Van Breukelen and Former Dutch Stars Stress Relaxation for World Cup

If the Netherlands reach the World Cup final on 19 July in New York, they will have spent more than 50 days together. Former internationals explain why maintaining enjoyment is crucial during such a prolonged tournament. Hans van Breukelen says Rinus Michels insisted that a cohesive team precedes individual brilliance. He recalls post‑match hotel dinners, card tournaments, and a performance by cabaretier Herman Berkien as part of the team atmosphere. In Munich before the 1992 European Championship final, the squad missed a Whitney Houston concert because Michels required them back by eleven o’clock. Ruud Gullit left the hotel to find a phone booth and ask Michels for a later return, but the team was recalled after two songs.

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Arthur Numan recounts a 1994 training camp in Lake Nona where the players went boating and encountered a crocodile. Marc Overmars held Numan as he tried to strike the reptile with a stick, and Numan noted the danger of being in slippers. Andre Ooijer says Marco van Basten kept morale high in Germany 2006 by adding foot‑volley games that forced losing teams to sing karaoke at night. Physiotherapists acted as judges and required extra songs, leading Ooijer, Dirk Kuijt and Khalid Boulahrouz to perform Hazes numbers. In Johannesburg 2010 the squad pretended to walk to the gym but actually used the stroll to leave the hotel. The trio agree that modern players’ smartphones limit public leisure, yet they expect creative indoor activities to emerge. They predict the current squad will propose ideas to coach Koeman and stress that relaxation must feel optional, not a forced camp, while pursuing the title.