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Robin van Persie will wear the Arsenal No 10 shirt next season.
The Dutchman has taken on the number vacated by William Gallas, whose contract ended on June 30.
Van Persie follows in the footsteps of his compatriot Dennis Bergkamp, who donned the No 10 shirt during his Arsenal days.
Carlos Vela has also changed his squad number. He is now No 11.
Anyone who has already pre-ordered the new Arsenal No 10 or 11 shirts from Arsenal.com with Robin van Persie's name and number will receive their shirt with the new squad number.
Anyone who has pre-ordered or bought the new Arsenal shirts with ‘Vela 12' from Arsenal.com can return their shirt to exchange it for one with the updated number. Proof of purchase will be required.
www.arsenal.com
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The Dutch national team has been honoured in Amsterdam yesterday. They started with a canal parade.
"This is fantastic", said Robin van Persie. "I never thought that we had such a fantastic end of the World Cup. This is beautiful. The whole country is one today. Old and Young, Dutch and people with other roots. Everyone feels happy. I never expected this. After the final, everyone was disappointed. But now we see this, it looks like we've won the World Cup. Maybe we have..."
"There's so much happiness here. It's a fantastic day that I will never forget. I think everyone will remember this."
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At this moment, the Dutch national team is flying back to the Netherlands. They will land at the end of the afternoon at Schiphol Airport. Tonight, there's a private party for the players, staff and their families and friends. They will visit the Dutch Queen and Prime Minister Balkenende tomorrow morning. There will be a canal parade in Amsterdam in the afternoon and the players will be honoured at the Museumplein.
For more information about the programme in Amsterdam: http://www.iamsterdam.com/living
After tomorrow, Robin will probably go on holiday. We expect that he will go back to Arsenal in the first days of August.
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Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie lashed out at referee Howard Webb for 'robbing' Holland's dream of becoming world champions.
The pair led a chorus of Dutch criticism against the English official following Spain's win in the World Cup final on Sunday, achieved through a late goal by Andres Iniesta that was hotly disputed.
Holland feel agrieved by what they see as at least three mistakes by Webb and his assistants in the run-up to the extra-time winner.
'He has robbed us,' said Sneijder, who was denied the accolade of adding football's greatest prize to medals this season for winning the Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup with Inter Milan.
'This really is a disgrace to football. It really shouldn't have happened.
'First I shot a free kick that hit the wall and then the Spanish keeper touched it before going behind. What does the referee do? The whistle was not for a corner.
'In the following attack, Iniesta is at first offside. Webb doesn't whistle and then Iniesta gets the ball and scores.
'And earlier there was a moment with Iniesta, he kicked Van Bommel when the ball was not there. The fourth official saw the moment and he said, "Yeah, I saw it". I think if you saw it it's a red card.'
'That's three incidents in a short space of time. It is a scandal it has to end this way.
'I won three titles (this season) and now I lost tonight the fourth title. 'It's a pity but I think we can be proud of it, the whole country.'
Arsenal striker Van Persie - who will soon come face-to-face with Webb again in the Premier League - was equally scathing about an official who had earlier sent off Holland's Johnny Heitinga for a second bookable offence, but spared Iniesta the same punishment.
'What was this man doing,' said the striker of Webb. 'He made three big errors in extra time of a World Cup final. Believe me, this really hurts.
'Even after Heitinga's red card I still felt we could be world champions. With penalty kicks we'd at least have a 50 per cent chance.
'He whistled four minutes from time, but not for a corner, and later overlooks Iniesta being in an offside position.
'Iniesta should not have been on the pitch because he kicked Van Bommel. He also should have shown (Carles) Puyol a second yellow card for trying to knock down (Arjen) Robben.
'I don't say it's only down to the referee. We missed a very good chance. But the referee has been decisive.
'Perhaps it was because Spain were wronged in a group match against Switzerland (which Webb refereed)? Let me say nothing.'
www.dailymail.co.uk
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Fabregas came off the substitutes' bench in Sunday's final and laid on the assist for Andres Iniesta's winning goal deep into extra-time.
After the game, though, his immediate thoughts were with Arsenal team-mate Robin van Persie, who was on hte wrong side of the result.
"The first thing I had to do after the final whistle was go to Robin. Instead of celebrating with my friends, I wanted to talk to him," said Fabregas.
"He has been injured a lot and if it wasn't us he was playing against, it would have been different. I just hope he has his chance again, because he is a great guy and a great leader."
www.goal.com
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Andres Iniesta struck a dramatic winner late in extra time to give Spain World Cup glory for the first time but condemned the Netherlands to their third defeat in a final.
Iniesta drilled his right-foot strike across goal - but the Dutch were incensed after referee Howard Webb had failed to award their side a corner moments earlier when a free-kick took a sizeable deflection off Cesc Fabregas.
However, Euro 2008 champions Spain, who conceded only two goals during the tournament, deserved their victory after gradually taking a grip on a tense and bad-tempered contest that produced 14 yellow cards with Johnny Heitinga sent off on 109 minutes after picking up a second yellow card.
The Dutch, who lost in the 1974 and 1978 finals, were bidding to become the first side since Brazil in 1970 to go through World Cup qualifying and the finals unbeaten.
They had a glorious chance to take the lead in the second half but Arjen Robben, comfortably his team's most potent attacking weapon, could find no way past Spain captain Iker Casillas, who slumped to the floor and cried tears of joy after the final whistle.
Sergio Ramos was equally culpable of a glaring miss for Spain when he headed over and substitute Fabregas, as with Robben before him, also failed to convert a one-on-one chance.
But it was from a through ball by the influential Fabregas that midfielder Iniesta struck making Spain the first team to win a World Cup after losing their opening game of the tournament.
Spain also became the team to win the World Cup having scored the fewest number of goals - finding the net eight times in their seven matches. The previous mark was held by three teams, including England in 1966.
The dramatic finale at Soccer City was in stark contrast to a hugely underwhelming opening 45 minutes, which was a brutal disappointment after the spectacular opening ceremony and moving appearance by former president Nelson Mandela that had preceded it.
Spain dominated possession in the opening minutes and looked to have the measure of an uncertain Dutch backline. Ramos almost put them ahead after just four minutes but his thunderous header was brilliantly saved by Maarten Stekelenburg.
The Netherlands could not get a grip on the game but were helped by a spate of yellow cards from referee Webb that disturbed the rhythm of the match.
Webb booked five players in the opening 28 minutes, although several crude challenges left him with little option.
Dutch enforcer Mark van Bommel was booked after going through the back of Iniesta, while Nigel de Jong was lucky to escape red after planting his foot in the chest of Xabi Alonso.
Robben did force a decent save from Casillas with a low left-foot strike after cutting inside during stoppage time.
But the match had degenerated to the extent that Alonso opted to shoot with a free-kick on the wrong side of 40 yards instead of a seeking out a team-mate.
Spain defender Joan Capdevila wasted a good chance shortly after the restart, failing to make contact with a Carles Puyol flick-on.
The bookings continued after the break and the contest occasionally threatened to boil over as the tension appeared to affect the players.
But there were also a few moments of real quality, none more so than a sumptuous through ball from the largely anonymous Wesley Sneijder that played Robben clean through on goal.
Robben delayed his shot but, equally, Casillas stood his ground as long as possible and brilliantly saved with his legs.
It was a head-in-hands moment for Robben, but one quickly followed for Spain when a completely unmarked Ramos headed a corner over the crossbar.
Robben's pace troubled the Spanish defence throughout and another burst from the Bayern Munich man unsettled Puyol, who appeared to impinge his opponent. Robben, just outside the penalty area, chose to stay on his feet and Casillas again denied him.
Spain had moved into the ascendancy as the match wore on, with Xavi increasingly influential.
Fabregas replaced Alonso in the 87th minute and quickly made an impression by collecting a superb Iniesta pass, but the Arsenal man could find no way beyond Stekelenberg, who saved brilliantly with his legs.
The complement was returned shortly afterwards but Iniesta opted not to strike from 18 yards and was eventually dispossessed by the excellent Gregory van der Wiel.
Heitinger became the fifth man to be sent off in a World Cup final when he pulled back Iniesta on the edge of the area, giving Webb little choice but to hand him a second caution, and that seemed to spur Spain on for a final effort.
Joris Mathijsen headed over for the Netherlands in what was their only good chance of the extra-time period before Iniesta struck his late and decisive blow.
Netherlands 0-1 Spain
Iniesta, 116
Netherlands
* 01 Stekelenburg
* 02 Van Der Wiel
* 03 Heitinga
* 04 Mathijsen
* 05 Van Bronckhorst (Braafheid, 105)
* 06 Van Bommel
* 08 De Jong (Van der Vaart, 99)
* 10 Sneijder
* 07 Kuyt (Elia, 70)
* 09 Van Persie
* 11 Robben
Spain
* 01 Casillas
* 03 Pique
* 05 Puyol
* 11 Capdevila
* 15 Sergio Ramos
* 06 Iniesta
* 08 Xavi
* 14 Alonso (Fabregas, 87)
* 16 Busquets
* 07 Villa (Torres, 105)
* 18 Pedrito (G Jesus Navas, 60)
* Venue: Soccer City
* Referee: Howard Webb
* Attendance: 84,490
www.bbc.co.uk
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A day prior to the Dutch facing off against Spain at Soccer City in the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Arsenal ace Robin van Persie spoke exclusively with FIFA about his fears, excitement and dreams. “Spain are slight favourites,” he admitted in a candid interview before discussing what it would mean to be a part of the first Dutch side to bring home a world crown.
FIFA: What has coach Bert van Marwijk said to you about playing in the Final?
Robin van Persie: He’s said a lot, but the most important thing is that we got this far, which is good, but it can even be better. We have to show up one more time. We have to give everything one more time and then, hopefully, something beautiful can happen and we can make a lot of people very happy.
The Netherlands have played in two Finals before, in 1974 and 1978. You must be hoping it is third time lucky...
I really do hope so. I experienced it a little bit, what it meant for Holland. Everyone was so happy and now it can even be a step further, a step higher. That’s what we need to make sure of now. This is the third time in our history that we’ve reached the Final, so it’s already quite an achievement that we’re here. But sometimes when you lose by an inch, people are disappointed despite having a great tournament. Hopefully we can prevent this.
Spain, who you will face in the Final, were clearly the better team in their semi-final with Germany. Does this worry you?
Spain are mostly concerned with keeping possession of the ball. I believe you have to put pressure on them. If you don't do that, you’ll let them dominate the match and you put your fate in their hands. I’m not a fan of that.
Many people consider Spain to be favourites in the Final. How do you see Vicente del Bosque’s team?
They are a fantastic team. They have very good defenders and fantastic midfielders. They have very good forwards and they pass the ball brilliantly. I also think they are favourites to win this final, but that doesn’t say everything. It actually says nothing. It will probably be a beautiful final because we also like to play football with good combinations. I think that we’ll give each other space to play football.
So, the Dutch are underdogs?
Yes. I think Spain are slight favourites in this match because they were European champions two years ago and they just have a very good group. But we have that as well.
Do you feel pressure mounting as the Final gets closer?
Not really. We don't have any idea of all that’s happening in Holland, or in the rest of the world, regarding the pressure and media attention, and it has to stay like that.
Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas is your team-mate at Arsenal. Have you had any contact with him? Would it be strange to play against him?
It’s always a bit strange to play against your colleagues, and we have been in touch via SMS a couple of times. Cesc is a fantastic player. I also find it really strange that he isn’t in the first team for Spain. I don't understand that at all. I think he’s incredible. I’ve been playing at Arsenal for six years with him and every year he’s improved. He’s the captain of our team and I have a lot of respect for him.
You have a picture in your home of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup in his hands. Can you describe what he means to you?
Actually, I never really thought that I’d ever be able to have such a picture [with myself as the subject]. And it’s getting close now. I have a very beautiful picture of him [Maradona], where he’s on the shoulders of a couple of colleagues while he’s holding the cup with a big smile. The picture is hanging in my games room, and it’s a fantastic picture. He expresses a lot of happiness and passion, and everything that a footballer has to have. And maybe, if we win, I can also take such a picture with the Cup.
What do you expect the final moments before the Final to be like, can you describe them?
I’ve never played such a Final of course. I’m not too chatty with the opponent. I keep it short and sweet when talking to them. It’s no different than a match in the Premier League or in Europe. You need to have a firm base. When you enter the stadium you have 45 minutes to do everything - taping your ankles or getting a short massage. When you go outside you have 30 minutes to prepare yourself and then the match starts, so there isn’t anything really exciting.
You are 90 minutes away from being a world champion...
It’s bizarre and it’s weird. I try not to think about it too much. I try to think about the game itself and not about the consequences.
www.fifa.com
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Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has hailed the influence of manager Arsene Wenger on his career as he hopes to one day emulate the talents of Lionel Messi.
The Holland hit-man will take centre stage when the Oranje take on Spain in the World Cup final in Soccer City, Johannesburg on Sunday.
The 26-year-old has scored just one goal in the tournament so far, but has been an influential figure in coach Bert van Marwijk's system, which has seen the side win all six of their games in South Africa.
Van Persie was quick to heap praise Gunners boss Wenger, who has helped nurture his talents since joining the North London club six years ago.
He told L'Equipe: "When I came back from my long injury back in the spring, Arsene Wenger told me that people will soon be talking about me in the same breath as they speak about Messi.
"I'm sure that would already be the case if I was not injured so often.
"I can feel that the manager has faith in me, but I must remain lucid. I am clearly not in the same league as Leo. Moreover, I am injured too often.
"I'm dreaming about a season with 30 goals and 20 assists. Wenger knows that I can do it, but my body will have to hold on.
"My final objective is to be in the same class as Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney, but Leo above all because he is a giant."
www.skysports.com
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Robin van Persie has requested to change his Arsenal squad number for the 2010/11 season, swapping the number 11 for the number 10 shirt.
According to a source at the club, Van Persie has put in the request after defender William Gallas was released upon the expiry of his contract.
Gallas, a central defender, wore the number 10 shirt for four seasons after moving from Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium in 2006.
If the speculation is true, and manager Arsene Wenger grants Van Persie's request, it would represent a major change of tack from the Dutch striker.
He had previously been dissuaded from inheriting the number 10 for fear of causing undue comparisons with Gunners legend and fellow Netherlands international striker Dennis Bergkamp.
Bergkamp, who was inducted into English football's Hall of Fame in 2007, wore the number 10 for Arsenal over the course of a remarkable 11-year stay in north London.
Upon his retirement in 2006 - shortly before Gallas' arrival - Wenger admitted to being in a quandry over what to do with the famous number.
Just after the arrival of the French international, who was notoriously unhappy at being forced to play left-back for Chelsea, Wenger explained: "Number three was uncomfortable for [Gallas] and I had given the rest of the numbers out.
"In the end I thought it might be a good idea to give the number 10 to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis.
"At first I was reluctant to give Dennis's number out, and especially to a defender, but overall I think it's better that way."
It is thought Van Persie's number 11 shirt could be handed to new signing Marouane Chamakh.
www.metro.co.uk
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The final whistle and the final vuvuzela had blown in the Green Point Stadium and Robin van Persie was talking to a friend on the phone from the revelry of Rotterdam.
"Man, you just don't understand what it's like here,'' enthused Van Persie's mate after the 3-2 win over Uruguay. "Holland's just upside down. Everybody's drinking, having fun, swimming in the canals. It's crazy.''
Even if this sounds like a quiet night in Rotterdam or Amsterdam anyway, the point was clear. Holland partied out of delight and relief at reaching the World Cup final, at being given a shot of closure for the painful near-misses of 1974 and 1978.
"That is what is really nice with the game we all love: that we can make people so happy,'' said Van Persie, a technical talent raised on the deeds of the Total footballers.
"It is difficult because you have to fight against the generation of 1974 and 1978. They were unbelievable. They were such great players and they did not do it, somehow, and we have a chance to do it. If we win it for the first time it will be unbelievable because it means we have done better than them.
"Cruyff, Neeskens, Jansen, and so on are legends so it would be incredible. You grew up with their names in your face. When those people say anything in the press or on a TV programme everybody listens because of what those people have achieved. Maybe you [press] guys will listen to me in the future.''
Van Persie craves to be heard because that will mean he has emulated one of his idols, one of the World Cup icons. "I have a really big picture of Diego Maradona on the wall at home in my games room. It is an unbelievable picture of him holding the World Cup. He is on his team-mates' shoulders and he is holding it with passion.
"If we win I want that picture with me holding the World Cup and, hopefully, scoring in the World Cup.''
From his earliest memories of the 1994 World Cup, Van Persie has been fascinated by the competition and owns a collection of DVDs chronicling the greatest show on earth.
"As soon as I saw the video of Maradona lifting the trophy and crying, when I was a boy, I was hooked. I can't tell you how many times I have watched that clip. I have always wanted to play in a final since I was a kid. It means more than anything.
"Of course I have watched the two Dutch finals, too. I know our history in this competition. Ideally this game would have been against Argentina. I would have loved to have met Maradona, but it wasn't to be.
"Maybe I would have been too shy to say anything to him anyway. Now I am just thrilled to be in the final. In my mind some of football's best moments have come in the World Cup final. Now I just want to add another.''
Van Persie has hardly lit up the World Cup personally, but his role at the point of a 4-2-3-1 system involves selfless running and some hold-up play. He is still regaining sharpness after that lengthy knee injury.
"Everybody was sad for me that I didn't score but I always say to them that football is not always about scoring, it is about much more. But, of course, I want to score 10 goals in every game.''
Van Persie hailed the "mental strength'' in the side and the unity, a trait not always associated with opinionated Dutch footballers. "If you put a camera inside our hotel you would see us playing table tennis, making jokes, everybody is playing cards and everybody is talking to each other, which is important to achieve things. When you have a group of players where half of the team is not talking to each other – he does not like him, or one player is not happy when another scores – you are not going anywhere.''
Holland achieved their success without the combative, ball-winning services of the suspended Nigel de Jong, the Manchester City midfielder who should return in place of Demy de Zeeuw on Sunday. De Jong believes that Holland are the best footballing country never to win the World Cup.
"It is the first time in 32 years that we have reached the final. They [Cruyff and company] put Holland on the map. But that was 32 years ago. This is a new generation. We just have to go into the game without any memories of the past.
"This is our squad and our time. With all due respect, they had theirs. Now we have to do what we can. We have a good spirit. We are together as one.''
The future may be orange, but Cape Town's SMS system was certainly busy. "Arsène Wenger texted me and wished me good luck,'' added Van Persie of his Arsenal manager.
Diego Forlán, the defeated Uruguayan striker, also had a notable message. "Sir Alex Ferguson sent me a text, wishing me luck,'' said the former Manchester United striker. "I always had respect for him and him for me.
"There were great players at United. I didn't have the chance to play – it was fair – I was trying to look for a place, it was difficult. But this has been the best year of my career, of course. Winning the Europa League with Atletico Madrid and reaching a semi-final of the World Cup is great.''
What Forlán would give for a place in the final. Van Persie is there, and the whole Dutch nation is going crazy behind him.
www.telegraph.co.uk
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Two goals in three second-half minutes by Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben helped to see off a resolute Uruguay side and put the Netherlands into a World Cup final for the first time since 1978.
The Dutch looked short of ideas for long periods but still had the quality in front of goal when it mattered to set up an all-European final against Euro 2008 champions Spain or Germany in Johannesburg on Sunday.
After Giovanni van Bronckhorst's spectacular opener, Uruguay were gifted an equaliser when goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg failed to deal with Diego Forlan's long-range shot.
But Sneijder and Robben again made the difference for the two-time runners-up, who were left hanging on at the end following Maxi Pereira's injury-time reply. However, the Dutch held firm to make sure of their progress.
It was a dramatic end to an often tepid match as Uruguay, who were without the suspended Luis Suarez following his goal-line handball that helped them past Ghana in the quarter-finals, only showed real attacking intent when they fell two goals behind.
Cheered on by an army of Oranje fans, Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk saw his side struggle to find their feet in the early stages, with their only sight of goal being wasted when Dirk Kuyt fired wastefully over after keeper Fernando Muslera had punched Sneijder's cross straight at him.
The South Americans, in their first semi-final for 30 years, were defending in depth and in numbers but that tactic did not help them when Van Bronkhorst broke the deadlock after 18 minutes
The ball was fed out to the left-flank and the veteran Feyenoord left-back had time to look up and use his trusty left foot to spank an unstoppable 35-yard shot into the top corner.
But going ahead did not help the Dutch work out how to break down a well-organised Uruguay defence, and they also seemed unwilling to commit players forward in search of more goals.
Martin Caceres had to hold off Robben as he ran on to Robin van Persie's through-ball, but that was the nearest the Netherlands came to extending their lead.
Uruguay, in the absence of the prolific Suarez, were faring little better at the other end and Stekelenburg did not have a save to make until he had to deal with Alvaro Pereira's bouncing shot after 36 minutes.
That all changed before half-time, however, and it was the Dutch goalkeeper at fault as Forlan notched his fourth goal in six games in the finals in South Africa.
Stekelenburg had a clear view of Forlan's swerving strike from 25 yards out and got a hand to the ball, but was still unable to keep it out.
The Ajax keeper had another nervous moment at the start of the second half when he beat Edinson Cavani to a through ball but failed to make a proper clearance and Van Bronkhorst had to clear Alvaro Pereira's curling shot off the line.
But the game quickly got bogged down in midfield and there were few chances to speak of until Forlan brought a much better stop from Stekelenburg with a dipping free-kick.
The Netherlands had been disappointing up to that point but showed again how they do not have to play well to win games in the tournament with a two-goal burst in the space of three minutes that was enough to give them victory.
Van Marwijk's side showed signs of life when Van Persie latched on to a long ball over the top and played in substitute Rafael van der Vaart, who saw his low shot pushed away before Robben fired the rebound over.
And they were back in the lead after 70 minutes when Sneijder's shot hit the luckless Maxi Pereira and span in off a post, with Van Persie trying but failing to get a touch to help it on its way.
In their next attack, Robben made it 3-1, escaping the attentions of Diego Godin to meet Dirk Kuyt's cross and plant a firm header into the bottom corner.
Uruguay looked exhausted and Robben could have added a fourth when he burst forward on to a Van Persie flick late on, but got his attempted chip all wrong.
Instead the Dutch faced a frantic finale when, in the 92nd minute, Maxi Pereira ran on to a quickly taken free-kick, turned Eljero Ejia and curled a precise shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez's team had time to launch a few balls into the Dutch box but van Marwijk's side survived and it is they who will go forward hoping it will be third-time lucky for them in a final following their defeats in 1974 and 1978.
Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands
Van Bronckhorst, 18
Forlan, 41
Sneijder, 70
Robben, 73
Pereira, 90+2
Uruguay
* 01 Muslera
* 03 Godin
* 06 Victorino
* 16 Pereira
* 22 Caceres
* 05 Gargano
* 11 Pereira (Abreu, 78)
* 15 Perez
* 17 Arevalo Rios
* 07 Cavani
* 10 Forlan (S Fernandez, 84)
Netherlands
* 01 Stekelenburg
* 03 Heitinga
* 04 Mathijsen
* 05 Van Bronckhorst
* 12 Boulahrouz
* 06 Van Bommel
* 10 Sneijder
* 14 De Zeeuw (Van der Vaart, 46)
* 07 Kuyt
* 09 Van Persie
* 11 Robben (Elia, 90)
* Venue: Green Point Stadium
* Referee: R Irmatov
* Attendance: 62,479
www.bbc.co.uk
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Holland coach Bert van Marwijk believes he has one of the 'best players on this planet' in his ranks in the form of Robin van Persie.
The Netherlands take on Uruguay in the first World Cup semi-final on Tuesday and Van Persie should be fit to take part after recovering from an arm problem.
The news provided Van Marwijk with a timely lift following the Arsenal man's impressive form at the finals in South Africa.
And the Dutch boss revealed he is grateful of having a player of such quality in his squad as Oranje look to reach the World Cup final by securing a win in Cape Town.
"Robin is extremely talented," said van Marwijk.
"He is one of the best football players on this planet.
"He was injured for a very long time and you do need a certain rhythm.
"Sometimes it comes just like that. Sometimes it takes a bit longer."
Another man reaping the fruits of a successful competition is Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt, who has spearheaded his team's course to the final four.
The striker is often criticised for his goal ratio, however the powerhouse's contribution elsewhere cannot be faulted.
And even after an indifferent campaign at Anfield, Van Marwijk was unequivocal over the importance of the 29-year-old.
"I read somewhere that when Rafael Benitez picked a team at Liverpool, he wrote Kuyt's name down first," said the 58-year-old. "That says everything.
"Every player has a period where things don't work out and Liverpool had a very tough year, but Kuyt is extremely important for us.
"The way he plays shows his passion and enthusiasm, and that is catching."
www.skysports.com
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Teams who focus their World Cup strategy on big names are a thing of the past, according to Netherlands striker Robin van Persie.
His Dutch side have reached the semi-final where they take on Uruguay on Tuesday, while Spain and Germany meet on Wednesday to decide who will be the other finalist.
But all the so-called 'big' names in world soccer like Wayne Rooney (England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Kaka (Brazil) are no longer part of the tournament.
Van Persie said on Sunday that you can no longer rely on one or two players to win the tournament as may have happened in the past.
"It might have been the situation with Maradona, though he received a lot of help," Van Persie told reporters. "It is not as easy to focus as a team on one player.
"Seeing the other teams like us, Germany and Spain, it is obvious that the team must do it together."
"England and Portugal placed their hope on Rooney and Ronaldo (and failed) but this is a blessing for football."
www.reuters.com
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Robin van Persie has been cleared to face Uruguay in the World Cup semi-finals despite injuring his left elbow against Brazil after a scan had showed that the injury was not as serious as first feared.
"It was his elbow. I don't know the exact results of the scan but it's good news for us," a spokesman for the Dutch team said.
The defender Joris Mathijsen is also fit to play, despite being a late withdrawal before Friday's 2-1 victory over Brazil because of a right knee injury.
"The injuries to both players are not that serious and both are fit to play against Uruguay," the spokesman said. "Van Persie trained but not with the group, so that he did not have any physical contact with the other players. Mathijsen also trained on his own but later joined in with the others."
Van Persie has started all five games for Holland so far but has been taken off each time and scored only once, in the team's 2-1 final Group E victory over Cameroon.
In the 2-1 victory over Slovakia in the last 16, Van Persie appeared upset at being replaced, and reports in the Dutch media said he had indicated that Wesley Sneijder should have been taken off instead. Sneijder went on to score Holland's second goal.
The Dutch, who came into the World Cup with an impressive record, have won all five matches to extend their unbeaten streak to 24 games.
www.guardian.co.uk
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Robin van Persie got injured in the quarter final against Brazil. He has a damaged tendon. "I feel a lot of pain", says Van Persie. "But I want to play the semi final, even if I have a broken arm".
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The Netherlands produced a stunning second-half comeback to reach the semi-finals as Brazil's World Cup imploded in a dramatic game in Port Elizabeth.
After taking an early lead through Robinho's cool finish, the pre-tournament favourites were pegged back following an awful defensive mix-up early in the second-half and were found wanting in defence again soon afterwards when Wesley Sneijder headed in.
Brazil found themselves in even deeper trouble when Felipe Melo saw red for stamping on Arjen Robben with 17 minutes to go and, although Dunga's side gave everything in a thrilling finale, they crashed out in the quarter-finals for the second successive tournament.
It is the Netherlands who will go forward to play Uruguay or Ghana in the semi-finals and they have blown this World Cup wide open after putting paid to the idea that South American sides were set to dominate in South Africa.
Of the four teams from that continent in the last eight, Brazil were seen as the most likely to progress - and, for the first 45 minutes at least, it appeared they would not have too many problems in doing so.
The Netherlands have won renown for their defensive discipline in the last few weeks but that was nowhere to be seen when Robinho opened the scoring after 10 minutes.
The Dutch back-line had been forced to re-organise before kick-off when Joris Mathijsen was injured in the warm-up, with Andre Ooijer coming in, and he and fellow centre-back John Heitinga left a huge hole for Robinho to run on to Felipe Melo's pass and slot home.
Bert van Marwijk's side, who came into the game on the back of a 23-game unbeaten run, attempted to respond and Dirk Kuyt brought a low save out of Julio Cesar at his near post.
But other than that chance - and a blasted Sneijder free-kick that Julio Cesar also dealt with comfortably - the Netherlands were unable to open up Brazil, who were superbly marshalled at the back by Juan.
Dunga's side were not exactly in full-flow going forward themselves but they would still have been out of sight at half-time had it not been for Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Stekelenburg brilliantly tipped over Kaka's curling shot after a neat move down the left involving Robinho and Luis Fabiano and also got a hand to Maicon's fierce shot after Dani Alves sent him forward on the overlap down the opposite flank.
It seemed Brazil were still in full control but that all changed after the interval when they gifted the Dutch an equaliser that completely changed the course of the game.
Sneijder whipped in a cross from the right after a quick free-kick and Julio Cesar, in trying to punch clear, only succeeded in colliding with Felipe Melo and the ball flicked off his team-mate's head and flew into the net.
Brazil took time to regain their composure but they remained a threat and Kaka came within inches of restoring their lead when he clipped the ball wide after latching on to Ooijer's clumsy clearance.
The Dutch, however, sensed a weakness at the heart of the South Americans' defence and they took full advantage after 68 minutes when another cross caused chaos in the Brazil back-line.
Kuyt flicked on Robben's corner at the near post and Sneijder headed in, sending the army of Oranje fans at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium wild with elation
From being well on top, Dunga's side were now chasing the game and their hopes of rescuing their World Cup were dealt a huge blow when Felipe Melo inexplicably stamped on Robben after conceding a free-kick five minutes later.
Despite being a man down, the five-time champions had no choice but to throw men forward, and left huge gaps at the back in the final few minutes.
The closest Brazil came to saving themselves were a succession of Maicon corners, from one of which Lucio had a goalbound shot deflected wide.
But the Netherlands had several chances to add a third goal in final few minutes too, with Sneijder having a shot saved and Klass Jan Huntelaar hesitating when he had the simple task of teeing up Dirk Kuyt from six yards out.
Netherlands 2-1 Brazil
Robinho, 10
Felipe Melo (og), 53
Sneijder, 68
Netherlands
* 01 Stekelenburg
* 02 Van Der Wiel
* 03 Heitinga
* 05 Van Bronckhorst
* 13 Ooijer
* 06 Van Bommel
* 08 De Jong
* 10 Sneijder
* 07 Kuyt
* 09 Van Persie (Huntelaar, 85)
* 11 Robben
Brazil
* 01 Julio Cesar
* 02 Maicon
* 03 Lucio
* 04 Juan
* 06 Michel Bastos (Gilberto, 62)
* 13 Daniel
* 05 Felipe Melo
* 08 Silva
* 10 Kaka
* 09 Luis Fabiano (Nilmar, 77)
* 11 Robinho
* Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
* Referee: Nichimura
* Attendance: 40,186
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Arsène Wenger believes Robin van Persie could play a big part in knocking Brazil out of the World Cup.
The Arsenal striker missed most of the domestic season with ankle ligament damage but his club's loss has been his country's gain in South Africa. With a fully-fit Van Persie leading their attack, the Netherlands have advanced to the Quarter-Finals with four straight wins over Denmark, Japan, Cameroon and Slovakia.
Van Persie opened his account for the tournament with the opening goal in a 2-1 win over Cameroon in the group phase and the Netherlands have since been given an extra boost by the return of Arjen Robben.
Wenger thinks Holland have the firepower to threaten the tournament favourites in Port Elizabeth on Friday but the Arsenal manager is well aware that Brazil represent a major step up in class for the Dutch.
"The Dutch have mastered their situation very well until now," said Wenger in an exclusive interview with Arsenal.com.
"But they have a big game against Brazil coming up and the Dutch have not yet met a big South American side yet. They have made the Quarter-Finals against mostly European teams.
"Robin is doing extremely well. I am not surprised because we know how good he is. Of course, if if he can keep fit he will have a major influence.
"He and Robben are players they will look to to make a difference against Brazil."
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Striker Robin van Persie and manager Bert van Marwijk have played down their apparent spat during Holland's victory over Slovakia in the last 16 of the World Cup.
The Dutch, who have been criticised for failing to hit top form, progressed to an appealing quarter-final against Brazil courtesy of a 2-1 victory over the Slovaks on Monday afternoon.
But Van Persie was substituted in the 80th minute of the Port Elizabeth match having failed to add to his solitary goal at this summer's finals.
The Arsenal striker remonstrated with Van Marwijk regarding his early exit, but he has since insisted the act was nothing personal and was only due to frustration.
"I wanted to finish the game. I thought they would take risks in the last 10 minutes and I wanted to exploit that," said Van Persie.
Shock
"I could see spaces opening up and I wanted to use them, so I was a bit shocked when I had to go off."
Van Marwijk said: "I shook his hand and understood that he was disappointed, that's not a bad thing. Everyone wants to play the whole game."
Van Persie's one goal to date in South Africa came in Holland's 2-1 win over Cameroon in Group E and he confesses his form is playing on his mind.
"I am not scoring and that eats away at me, at every striker, I think," he added. "I've had a few small chances. I just want to score.
"I'm doing my absolute best, I can't do more than that. I desperately want to score and give assists but it didn't work out for me (against Slovakia)."
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A superb strike from Arjen Robben and a late Wesley Sneijder goal gave Netherlands a deserved if somewhat underwhelming victory over Slovakia to seal their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Robben capped his first start of the finals in South Africa by collecting a pass from Sneijder before running at the Slovakia defence and then firing a superb low drive into the net from 25 yards.
Sneijder stroked home a pull-back from Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt to essentially seal the game for the Dutch, with Robert Vittek firing home a consolation penalty with the very last kick of the match.
It gave Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk and his side a deserved victory, but one they rarely had to be at their best to secure against opponents that worked hard but lacked the composure to capitalise on the few chances that fell their way.
In reaching the last 16 and eliminating Italy via a 3-2 group win over the holders, Slovakia have achieved their goal in their first World Cup since splitting from Czechoslovakia in 1993.
With a quarter-final tie against either Brazil or Chile to come, the Dutch will have to up their game if they are to fulfil their own aim.
Van Marwijk's men have a 100% record in South Africa - matching their impressive achievement in winning all their qualification games for the tournament - and have now gone a Dutch record 23 games unbeaten, but there remains discontent amongst the Oranje Army, who feel their side are not winning with sufficient style. What England would give for such concerns.
Such gripes, whilst arguably trivial in a successful side, are valid as the current Netherlands side are not the aesthetically pleasing product of generations past.
They do not compare to the revered teams from 1974 and 1978, nor even are they as fluent as that which was eliminated from the European Championships at the quarter-final stage in 2008.
This Dutch have traded in their total game for dependent football, with an efficiently pragmatic, rigid structure functioning largely to feed a supremely talented and liberated front three of Sneijder, Robben and Robin van Persie.
This trio are capable of hurting the world's best and Slovakia - ranked 34 in the world - were unable to cope with their pace and movement.
All three had efforts on goal during the first half, and while Van Persie planted a poor header wide and Sneijder shot straight at Slovakia goalkeeper Jan Mucha from an angle, Robben ruthlessly exposed Slovakia's defensive fallibility to score in the 18th minute.
Sneijder floated a superb, raking pass to release the Bayern Munich man, who controlled, ran on, cut inside and then finished with aplomb into the bottom corner. It was the only moment of true quality in the first 45 minutes.
Robben was again in the thick of the action early in the second half, collecting the ball on the left and drawing a good full-stretch save from Mucha with a curling effort before appearing on the right and pulling back for Sneijder to shoot, but again the Slovakia keeper saved, this time with his face.
Slovakia offered little threat in the first half, but twice in a space of two second-half minutes they threatened to draw level.
Miroslav Stoch took a leaf out of Robben's book by cutting inside onto his right foot and shooting but Netherlands keeper Maarten Stekelenburg tipped over.
Seconds later Marek Hamsik toe-poked forward for Vittek, who showed none of the composure he demonstrated to score twice against Italy by firing straight at Stekelenburg.
With six minutes remaining, Sneijder made amends for his earlier miss, this time receiving a pull-back from Kuyt, after Mucha had missed the initial pass to the Liverpool player, and slotting home into a largely empty net.
Slovakia's final touch in this World Cup was a positive one as Vittek stroked home a penalty for his fourth and final goal of the tournament after Stekelenburg had tripped the striker.
Netherlands 2-1 Slovakia
Robben, 18
Sneijder, 84
Vittek (pen), 90+4
Netherlands
* 01 Stekelenburg
* 02 Van Der Wiel
* 03 Heitinga
* 04 Mathijsen
* 05 Van Bronckhorst
* 06 Van Bommel
* 08 De Jong
* 10 Sneijder (Afellay, 90+2)
* 07 Kuyt
* 09 Van Persie (Huntelaar, 80)
* 11 Robben (Elia, 71)
Slovakia
* 01 Mucha
* 02 Pekarik
* 03 Skrtel
* 05 Zabavnik (Jakubko, 87)
* 07 Weiss
* 15 Stoch
* 16 Durica
* 17 Hamsik (Sapara, 87)
* 19 Kucka
* 11 Vittek
* 18 Jendrisek (Kopunek, 71)
* Venue: Durban
* Referee: A Undiano Mallenco
* Attendance: 61,962
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Holland coach Bert van Marwijk is expecting an improved performance from his players when they take on Slovakia on Monday in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Even though his team recorded their third triumph in as many games, Van Marwijk was furious with his side's under-par display in their 2-1 win over Cameroon on Thursday.
"We could have easily lost that game and that was surprising to me," said Van Marwijk. "I spoke to my players very clearly after the Cameroon game.
"We played less well when we are ahead and we seem to think that it's going to be easy.
"But in the last 16 you cannot afford that and that is what I said to them.
"We cannot underestimate any rival because otherwise we will be in for a surprise. You can always be surprised in football."
Van Marwijk believes his team that have conceded just once while scoring five times so far, have yet to show their best form in South Africa.
"I think that we made a good impression in our first two qualifying matches," he said.
"But it wasn't spectacular football and we can do better.
"There is room for improvement."
Slovakia stunned Italy 3-2 last Thursday in their final group game to send the reigning champions home. and Van Marwijk believes they are capable of causing further upsets.
"I think they are a very rigid and tough team," he said. "They don't have any big-name stars but they play solid football as they proved against Italy.
"They played very well against the Italians and I think it's going to be a difficult game.
"We must be prepared for everything and over the past few weeks we have practised penalties more than enough.
"I think my players realise where we are, what this game means and what they have to do.
"They are all very motivated but they have to really focus in order to get the job done."
Robin van Persie, who left the training early on Saturday, is fit enough to play.
Van Marwijk is expected to leave Arjen Robben on the bench for the clash with Slovakia.
The Bayern Munich winger only recently recovered from a hamstring injury and made his World Cup bow against Cameroon.
"Arjen played for 20 minutes against Cameroon," said Van Marwijk.
"He trained well but I will have to wait and see how he feels."
One player who is doubtful for the encounter is Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
"I did talk to him and he has a cramp in his calf and that points towards a sprain," said Van Marwijk.
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