Sneijder reveals how confidence and nerves determined the 2010 final

During Il Festival dello Sport, Wesley Sneijder looked back at the 2010 Champions League final, in which he with the Oranje reached the World Cup final and Inter beat the Germans 0‑2. He describes how he was full of confidence before the match, but just before the final the nerves kicked in.

Sneijder spoke at Il Festival dello Sport about the 2010 Champions League final, in which Inter beat Bayern Munich 0‑2. He remembers the certainty of that evening: “I was convinced that we would win, that it was our night,” said the record international of the Oranje.

He felt the support of the fans and their families in the corner: “When I saw our supporters and came onto the pitch... Our families were on the other side in the corner. We knew it was our night.” The day before the conviction was already clear: “The only question was with how many. The day before we were already convinced.”

Nervousness before the final

Shortly before the final, Sneijder noticed that the teammates were less joking. “We were always together in a big group, laughing and making jokes. But that evening we felt that everyone was a bit more nervous.” He and a few colleagues shouted: “Then we said: hey, stop that. We just do the same things as always. We get together, make jokes and then we beat them. Then we were convinced again.”

Inter achieved the treble thanks to two goals from Diego Milito, while Sneijder provided the assist for the first goal (0‑1). The victory confirmed that Bayern Munich could be convincingly beaten, and Sneijder’s reflection underscores how routine and unity tamed the nerves.