Vivianne Miedema has been a household name since 2013 with the Netherlands’ national team. She is one of the deadliest strikers the squad has had in the last ten years. However, the good news is that the national team still has other options without her.
The Netherlands shares Group E in the 2023 Women’s World Cup with the United States, Portugal, and Vietnam. The United States is the defending champion, and the Netherlands will likely find it difficult to assimilate Miedema’s absence against these two favorites.
Although she will not be available for the World Cup, the Netherlands is still considered a favorite to make it to the knockout stage. The national team has a striker with far more caps than Vivianne Miedema.
Why is Vivianne Miedema not playing in the 2023 Women’s World Cup?
Unfortunately, she is injured. Vivianne Miedema injured her knee during a game against Lyon in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on December 15, 2022. A few days later, it was confirmed that she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament.
Miedema has 115 caps with the Dutch national team, and she has scored 95 goals. This is a record for the Dutch national team, and it is even more impressive considering that another experienced striker like Lieke Martens, who has 144 caps, has only scored 58 goals.