Dutch record goalscorer Memphis Depay said he never doubted he would be in his country’s World Cup squad despite concerns he would not be fit in time.
The 32-year-old, who scored 55 goals for the Dutch national team and played in the 2014 and 2022 World Cups, returned to action for his Brazilian club Corinthians last week after a thigh injury kept him out since March.
«I prefer to talk about something else myself,» Depay told reporters at the Dutch training camp in Zeist.
«I completely understand why you’re asking, but personally I never really doubted that I would make it. My recovery took longer than it should have, that’s true. A few things didn’t go the way they were supposed to, which I don’t want to go into now, but I always knew it would be okay. The injury wasn’t that serious anyway,» he added.
Brazilian media claimed in April that mistakes had been made in the attacker’s rehabilitation program, delaying his recovery, but Depay would not comment.
«I arrived here fit and without complaints, which is a good sign for me. I have been working on it every day,» he said.
«I have trained very hard. In Brazil we sometimes spend two hours on the training field, which is different from what I was used to in Europe. So I arrived here in good condition.»
Depay has played 29 minutes as a substitute and then 45 minutes as a starter in two games for Corinthians since March and will look to build match fitness in the Netherlands’ two World Cup warm-up games against Algeria in Rotterdam on Wednesday and Uzbekistan in New York next Monday.
«In the end, I still have two matches and we train a lot. That also gives me the opportunity to show the coach how fit I am.»
Depay, who has 108 caps, said the Netherlands are not among the top favorites for the World Cup, where they meet Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in the first round, but said few countries would enjoy playing against the Netherlands.
«We don’t have to pretend that we are the best team in the world, but we know that we have our strengths and that we are always competitive. The belief is always there when we go to a ‘big tournament’,» Depay said.
«I have played in two World Cups and unfortunately lost twice on penalties (against Argentina in 2014 and 2022). Maybe this time it will go our way,» he added.
Published on June 2, 2026
