ORANGE VERSUS RED FINALE BOTH FIGHTING FOR A FIRST TIME WIN

NETHERLANDS VS SPAIN…an incredible finale line up as these two soccer powerhouse nations vie to each win the World Cup for the first time for their motherlands.

One of the two will join the 7 other nations ---  Argentina (2), Brazil (5), England (1), France (1), Italy (4), Germany (2), Uruguay (2) --- who have won the world cup in prior years. The winner of this match up will also have its national team earn a “world cup win” star that will forever be part of the national uniform…so there is much at stake!!  

On the Netherlands side- they are the strongest soccer country to have never won a world cup. The Dutch have come painful close to winning it all before, playing and losing in the finals against Germany in ‘74 then again against Argentina in ’78. They also showed up in 4^th place in ’98 losing to Croatia. Unbeaten in the last 25 games and with a perfect record at this World Cup, the Dutch boys have their eyes on the prize and are hoping to take it home. 

 

On the SPANISH front, the team has played extremely well in the last few games but got off to a mediocre start losing their first game to the Swiss and winning primarily with a one goal lead. But don’t be fooled, this is a team that plays extremely well together and won the 2008 Europe Cup AND the octopus DID pick Spain as the winner of the finals so it will be a great match up!!!

 LET LOOK AT THE LINE UP.....

NETHERLANDS....

WESLEY SNEIJDER

• Date of Birth: 9 June 1984
• Height: 170 cm
• Shirt number: 10
• Position: Midfielder
• Current club: Inter (ITA)
• International Caps: 66
• International Goals: 17
• First international: Netherlands - Portugal
  (30 April 2003)

Club History

• Real Madrid (ESP): From 2007 to 2009
• Ajax (NED): From 2001 to 2007

 The star of the team and best paid player of his team  


 

Midfielder: #20 - Ibrahim Afellay

Age: 24, Height: 5'11

Current Club: Dutch PSV

Ibrahim is of Moroccan decent and was offered to play for Morocco but decided to stay with his Dutch home team, which he felt had better odds of making it through to the finals. His professional debut with PSV came at the young age of 17.

 

 

• Date of Birth: 2 April 1986
• Height: 184 cm
• Shirt number: 20
• Position: Midfielder
• Current club: PSV Eindhoven (NED)
• International Caps: 26
• International Goals: 0
• First international: Slovenia - Netherlands
  (28 March 2007)

Spotted by PSV Eindhoven at the age of 14, the talented idol of the Philips Stadion faithful rose through the club's academy before making his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in the Dutch Cup. He celebrated his maiden Eredivisie appearance ten days later and opened his scoring account the following season, but despite being touted as the great new hope of Dutch football, he struggled to impose himself as fitness issues plagued his initial progress. Born in Utrecht, the son of Moroccan parents, he is heating up the Dutch team hot rooster.

 

 

Midfielder: #8- Stijn Schaars
Age: 26, Height: 5'10

Current Club: Dutch AZ

Head coach Bert van Marwijk, "Schaars brings in the quality needed for this kind of tournament. He'll do good for the team."

Goalkeeper: #1  Maarten Stekelenburg

• Date of Birth: 22 September 1982
• Height: 197 cm
• Shirt number: 1
• Position: Goalkeeper
• Current club: Ajax (NED)
• International Caps: 33
• International Goals: 0
• First international: Netherlands - Liechtenstein
  (3 September 2004)

It can be no easy task to follow in the footsteps of a goalkeeper in Edwin van der Sar’s class. The Manchester United custodian picked up 130 caps in his international career and made 226 appearances for Ajax, but despite the pitfalls involved in picking up the baton, current Ajax No1 Stekelenburg intends to show that the Dutch tradition of uncovering fine goalkeeping talent remains strong.
Originally from Haarlem, Stekelenburg made his first career switch at the age of 15, leaving Schoten to join the Ajax academy. His reputation then begin to rise when he helped the Amsterdam club’s reserve team reach the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup in 2001/02.

 

VS. SPAIN

David Villa *aka "mara-villa"

 

Date of Birth: 3 December 1981

         Height: 175 cm

         Shirt number: 7

         Position: Forward

         Current club: Valencia (ESP)

         International Caps: 61

         International Goals: 41

         First international: Spain - San Marino 
(9 February 2005)

Club History

         Valencia CF (ESP): From 2005 to 2010

         Real Zaragoza (ESP): From 2003 to 2005

         Sporting Gijón (ESP): From 2001 to 2003

         Sporting Gijón B (ESP): From 2000 to 2001

Top scorer at UEFA EURO 2008 and a fixture at the sharp end of the Spanish attack, David Villa is currently one of the world's hottest striking properties. A born competitor with an unquenchable thirst for finding the net, Villa always has the goal in his sights whether playing as an out-and-out forward, in a withdrawn role or wide-left in a front three.

Known as El Guaje (an affectionate name given to children in his native Asturias), this quick and explosive hitman is certainly not afraid of hard work, and is always willing to drop deep and help out his midfield. It is this level of commitment and the gutsy nature of his performances that make the Valencia man a fan's favourite for club and country, as well as earning him his fair share of run-ins with match officials....and yeah. He's the Spanish Ashton Kutcher. 

Naturally right-footed, Villa is nearly as proficient with his left, thanks to a childhood accident and his father's foresight. Seeing how his four-year old son would not stop playing even after bearing a plaster cast on his broken right leg, Villa senior felt it best to show the youngster how to strike the ball with his weaker foot.

Now 28, Villa came up through the youth ranks and began learning his trade at Sporting de Gijon, before exploding onto the La Liga scene at Real Zaragoza, where he enjoyed two goal-filled years between 2003 and 2005. Valencia then spent big to bring the front-runner to the Mestalla, though El Guaje quickly repaid the investment by coming within one goal of the division's top scorer's award, El Pichichi, in his debut campaign. He did however finish as the leading Spanish-born scorer, an honor he has since claimed on two further occasions.

Cesc Fabregas

• Birth: 4 May 1987
• Height: 175 cm
• Shirt number: 10
• Current club: Arsenal
• International Caps: 53
• International Goals: 6
• First international: Spain - Côte d'Ivoire (1 March 2006)

23-year-old, who has 53 caps and six international goals to his name, is confident he could play a role in the most important match in Spain’s history and says he will “give everything” should he be called upon. “Of course I believe I can play a part in making history for our country, which has never won a World Cup before,” he continued.

Fernando TORRES (aka "el Niño Torres)

Current club: Liverpool (ENG)

• Birth: 20 March 1984
• Height: 181 cm
• Shirt number: 9
• Position: Forward
• International Caps: 79
• International Goals: 24
• First international: Portugal - Spain (6 September 2003)

 

 Though he has come a long way since his early days as a teenage prodigy at his first club Atletico Madrid, for Spanish football fans Fernando Torres will always be El Niño (The Boy).

 

 

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST the ADORABLE GOALKEEPER 

IKER CASILLAS

 

 

• Birth: 20 May 1981
• Height: 184 cm
• Shirt number: 1
• Position: Goalkeeper
• Club: Real Madrid 
• International Caps: 110
• International Goals: 0
• First international: Sweden - Spain
  (3 June 2000)

Club History

• Real Madrid B (ESP): From 1999 to 1999
• Real Madrid (ESP): From 1999 to 1999
• Real Madrid C (ESP): From 1998 to 1999
• Real Madrid (ESP): From 1997 to 1998

The latest in a long line of Spanish goalkeeping greats is La Roja captain Iker Casillas, whose agility, speed, reflexes and cool head in one-on-one situations have earned hi
Given the nickname ‘San Iker' (Saint Iker) at club side Real Madrid.
Born on 20 May 1981, Casillas earned his first call-up for the Madrid first-team at the age of just 17, having come all the way up through the youth ranks at the Spanish giants. And it was current national-team coach Vicente del Bosque who gave the custodian his top-flight debut in 1998/99, with Casillas making the Los Blancos' No1 jersey his own the following campaign and contributing to victory in the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League.