Micky van de Ven

Micky van de Ven is a centre-back in Ronald Koeman's 26-man Netherlands squad for the 2026 World Cup, a squad captained by Virgil van Dijk. The Tottenham Hotspur defender is 25 at kick-off, had 19 senior Netherlands caps as of 31 March 2026, and has scored once for the national team. He is one of the centre-backs Koeman can call on in the Oranje defence.

Netherlands won UEFA Group G to qualify on 17 November 2025, finishing unbeaten on 20 points, three clear of Poland, with a 4-0 win over Lithuania sealing the spot. They face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F, opening against Japan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on 14 June, then Sweden in Houston on 20 June and Tunisia in Kansas City on 25 June.

Van de Ven is a ball-playing centre-back whose stand-out attribute is pace. He is rated among the fastest defenders in world football, and that recovery speed helps him cover space behind the Netherlands defence. He carries the ball out of defence and starts moves from the back.

Ronald Koeman has moved Netherlands towards an adjustable setup, switching between a 4-2-3-1, a 4-3-3 and occasionally a back three. Van de Ven is one of the centre-back options in that defence, with a single international goal as of 31 March 2026 underlining a defending role.

Netherlands sit in Tier 2 of the Goal Rush card at £24m within the game's £200m card budget, a second-band slot. Their Group F draw brings Japan, Sweden and Tunisia, and they arrive as UEFA Group G winners who came through qualifying unbeaten under Ronald Koeman.

Van de Ven's contribution to that pick is defensive recovery: pace to cover space behind the back line, one international goal as of 31 March 2026, and the ball-playing profile of a centre-back who can start moves from deep.