Memphis Depay Overtakes Van Persie to Become Netherlands’ All-Time Top Scorer

Memphis Depay has written his name into the history books in Sunday night’s 3-2 victory over Lithuania in Konya. The 31-year-old forward scored his 51st goal for the Netherlands in their World Cup qualifier against Lithuania. The goal, a close-range finish from a Cody Gakpo cross in the 12th minute, pushed him past Robin van Persie’s long-standing record of 50.

Softfootball understands that Depay made his debut for the Oranje back in 2013 and has been a regular star for the Dutch ever since. This strike came in his 104th international appearance, drawing him level with Dirk Kuijt as the country’s joint-most capped outfield player, a record he can own outright in the Netherlands’ next games.

The Netherlands announced the new record broken via its official X account. They posted:

In another post on the team’s official X account, the post referenced his accomplishment and paid homage to how lethal the star is; they also posted a video of the scenes at the stadium the moment the record was broken.

They posted:

Watch the video below:

Depay wasn’t on the scoresheet when the Netherlands were held 1-1 by Poland, but he ensured he made his mark in this one, and the top of the Dutch scoring chart now reads Depay (51), Van Persie (50), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (42), and Patrick Kluivert (40). Arjen Robben and Dennis Bergkamp sit just behind with 37 apiece.

What makes Depay’s achievement stand out is the company he now keeps. Dutch football has produced attacking greats Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Van Persie himself, and Depay is now above them all in goals for the national side.

He equaled Van Persie’s record earlier this summer with a brace against Malta, but had to wait until the clash with Lithuania to move clear. Having been criticized at times for inconsistency, Depay has shown remarkable longevity. At 31, he remains a key figure in Ronald Koeman’s plans.

With more qualifiers to come, the gap between Depay and the chasing pack is only likely to widen. His name is now etched at the very top of Dutch football’s scoring charts.