Former Ajax coach, Louis van Gaal, has acknowledged using a creative system to assign jersey numbers for Holland.
In an odd move, van Gaal opted to assign jersey numbers to the players in his World Cup team based on their ages.
The former Barcelona and Manchester United manager decided to assign jersey numbers in accordance with age rather than provide any information about who may be in his ideal first team.
Goalkeeper Remko Pasveer will wear the No. 1 jersey in Qatar as a consequence, even if under Van Gaal’s system it does not necessarily reflect his position in the team’s hierarchy.
“In general I discuss that with the players, not now. I gave the players a number that fits their age.
“That’s no joke. I never tell jokes at a press conference, I explain how I did that.
“That has to do with age, that’s why I give that answer,” he said.
On the squad sheet for the first match against Senegal on Monday, November 21, midfielders Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong have been assigned the numbers 21 and 20, respectively.
However, some statistics seem to still correspond to the positions that players were anticipated to have on their respective national teams.
For instance, the No. 4 jersey will be worn by Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, the No. 8 jersey will be worn by PSV winger Cody Gakpo, and the No. 11 jersey will be worn by offensive midfielder Steven Berghuis.
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