Noppert ignored the agreements in the penalty shootout against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Netherlands goalkeeper Andries Noppert did not adhere to the prescribed plan developed by coach Louis van Gaal and goalkeeping coach Frans Hock during the penalty shoot-out against Argentina in the quarter-finals. As journalists found out, Noppert, who plays for SC Heerenveen, decided to act at his own discretion without discussing it with the team.

Before the tournament, van Gaal and Hock sought help from Canadian ex-volleyball coach Peter Murphy to improve their chances of success in the penalty shootout, which had always been a problem for the Netherlands. Noppert was appointed as the main goalkeeper, as his physical attributes seemed ideal for the implementation of the proposed plan.

However, Noppert expressed doubts about the effectiveness of Murphy's theories and chose his own path without discussing it with Hock and van Gaal. One of the main principles was that the goalkeeper should not guess, but react to the actions of the penalty taker. But Noppert believed that the stars of world football hit the goal so hard and accurately that he would look foolish if he simply waited rather than choose a side.

In an interview, Noppert described the coaches' approach as a "big game" and decided to change the strategy. He himself watched videos of Argentina's main penalty takers and suggested that his teammates, Justin Bijlow and Remko Pasveer, do the same. As a result, they compiled a list of preferred destinations, which Noppert attached to his bottle.

On the day of the match, Noppert received this list from Pasveer, but, to the surprise of van Gaal and Hock, he did not comply with any of the instructions on the field. As a result, Noppert was unable to save a single penalty, and the Netherlands were knocked out of the tournament. Later, in correspondence with Murphy, van Gaal learned that Noppert had "virtually done everything wrong", including turning away from the performers, when according to Murphy's theory this would have been wrong.

A month after the tournament, Noppert noted that he should have stuck to his plan even more strictly when he watched the penalty shootout again. Van Gaal described the situation as "incredible", stressing that despite careful preparation and a scientific approach, everything went wrong because the three goalkeepers chose their own strategies. He noted that Noppert should have approached him or Hawk with his concerns, and he called the failure to do so "very disappointing" and a "big mistake." Hock also noted that he noticed Noppert's doubts, but he never indicated any desire to deviate from the plan.