Bas Dost was the kind of striker who seemed almost destined to score goals. At any moment you can go to the live betting online platform 1xBet and start making wagers on other prolific goalscorers too.
Standing 1.96 metres tall, the Dutchman built a career around his exceptional finishing, intelligent movement and aerial ability. Across his club career, he scored more than 250 goals, becoming one of the most prolific Dutch forwards of his generation. Yet for the Netherlands, his record was remarkably modest: 18 appearances and just one goal. Once you join the 1xBet website, you can also make online live betting on all matches of the Dutch national team too.
Born in Deventer in 1989, Dost began his professional career with FC Emmen before establishing himself in the Eredivisie with Heracles Almelo and SC Heerenveen. His breakthrough came during the 2011-12 season, when he scored 32 league goals for Heerenveen and finished as the Eredivisie’s top scorer. That form earned him a move to German club VfL Wolfsburg in 2012.
Dost’s most prolific period came later. After winning the German Cup with Wolfsburg, he moved to Sporting CP in 2016. In Portugal, he became a sensation. During his first league season, he scored 34 goals in 31 matches, winning the Primeira Liga’s Golden Boot. In total, he scored 93 goals for Sporting, demonstrating just how effective he could be when given a central role and a steady supply of chances.
A lack of opportunities
His international career, however, never followed the same trajectory. Dost made his senior Netherlands debut against Turkey in March 2015, but he was often competing for opportunities in a national team that possessed several attacking options. His only international goal came in November 2015, when he headed the Netherlands ahead against Wales in a 3-2 victory.
His international career can be summarized as follows:
- he played between 2015 and 2018;
- he collected 18 caps;
- and scored only 1 goal.
At just 28, Dost decided to end his international career in 2018, citing his lack of success with the national team. It was a curious contrast: a striker who repeatedly found the net in the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Belgium, but almost never for Oranje.
Dost ultimately finished his professional career with NEC Nijmegen. His final tally reportedly reached 270 goals, a remarkable figure that makes his solitary international goal seem even more extraordinary.
In general, it can be said that Bas Dost’s story is therefore one of football’s great statistical paradoxes. He was a prolific goalscorer whose finishing flourished almost everywhere, except on the biggest international stage.
