If you are not a fan of Hockey the name Teun de Nooijer may not mean much to you but the Dutchman truly has one of the most remarkable CVs in sport.

The skilful midfielder already has Olympic gold medals to his name (1996 and 2000) and he also picked up silver in Athens, with the Netherlands' three-in-row bid being ended by Australia 2-1 in a tight gold medal match.

De Nooijer, who will only turn 32 in March, will travel to China for his fourth Olympics and once again he will be one of the key players for a Dutch team who will be amongst the favourites.

And certainly the man from Egmond aan den Hoef is one of the Olympic stars worth keeping your eye on in Beijing.

After making his debut in 1994 aged just 18 de Nooijer quickly emerged as one of the brightest talents in the game and his star has never faded.

Just last year, he astonishingly earned his 350th cap for the national team in a friendly win over Belgium.

He is the only player in hockey history to have been named World Player of the Year on three separate occasions (2003, 2005, and 2006).

While, as well as Olympic success, he has also helped the Dutch win six Champions Trophies, a World Cup, and two European Championships.

At last year's Champions Trophy the Netherlands had to settle for bronze but they will be hoping to warm up for the Olympics by winning this year's trophy which they will host in Rotterdam.

The main challengers to the Dutch at the Olympics are likely to be Germany, Australia, Spain, and Korea, but with De Nooijer, the Netherlands can beat any of them.

With his deft stick work, creative ingenuity, and wondrous finishing, he has been labeled the "Johan Cruyff of hockey" - and if that comparison flatters anyone - it is the former footballing great.

Seán Fay / Eurosport