Family affair: Ruben Van Bommel completes unprecedented three-generation Oranje legacy

Last night, Ruben van Bommel made his debut for the Netherlands national team against Germany (1-1). The new Oranje boss brought him on in the 83rd minute in an attempt to avoid a home defeat to Die Mannschaft, and the 22-year-old repaid the Spaniard's trust with a stoppage-time assist for Cody Gakpo's crucial equalizer.However, apart from making an immediate impact, the winger's mere appearance in the Oranje shirt meant much more – it made Dutch football history.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Three generations of Oranje 🟠<br><br>𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 in Dutch football history a player featured for De Oranje after their father and grandfather had done so.<br><br>Ruben van Bommel&#39;s debut for the Netherlands against Germany in the UEFA <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/NationsLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationsLeague</a> meant he joined his… <a href="https://t.co/flfgg8u5tQ">pic.twitter.com/flfgg8u5tQ</a></p>&mdash; SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) <a href="https://x.com/SSFootball/status/2103392782811295892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##For the first time ever, three generations of the same family have represented the Netherlands at an international level!Ruben's father, Mark van Bommel – a former star of giants like PSV, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan, and the current Belgium head coach, set to make his debut tonight against Italy (21.45) – was a Netherlands international for 12 years (2000-2012), and the 2010 World Cup runner-up, making 79 appearances and scoring 10 goals.##LINKED_NEWS_69313##Mark's father-in-law and Ruben's maternal grandfather, Bert van Marwijk, is a renowned football manager who has coached Feyenoord, Borussia Dortmund, the Netherlands, Hamburger SV, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Nevertheless, even though his playing career wasn't as successful, Van Marwijk still played one game for the Oranje in May 1975 against Yugoslavia.That single appearance completed the family link and gave Ruben van Bommel the chance to make Dutch football history last night – and he grabbed it with both hands, becoming one of the team's heroes.UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE AThursdayNetherlands – Germany 1-1 (0-1)/Gakpo 90+2 – Nmecha 32/Norway – Denmark 3-2 (2-1)/Bobb 14, Haaland 18, 74 – Damsgaard 25, Hojlund 60/Portugal – Wales 1-0 (1-0)/Felix 22/Serbia – Greece 1-2 (1-0)/Zivkovic 4 – Tzolis 74, Douvikas 90+4/Friday21.45: (2.25) Italy (3.40) Belgium (3.20)21.45: (6.75) Turkey (4.40) France (1.48)UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE BThursdayAustria – Israel 3-1 (1-0)/Schmid 43 pen, Mwene 90, Kalajdzic 90+3 – Farchi 55/Kosovo* – R. Ireland 1-0 (1-0)/Muriqi 83/Friday19.00: (1.87) Georgia (3.50) N.Ireland (4.30)21.45: (2.25) Hungary (3.35) Ukraine (3.25)21.45: (1.70) Poland (3.60) B&H (5.30)21.45: (1.50) Sweden (4.40) Romania (6.50)UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE CFriday19.00: (1.75) Armenia (3.50) Latvia (4.50)21.45: (1.77) Montenegro (3.45) Cyprus (4.40)UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE DThursdayAndorra – Malta 1-2 (1-1)/Lopez 17 – Cardona 36, Teuma 81/Liechtenstein – Lithuania 0-2 (0-0)/Michelbrink 53, Dolznikov 66/***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-64386-89945" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/64386/season/89945/standings?widgetTitle=UEFA+Nations+League+26%2F27%2C+League+A%2C+Group+2&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:483px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##