal family.
'Prince of Orange' is seen as a compliment in the country. They aren't the only sports team to wear orange.
The Netherlands' hockey and rugby teams do so too, along with a number of other sports teams, while the football team's nickname is 'Oranje'.
Media outlets in the country have also referred to the team as the 'Clockwork Orange'.
In the years after the country earned independence from Spanish rule, the national flag was actually originally blue, white and orange.
