Curious reason prevents journey
Top strikers missed flight to the national team
07.10.2025 – 06:43 a.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Memphis Depay is a fixture in the Dutch national team. But his journey to the upcoming international matches was prevented for the time being.
Memphis Depay should have been in the Netherlands long ago to prepare for the upcoming games in the World Cup qualification with the national team in Zeist. But an unexpected breakdown prevented his departure from South America.
The goal scorer of the Club Corinthians São Paulo had to stay in Brazil because he lacked something crucial. Depay was unable to start the flight to Europe because his passport was previously stolen. The former attacker of Manchester United and FC Barcelona noticed when he wanted to climb the plane. Without ID, the 31-year-old was not allowed to leave the country.
Depay should now travel with replacement papers. Bondscoach Ronald Koeman hopes that his top striker will arrive on Malta on Thursday in time before the game.
Depay has been part of the Dutch A selection since 2013. In September he wrote history in Lithuania with his 51st goal for “Oranje”. Since then he has been a record scorer of his country.