King of Holland hails Corinthians striker after World Cup win | OneFootball

On the afternoon of last Saturday (20), the Netherlands national team defeated Sweden 5-1 at NRG Stadium in Houston, United States, in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stage. The result put the Oranje at the top of Group F with four points, level with Japan, which has scored one fewer goal (seven to six).

After the match, the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, visited the Dutch team’s locker room and praised Corinthians forward Memphis Depay: “Memphis, it’s wonderful to have you here. Truly fantastic,” he said. It is worth noting that the No. 10 is his country’s all-time leading scorer with 55 goals, surpassing names such as former striker Van Persie.

Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Against Sweden, Memphis Depay was brought on by the coach in the 27th minute of the second half, replacing positional rival Brian Brobbey, who scored in the match. This way, Memphis was on the field for 18 minutes (not counting stoppage time) and still provided an assist in added time.

Memphis Depay set up Summerville with a burst of speed, and he finished from outside the box to score the Netherlands’ fifth and final goal of the match. According to data from Sofascore, a sports statistics app, he earned a rating of 6.6. Overall, he recorded: 4/5 accurate passes (80%), 1/1 accurate long balls (100%), one key pass, one carry, one foul suffered, eight touches, and won 1/3 ground duels.

In the 2-2 draw against Japan in the World Cup opener, the Dutchman was on the pitch for 20 minutes but did not have an impactful performance. Just a few minutes after coming off the bench, he received a yellow card.

Corinthians’ No. 10 is having a season below expectations. In 14 matches for Timão in 2026, he has one goal and one assist. Between late March and the end of May, Memphis was sidelined as he recovered from a grade 2 muscle injury suffered in a match against Flamengo in Itaquera in the eighth round of the Brasileirão.

Between the injury diagnosis and the start of the World Cup, Memphis Depay played in only two matches for Corinthians, one coming off the bench (Atlético-MG – Brasileirão) and the other starting (Platense-ARG – Conmebol Libertadores), but he was substituted by Fernando Diniz at halftime. He is under contract with Alvinegro until the end of July, and there is still no decision regarding his future at Parque São Jorge.

The Netherlands will now return to action next Thursday (25) for the third and final round of the World Cup group stage. This time, the opponent will be Tunisia, in a match scheduled for 8 p.m. (Brasília time) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Memphis Depay’s numbers for Corinthians

Signed in September 2024 after not having his contract renewed by Atlético de Madrid of Spain, Memphis Depay arrived at Corinthians and was immediately crucial in the team’s surge in the previous Brasileirão campaign (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifying stage), scoring seven goals and providing one assist in 11 matches in the national tournament.

Last season and at the start of this one, he was decisive in the title wins of the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), totaling two assists in those finals and playing an important role in the earlier knockout rounds. Wearing the Corinthians shirt, he has 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.