Giovanni van Bronckhorst can think of no better way to say goodbye for good than to score in his last competitive game, and finally give the Netherlands the World Cup.
“I hope it will be the most beautiful game of my life,” said van Bronckhorst, who will retire from football after the South Africa tournament but has already made sure he goes out in style by scoring the first goal in a 3-2 win over Uruguay in the semifinals on Tuesday.
His name has already been scrapped from the teamsheet of his last club, Feyenoord Rotterdam, but the Dutch team will keep him on until Sunday, and for good reason.
The captain gave the Dutch the lead with a blistering 35-meter left-foot drive that sailed past Fernando Muslera and went in off the post to break open the game against Uruguay.
Van Bronckhorst then claimed the biggest defensive play of the semifinal, when he rushed back to head a dangerous high ball out of the goal mouth in the 49th minute, with the score at 1-1.
At 35, van Bronckhorst was more than two years older than anyone else on the pitch, yet celebrated like a teenager with the rest of the team almost an hour after the match.
“There were no tears, just joy,” he said. “The last game in my career and it’s a World Cup final, what can you say? It could not be more beautiful.”
Van Bronckhorst has won league titles in three countries — Scotland, England and Spain — and the Champions League with Barcelona.
As a defender, he is known for his dashes upfield on the left, clean marking and tight organizational instincts to read and neutralize opposing plays as they develop. And his goals can be spectacular.
“It was super, and great for him,” forward Arjen Robben said. “He was playing the last two matches of his career, and now the very last one is the final of the World Cup. It’s fantastic.”
Van Bronckhorst was given the captain’s armband only two years ago. He was seen as a transitional figure at best, not a standout leader thriving on bluster and brawn.
Yet now, he has taken the team as far as Johan Cruyff did in 1974.
The Dutch will either play Spain or Germany, who were to meet in Durban on Wednesday.
“For everyone, it will be the game of their life,” van Bronckhorst said. For himself, the last game of his life.
Associated Press
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