The Dutch football association KNVB has taken out page-sized adverts in several Dutch papers thanking fans for their support during the World Cup.

The Dutch team arrived back in the Netherlands on Sunday after coming third in the tournament with a 3-0 win over Brazil on Saturday.

The advert features a photograph of the 23-strong squad with their medals and the word ‘obrigado’, which means ‘thank you’ in Portugese. ‘What a tournament. Thank you all for being with us throughout it. In the Netherlands, in Brazil or where ever in the world. Together we are writing history.’

Official television figures show a record 9.1 million people watched the Netherlands lose their semi-final to Argentina on penalties while at home, but the total reached 12.4 million including people watching at another location. That is some 75% of the population.

Six million people in the Netherlands watched Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to take the title on Sunday evening.