SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Former Spain captain Fernando Hierro and former Dutch captain Ruud Gullit say predicting winner of World Cup difficult

Record ID: 455732

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Former Spain captain Fernando Hierro and former Dutch captain Ruud Gullit say predicting winner of World Cup difficult
  • Date: 6th July 2010
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (JULY 5, 2010) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) FORMER SPAIN CAPTAIN FERNANDO HIERRO ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE FORMER DUTCH CAPTAIN RUUD GULLIT ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE HIERRO AND GULLIT HOLD JABULANI BALLS FOR PHOTO OPPORTUNITY PAINTING OF SPANISH STRIKER DAVID VILLA TO BE AUCTIONED FOR CHARITY LATER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORMER SPAIN CAPTAIN FERNANDO HIERRO, SAYING: "We are very confident but we know that the match against Germany will be very difficult and very complicated." MEDIA FILMING PAINTING OF DUTCH WINGER ARJEN ROBBEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER DUTCH CAPTAIN RUUD GULLIT, SAYING: "It's a difficult task, it's going to be an exciting game for Germany against Spain, I would not put my money and say who's going to win, I have no clue, the same thing as well for Holland against Uruguay, it's going to be a tough game for both teams, and for me: let the best teams win." PAINTING PORTRAYING PLAYERS FROM FOUR SEMI-FINALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORMER SPAIN CAPTAIN FERNANDO HIERRO, SAYING: "For me, it's definitely been a great World Cup and the main point is the quality between the teams. The teams that are not supposed to be at the top are growing and they are getting closer to the elite. It's a World Cup where the difference between the teams with great history and the others with less history is not so much. My final conclusion is that it is a World Cup with very equal standards." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER DUTCH CAPTAIN RUUD GULLIT, SAYING: "Luckily for me, I think the teams that played more attacking football have come to the finals, so it means that destructive football is not going to survive, is not going to win. So therefore I'm very proud that teams like Spain, Holland, also Uruguay and of course Germany, because Germany was also a revelation in the way they played, attacking, and all these attacking teams have been rewarded, so therefore I'm happy and that is the thing that I will remember from this tournament." JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORMER SPAIN CAPTAIN FERNANDO HIERRO, SAYING: "It's always difficult when you are talking about the best players in the world, at that level it's always difficult to talk about player performances at a World Cup but we can't say that (Wayne) Rooney, Kaka, Cristiano (Ronaldo), (Lionel) Messi, are not the best players in the world only because of what they did in four matches." CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER DUTCH CAPTAIN RUUD GULLIT, SAYING: "You play in the competition, you play in the cup, you play maybe two cups, you play in the Champions League, you play in the UEFA tournament. So there is so many games you have to play, and on top of that you have to also play a tournament for your country with all the pressure, that is difficult and it's no surprise to me that it has happened, it hasn't been. Therefore there is already talk of they have to play less games during the year, but to play a World Cup after that for these players sometimes can be too much." HIERRO AND GULLIT LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADB6PD29HIEK5P01WMVDKDP596
  • Story Text: Netherlands and Spain soccer legends Ruud Gullit and Fernando Hierro said on Monday (July 5) the World Cup had brought many surprises and that it was too close to call a winner from the remaining teams.
    The Dutch will face Uruguay in Tuesday's semi-final (July 6) and Spain will face Germany on Wednesday (July 7).
    Spain broke a long drought in honours two years ago when they won the European championships and Hierro said self-belief would be key to their first world crown.
    "We are very confident but we know that the match against Germany will be very difficult and very complicated," he said.
    Gullit said it was too tight to call who would make the final and go on to win.
    "It's a difficult task, it's going to be an exciting game for Germany against Spain, I would not put my money and say who's going to win, I have no clue, the same thing as well for Holland against Uruguay, it's going to be a tough game for both teams, and for me: let the best teams win," said Gullit.
    Both players were asked for their opinions of the first World Cup to be staged in the African continent.
    "For me, it's definitely been a great World Cup and the main point is the quality between the teams. The teams that are not supposed to be at the top are growing and they are getting closer to the elite. It's a World Cup where the difference between the teams with great history and the others with less history is not so much. My final conclusion is that it is a World Cup with very equal standards," said Hierro.
    "Luckily for me, I think the teams that played more attacking football have come to the finals, so it means that destructive football is not going to survive, is not going to win. So therefore I'm very proud that teams like Spain, Holland, also Uruguay and of course Germany, because Germany was also a revelation in the way they played, attacking, and all these attacking teams have been rewarded, so therefore I'm happy and that is the thing that I will remember from this tournament," said Gullit.
    The tournament has seen many big names falter and fail to live up to hype and expectation whilst the likes of Uruguay's Diego Forlan, Spain's David Villa and Germany's Thomas Mueller have flourished.
    "It's always difficult when you are talking about the best players in the world, at that level it's always difficult to talk about player performances at a World Cup but we can't say that Rooney, Kaka, Cristiano, Messi, are not the best players in the world only because of what they did in four matches," said Hierro.
    Gullit said the amount of games at domestic level every season had its effect on top players, especially fatigue.
    "You play in the competition, you play in the cup, you play maybe two cups, you play in the Champions League, you play in the UEFA tournament. So there is so many games you have to play, and on top of that you have to also play a tournament for your country with all the pressure, that is difficult and it's no surprise to me that it has happened, it hasn't been. Therefore there is already talk of they have to play less games during the year, but to play a World Cup after that for these players sometimes can be too much."
    Both the Netherlands and Spain are looking for their first World Cup win.
    The Dutch came close in the 70s with a team built around Johan Cruyff, finishing runners-up to the host nation twice, in 1974 to West Germany and in 1978 to Argentina.
    Spain however, have long underachieved in the tournament and are in the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history.
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