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The Netherlands boast a rich footballing legacy, with seven Ballon d'Or winners and a European Championship title to their credit — yet the ultimate prize, the FIFA World Cup, has always eluded them.

In many respects, the Dutch stand as one of the sport’s most remarkable overachievers.

For more than half a century, the Netherlands have consistently exceeded expectations for a country with a population just above 18 million — significantly smaller than most of the game's traditional heavyweights.

Considering the calibre of talent they have produced — Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, Wesley Sneijder, Lieke Martens and Virgil van Dijk — it is astonishing that the Oranje have remained perennial contenders rather than champions at the World Cup.

Few would disagree that no other nation has a stronger claim to being the greatest side never to win football’s most coveted trophy.

The Cruyff-led ‘Total Football’ team of the 1970s remains one of the most influential in modern football history — often admired even more than the West Germany and Argentina teams that defeated them in the finals of 1974 and 1978 respectively.

Another golden generation emerged in the 1980s, producing three consecutive Ballon d'Or winners between 1987 and 1989 — Ruud Gullit once and Marco van Basten twice. Both played central roles in the Netherlands’ triumphant Euro 1988 campaign, supported by stars such as Ronald Koeman and Frank Rijkaard.

No other nation has reached as many men’s World Cup semi-finals (five) or finals (three) without lifting the trophy. The Dutch made semi-final appearances in 1998 and 2014, and took home the runners-up medal in 2010 after falling to Spain in the final.

Even their outstanding women’s team, which clinched the Euro 2017 crown, fell just short at the 2019 World Cup, losing to the United States in the final.

That makes five generations of exceptional Dutch teams who, despite their brilliance, never quite managed to become world champions.

Other nations also deserve mention in this conversation.

Before and after the Second World War, Austria and Hungary were pioneering forces in world football, shaping the tactical evolution of the game even more profoundly than the Netherlands of the 1970s.

Yet neither side managed to win the World Cup. Hungary came closest — losing to Italy in the 1938 final and then agonisingly surrendering a 2-0 lead to West Germany in the 1954 final, which they lost 3-2. The frustration was compounded by the fact that Hungary had crushed the Germans 8-3 in the group stage of the same tournament.

Austria, meanwhile, reached the semi-finals twice — in 1938 and 1954 — but never progressed to the final itself.

Sweden might seem an unlikely candidate today, but they rank just behind the Netherlands in terms of World Cup semi-final appearances without a win. The Swedes were runners-up as hosts in 1958 and reached the semi-finals in 1938, 1950 and 1994. Their women’s team also finished runners-up at the 2003 Women’s World Cup.

Perennial dark horses Croatia have reached three semi-finals as an independent nation and two more as part of the former Yugoslavia, but have only appeared in one final — losing to France in 2018 with Luka Modric leading the side.

Portugal, too, have come close. Eusebio inspired them to the semi-finals in 1966, where they won admirers but fell to hosts and eventual champions England. Four decades later, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates again reached the final four, only to be undone by a Zinedine Zidane penalty.

Czechoslovakia went even further, reaching the finals in 1934 and 1962, but still fell short of ultimate glory.

Even with such competition, none of these nations embody footballing heartbreak quite like the Netherlands — the masters of beautiful football who came so close, so often, yet never quite over the line.