Dutch striker Robin van Persie has admitted he is desperate to win the World Cup on Sunday to follow in the footsteps of his hero Maradona.
The Netherlands are bidding to win their first World Cup title and after beating Uruguay 3-2 in Tuesday’s semifinal, will now face either Germany or Spain in Sunday’s finale at Johannesburg’s Soccer City.
Van Persie is delighted to be in the final and has even allowed himself to dream of what it will feel like to part of the first Dutch team to win the World Cup. “I am used to watching other teams in the final, but this time I will be in it, I will be in the middle,” said the Arsenal striker.
“I don’t know how good it will feel (to win the World Cup), but I have a really big picture in my games room back home of Maradona holding the World Cup. It is an unbelievable picture, he is on his teammates’ shoulders holding the trophy with this huge smile on his face. If we win, I would like to make a picture like that,” Persie said.
The Netherlands reached the World Cup final in 1974 and 1978, losing to West Germany and Argentina respectively.
Van Persie said to go a step further than the star-studded Dutch teams of the 1970s would not be easy. “It is difficult to cope with the pressure, because you have to fight against the memories of the teams that went before you in 1974 and 1978,” he said.
“They were such great players, they didn’t do it, somehow, but we have the chance to do it now for the first time and then we will have done better than them,” he said. — AFP