SPAIN VS NETHERLAND FINAL WAR
DESPITE being one of the best football nations in the world with hordes of talented players who have passed through their ranks, the Oranje are yet to win football's ultimate prize.
Netherlands biggest triumph on the world stage came in 1988 when they managed to clinch the UEFA European Championship. Netherlands have, however, come close to winning the Jules Rimet Trophy.
In the 1970's they were by far the best team on the planet, but still the World Cup accolade eluded them. The 1970's was a period during which they were twice FIFA World Cup finalists, but on both occasions they fell short.
In fact their losses at the last hurdle in 1974 and 1978 represent Dutch football's two most glorious, and painful, moments from their eight FIFA World Cup participations.
In West Germany in 1974, the Dutch side led by the imperious Johan Cruyff exhibited an ultra-modern brand of football.
In the final, they opened the scoring as early as the first minute, before being floored by two knockout blows from the host nation.
Four years later, fate was against them again in the final, as an Argentine side roared on by an entire nation eventually prevailed 3-1 in extra time.
Since then, Netherlands supporters have been yearning to see their team reach another FIFA World Cup Final.
Yet despite regularly ranking among the pre-tournament favourites, they have repeatedly fallen short.
In 1990, for example, a side packed with such world-class stars as Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit seemed destined for glory before slumping out in the second round at the hands of a German side that went on to lift the trophy.
In 1998 in France, Netherlands lost out on penalties at the end of a bewitching semi-final encounter with Brazil.
Then, in 2006, after a flawless qualification campaign which saw Netherlands boast ten wins and two draws, the Dutch nation thought their terrible run at a World Cup was bound to end. But that was not the case as their side was knocked out of the tournament after a last 16 loss to Portugal.
At South Africa 2010, they are the only side yet unbeaten and the only team which has drawn no game, adding Spain to the list of causalities will just be great triumph of a flawless campaign.
The coach
BERT van Marwijk, aged 58, the man masterminding the Netherlands' bid is embarking on his maiden FIFA World Cup finals journey as a coach.
Bert van Marwijk took over from Marco van Basten in 2008 and, since then, everything has gone according to plan, the Oranje having breezed through qualifying thanks to a historic eight wins from as many games.
With Frank de Boer and Phillip Cocu serving as assistants, the father-in-law of Mark van Bommel has introduced some much-needed discipline at the back, without sacrificing the traditional attacking flair so beloved of the nation's football enthusiasts.
Before taking over the national side, the Deventer native started out as a midfielder, spending much of his 18-year playing career with Maastricht.
It was there that he enjoyed his first taste of coaching too, starting a four-year spell in the dugout in 1982. He then took the reins of another five clubs before being recruited by Feyenoord in the summer of 2000, fresh from leading Fortuna Sittard to the Dutch Cup final the previous season. His reputation growing, Van Marwijk hit a whole new height when he steered the Rotterdam outfit to triumph in the UEFA Cup in 2002.
Two years later, Borussia Dortmund brought him on board and even though his Bundesliga stay produced no trophies, the experience was far from a failure. When he returned to Feyenoord in 2007, he won the Dutch Cup at the end of his first season back, before his country came calling.
Said by Andre Ooijer to be "close to the players and ready to listen to them", Van Marwijk harbours plenty of ambition and is not afraid to show it. Like his assistants, he has publicly stated his aim to clinch the grand prize in South Africa this summer, but he has never had trouble keeping his feet on the ground.
Spain: Under-achievers on the brink of success
SPAIN has appeared in the World Cup finals on 12 occasions, starting in 1934 when it reached the quarterfinals in Italy.
Their best showing came in 1950 in Brazil, when it ended fourth. La Furia Roja, coached at the time by Guillermo Eizaguirre, finished bottom of the final group (there were no knockout stages in the 1950 tournament) after a 2-2 draw with eventual champions Uruguay, a 6-1 loss to the host nation and a 3-1 reverse at the hands of Sweden.
The Spanish have generally been regarded as underachievers in the World Cup and this is reflected in the fact that, apart from 1950, they have not reached the final four.
The Iberians suffered quarterfinal defeats in 1986, 1994 and 2002. In Germany 2006 they were beaten 3-1 by France in the first knockout round.
Spain was the host nation for the 1982 World Cup, where they reached the second round.
This afternoon at Soccer City, Spain looks unstoppable with its unique brand of beautiful and result-oriented football and having beaten the young but highly rated German side, Del Bosque men can go ahead and wear the football's ultimate crown.
The coach
THE 58-year-old Vicente del Bosque was appointed national team coach in July 2008 in place of Luis Aragones, whose four-year tenure ended the previous month after victory at UEFA EURO 2008.
As a player Del Bosque wore the jerseys of Castellon, Cordoba and Real Madrid with distinction, going on to represent Spain on 18 occasions, including at the 1980 European finals.
The former midfielder won five league titles and four Copas del Rey at the Bernabeu between 1973 and 1984, and it was there he would take his first steps in coaching.
After cutting his teeth with the Madrid youth and reserve teams for six years, he was handed the head coach's job in the 1999/00 season following the departure of John Toshack.
The Salamanca-born boss made an immediate impact by steering the capital side to their eighth European Cup/UEFA Champions League title. In his four years in charge of Madrid, he would enjoy further Champions League success in 2002 along with two league titles (2001 and 2003), a Spanish Super Cup (2001), a UEFA Super Cup (2002) and a Toyota Intercontinental Cup (2002).
After his spell at the Bernabeu, Del Bosque spent the 2004-05 season with Turkish side Besiktas before returning to Spain, where he worked as a football pundit.
Coach number 50 in the history of La Roja, Del Bosque has tinkered very little with the playing style and squad he inherited from Aragones, though his personality and management style is in sharp contrast to that of his predecessor.
Whereas Aragones was renowned for his temperamental, impulsive and occasionally polemic approach, Del Bosque has brought discretion, calmness and patience to the role.
Netherlands biggest triumph on the world stage came in 1988 when they managed to clinch the UEFA European Championship. Netherlands have, however, come close to winning the Jules Rimet Trophy.
In the 1970's they were by far the best team on the planet, but still the World Cup accolade eluded them. The 1970's was a period during which they were twice FIFA World Cup finalists, but on both occasions they fell short.
In fact their losses at the last hurdle in 1974 and 1978 represent Dutch football's two most glorious, and painful, moments from their eight FIFA World Cup participations.
In West Germany in 1974, the Dutch side led by the imperious Johan Cruyff exhibited an ultra-modern brand of football.
In the final, they opened the scoring as early as the first minute, before being floored by two knockout blows from the host nation.
Four years later, fate was against them again in the final, as an Argentine side roared on by an entire nation eventually prevailed 3-1 in extra time.
Since then, Netherlands supporters have been yearning to see their team reach another FIFA World Cup Final.
Yet despite regularly ranking among the pre-tournament favourites, they have repeatedly fallen short.
In 1990, for example, a side packed with such world-class stars as Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit seemed destined for glory before slumping out in the second round at the hands of a German side that went on to lift the trophy.
In 1998 in France, Netherlands lost out on penalties at the end of a bewitching semi-final encounter with Brazil.
Then, in 2006, after a flawless qualification campaign which saw Netherlands boast ten wins and two draws, the Dutch nation thought their terrible run at a World Cup was bound to end. But that was not the case as their side was knocked out of the tournament after a last 16 loss to Portugal.
At South Africa 2010, they are the only side yet unbeaten and the only team which has drawn no game, adding Spain to the list of causalities will just be great triumph of a flawless campaign.
The coach
BERT van Marwijk, aged 58, the man masterminding the Netherlands' bid is embarking on his maiden FIFA World Cup finals journey as a coach.
Bert van Marwijk took over from Marco van Basten in 2008 and, since then, everything has gone according to plan, the Oranje having breezed through qualifying thanks to a historic eight wins from as many games.
With Frank de Boer and Phillip Cocu serving as assistants, the father-in-law of Mark van Bommel has introduced some much-needed discipline at the back, without sacrificing the traditional attacking flair so beloved of the nation's football enthusiasts.
Before taking over the national side, the Deventer native started out as a midfielder, spending much of his 18-year playing career with Maastricht.
It was there that he enjoyed his first taste of coaching too, starting a four-year spell in the dugout in 1982. He then took the reins of another five clubs before being recruited by Feyenoord in the summer of 2000, fresh from leading Fortuna Sittard to the Dutch Cup final the previous season. His reputation growing, Van Marwijk hit a whole new height when he steered the Rotterdam outfit to triumph in the UEFA Cup in 2002.
Two years later, Borussia Dortmund brought him on board and even though his Bundesliga stay produced no trophies, the experience was far from a failure. When he returned to Feyenoord in 2007, he won the Dutch Cup at the end of his first season back, before his country came calling.
Said by Andre Ooijer to be "close to the players and ready to listen to them", Van Marwijk harbours plenty of ambition and is not afraid to show it. Like his assistants, he has publicly stated his aim to clinch the grand prize in South Africa this summer, but he has never had trouble keeping his feet on the ground.
Spain: Under-achievers on the brink of success
SPAIN has appeared in the World Cup finals on 12 occasions, starting in 1934 when it reached the quarterfinals in Italy.
Their best showing came in 1950 in Brazil, when it ended fourth. La Furia Roja, coached at the time by Guillermo Eizaguirre, finished bottom of the final group (there were no knockout stages in the 1950 tournament) after a 2-2 draw with eventual champions Uruguay, a 6-1 loss to the host nation and a 3-1 reverse at the hands of Sweden.
The Spanish have generally been regarded as underachievers in the World Cup and this is reflected in the fact that, apart from 1950, they have not reached the final four.
The Iberians suffered quarterfinal defeats in 1986, 1994 and 2002. In Germany 2006 they were beaten 3-1 by France in the first knockout round.
Spain was the host nation for the 1982 World Cup, where they reached the second round.
This afternoon at Soccer City, Spain looks unstoppable with its unique brand of beautiful and result-oriented football and having beaten the young but highly rated German side, Del Bosque men can go ahead and wear the football's ultimate crown.
The coach
THE 58-year-old Vicente del Bosque was appointed national team coach in July 2008 in place of Luis Aragones, whose four-year tenure ended the previous month after victory at UEFA EURO 2008.
As a player Del Bosque wore the jerseys of Castellon, Cordoba and Real Madrid with distinction, going on to represent Spain on 18 occasions, including at the 1980 European finals.
The former midfielder won five league titles and four Copas del Rey at the Bernabeu between 1973 and 1984, and it was there he would take his first steps in coaching.
After cutting his teeth with the Madrid youth and reserve teams for six years, he was handed the head coach's job in the 1999/00 season following the departure of John Toshack.
The Salamanca-born boss made an immediate impact by steering the capital side to their eighth European Cup/UEFA Champions League title. In his four years in charge of Madrid, he would enjoy further Champions League success in 2002 along with two league titles (2001 and 2003), a Spanish Super Cup (2001), a UEFA Super Cup (2002) and a Toyota Intercontinental Cup (2002).
After his spell at the Bernabeu, Del Bosque spent the 2004-05 season with Turkish side Besiktas before returning to Spain, where he worked as a football pundit.
Coach number 50 in the history of La Roja, Del Bosque has tinkered very little with the playing style and squad he inherited from Aragones, though his personality and management style is in sharp contrast to that of his predecessor.
Whereas Aragones was renowned for his temperamental, impulsive and occasionally polemic approach, Del Bosque has brought discretion, calmness and patience to the role.
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