Goalscoring midfielder van Bommel will be hoping to put a series of international disappointments behind him in Germany. After making his Netherlands debut in a 4-0 victory against Cyprus in October 2000, he was part of the team that failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup and then missed out on the Euro 2004 finals because of an Achilles injury. He also looked likely to sit out Germany 2006 after being dropped midway through the qualification campaign, but was recalled to the team for the recent friendly against Ecuador. Van Bommel has experienced a better time at club level, winning the Eredivisie title four times with PSV Eindhoven, before joining Barcelona last summer and experiencing success in his first season in Spain.