page_title: Phillip Cocu
section_title: International career
hierarchical_section_title: Phillip Cocu / International career
caption_attribution_description: Phillip Cocu, Spieler der niederländischen Fußballnationalmannschaft
context_page_description: Phillip John-William Cocu is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of Championship club Derby County.
  Cocu was born in Eindhoven but raised in Zevenaar, playing youth football for local clubs DCS and De Graafschap. After a year at AFC '34, he started his professional career at AZ. In 1990, Cocu moved to Vitesse. A broken fibula disrupted his first season, but he became a first-team regular in the following four seasons. In 1995, he joined PSV, where he won the KNVB Cup and the Eredivisie title in 1997. Cocu played for Barcelona between 1998 and 2004. There, he would become club captain, win La Liga in 1999 and play two Champions League semi-finals. He left the club in 2004 as club record holder for the most league appearances by a foreign player. During Cocu's second stint at PSV, he won another three Eredivisie titles and reached the Champions League semi-finals. After a year at Al Jazira, Cocu retired from professional football.
  Cocu debuted for the Netherlands national team in 1996 and appeared at the 1998 World Cup, scoring two goals but missing a penalty in the semi-finals against Brazil.
context_section_description: Cocu was close to his international debut in 1994. Coach Dick Advocaat listed him on the 25-man provisional squad for the 1994 World Cup due to his performances at Vitesse, but he eventually did not make the team. His international debut came at age 25 in early 1996 in an exhibition match against Germany, handed to him by Guus Hiddink. Cocu scored his first international goal against the Republic of Ireland in June. Cocu was called up for Euro 1996 by Hiddink. He appeared as a substitute in two group stage matches and was included in the first team for the quarter-final defeat against France. Two years later, the Dutch team qualified for the 1998 World Cup, with Cocu having secured his place as a first-team member. He appeared in all World Cup matches, while scoring in the group stage matches against South Korea and Mexico. In the semi-final against Brazil, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Cocu took the third Dutch penalty, but his attempt was saved by Cláudio Taffarel. The Netherlands eventually lost the shoot-out (4–2) and missed out on the final.
  Cocu and the Netherlands were present at Euro 2000 after automatically qualifying as a host. The Dutch side, with Cocu in all fixtures, won all group matches and the quarter-final against Yugoslavia. Still, Cocu and the team were again eliminated after a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals, this time against Italy. The Netherlands and Cocu failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup in a qualification group with Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. In 2003, Cocu received his first international sending-off in a friendly match against Belgium. The Netherlands did well in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, with Cocu scoring twice (both in separate matches against Austria). During Euro 2004, Cocu was chosen as team captain and appeared in all matches. In the quarter-finals against Sweden, he missed a penalty in the shoot-out, but the Netherlands still managed to win. In the semi-finals, the team was eliminated by hosts Portugal. After Euro 2004, Cocu lost the captain role to Edgar Davids, a decision made by new manager Marco van Basten.
  The Netherlands qualified for the 2006 World Cup, with Cocu scoring three times in the qualifying matches. Cocu was a first-team member in most games, but a sending-off against Andorra in September 2005 meant that Cocu missed the last two qualifiers. At the World Cup, the Netherlands progressed from the group stage, but were knocked out by Portugal in the second round. After the tournament, Cocu retired from international football. With 101 caps for the Netherlands, Cocu is currently ranked fifth in the list of most Dutch international appearances. He was granted a farewell and a golden plaque for his services before the match against Belarus in September 2006. In 2011, Cocu was named bondsridder of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), an honorary title for his service to Dutch football.
caption: Cocu with the Netherlands during the 2006 World Cup
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