The 25-year-old De Ligt was denied several call-ups from Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman during a period with many struggles at Manchester United. 363 days after his last start for Oranje, De Ligt returned to the starting lineup in Monday's 4-0 win over Lithuania.
The Dutchman said he enjoyed being back in the Dutch defence: "Whether it's a comeback? Yeah, a bit. I wasn't here last time, I haven't started for a long time, so I'm delighted with today," De Ligt told reporters at the Johan Cruyff ArenA.
"The season is going well so far. I'm not sure if you call it a comeback season, but I'm feeling well, and it's going better with the club, and now I'm rewarded with a start, so that's great."
'We'll need to grow'
After Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, next year's World Cup could be De Ligt's third major tournament with Oranje. What does he expect from the tournament?
"It's still far away. It'll be about being fit a lot, that's the most important thing to everyone," De Ligt continued.
"A World Cup is something entirely different. It's what, 30 degrees there? The pitches will maybe be slower; you'll have to adapt to the conditions. We have a lot of experience in big leagues, and we'll need to grow as a team and individually to be even better at the World Cup."
De Ligt emphasised that the mentality will have to be different in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
"The more tournaments you play, the more you understand that a tournament can be over in a split second. You always have to keep your focus; you can't relax for a moment, because that's when you get punished."
The Dutchman, who previously played for Ajax, Juventus, and Bayern Munich, was a young kid when the Netherlands last made a deep run in a tournament. He still has fond memories of them, however.
"My best memory is the 2010 World Cup, when we reached the final. The country going bonkers, beating Brazil 2-1 - those types of games," said De Ligt, who preferred that World Cup over the one in 2014, when the Netherlands won the bronze medal.
"I preferred 2010; I was a little younger. I was 14 during the 2014 World Cup, but 2010 was the first time I saw the Netherlands go far in the tournament."
Three or four at the back?
A major discussion before Monday's final qualifier was Ronald Koeman's system. During the 2022 World Cup, the Netherlands played with a five-man defence, while Koeman used a four-man defence at Euro 2024.
To De Ligt, it doesn't matter which system he plays in. "No, I don't really have a preference," he told Flashscore.
"We play with a five-man defence at Manchester United, but on paper, we defend with four. It didn't feel awkward today; it felt the same as always. I can play in both systems. I'm more experienced with a five-man defence now; the more experience you have, the easier it gets."
