So, ladies and gentlemen, the long awaited day is finally upon us.
63 games, watched by over 3 million people in attendance and live on TV by literally billions of people around the globe. A veritable feast of football, with the cream of the games vast international talent, all striving against each other on the grandest stage imaginable, for the most hotly contested prize in the entire sporting world. An entire month worth of games – but more than that. Much more than that.
Year’s worth of qualification and planning and preparation.
Lifetime’s worth of sweat and toil and sacrifice and hope.
It all comes down to this. Two teams enter. One team leaves. Just like Mad Max 3 – except, you know, nobody dies, and everybody earns millions of dollars and they’re all married to supermodels.
In the blue corner, we have the Netherlands.
Haunted by losses of World Cup finals past, with a chance to exorcise the demons from 74 and 78, this team has shocked many by making it this far. With a come from behind win over Brazil they smashed a generation of misconceptions. No front runners here. They may not play the fan friendly brand of ‘total football’ they were once famous for, but with the likes of Kuyt, Sneijder, Robben and Van Persie – they do play bloody well. And they win a lot of games. This is a new era for the Dutch. Eye-popping creativity has been replaced by steely-eyed determination. Fragility with poise. Nerves with confidence. It brought them through qualification and it has brought them to the final. It may yet bring them all the way to World Cup trophy itself.
In the red corner, we have Spain.
European Champions in 2008. The favourites with the bookies coming into the tournament and favourites with the bookies coming into this match. This is a golden age for La Furia Roja (The Red Fury – love it), with playing talent rivaling that of any era. Alonso, Fabregas, Torres, Villa. Superstars of the game at the height of their powers – with a chance to break a World Cup curse that looked like it had resurfaced after their shock loss to Switzerland. But this time they didn’t fold. They recovered. They jumped the hurdle that has accounted for so many other Spanish teams over the years. They survived…but did they kill the curse? The eyes of the world are on them. I guess we are about to find out.
Take your pick folks. Spain or the Netherlands? The Netherlands or Spain?
Put me down for the Dutch. Following what has been a disastrous tipping tournament my confidence is completely shot – but I’m sticking with my heart. I want the Dutch to win. That’s the fairy-tale finish. And it is late in the game for me to try and pretend I have any sort of tipping professionalism out here. The Netherlands to win. Van Persie to score.
Netherlands, 1-0, Van Persie.
The Shirtman
PS – If you do not submit your tips prior to kick off you will be credited with The Shirtman’s score.
