Andries Noppert’s international career ranks among the most distinctive in the rich history of the Netherlands national team.
The goalkeeper – who stands at towering 2.03 metres – won five caps for his country, with all of those appearances coming at the FIFA World Cup™. Lining up for the Netherlands at Qatar 2022 represented an unexpected staging post in Noppert’s football journey, which had started at hometown club Heerenveen.
Having left the Eredivisie team in 2014 without making an appearance, he went on to have spells with NAC Breda, Italian side Foggia, and back in the Netherlands with Dordrecht and Go Ahead Eagles.
While there were few signs of what was to come during that nomadic eight-year period where he struggled with injuries and played fewer than 50 matches, a move back to Heerenveen in 2022 proved transformative.
A series of excellent displays caught the attention of Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal, who called up the 28-year-old for a UEFA Nations League double-header two months before the World Cup. While he did not feature in those matches, Noppert made such an impression that he was named in the Oranje’s Qatar 2022 squad.
The keeper’s remarkable rise was capped when he was named in the starting XI for their opening fixture of the finals against Senegal. By playing in that game at Al Thumama Stadium – in which he kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory – Noppert also broke a World Cup record.
The soaring stopper became the tallest player ever at the finals. At 2.03 metres (six feet, eight inches), he was one centimetre taller than the quartet who had jointly held the record: Australia goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac, Serbia pair Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Nicola Zigic, and Czech striker Jan Koller.
Tallest players in World Cup history
Noppert’s performances also remained at a sky-high level after his flawless display against Senegal. He went on to help his team qualify for the knockout stage with the concession of just one group-phase goal.
He produced another accomplished display in the Netherlands’ 3-1 last-16 win over USA, which set up a quarter-final showdown with Argentina. A thrilling clash finished 2-2 after extra-time, with the Dutch edged out on penalties by the eventual champions.
That dramatic encounter ended a remarkable World Cup adventure for Noppert – a goalkeeping giant who stood taller than any man before on football’s biggest stage.
