Guest blog by Floris Loeff, former Dutch premier league hockey player
Today World Cup football kicks off in Brazil. In the Netherlands the streets have steadily turned orange over recent weeks. That’s the case in The Hague too, but not just to support the Dutch football team. There is another World Cup going on: field hockey. Spanish field hockey players Santi Freixa (31) and Ramon Alegre (33) share their experiences of World Cups. And in particular those of South Africa’s 2010 World Cup final: Spain – The Netherlands.
Dutch connections
For Santi Freixa (261 caps; fourth World Cup) and Ramon Alegre (185 caps; second World Cup), the current World Cup in The Hague is like a home tournament. Ramon has played for years in the Dutch teams Laren and Kampong, while Santi is still with Amsterdam. “I thought I would stay for one season, but I have built up a whole life for myself in Amsterdam.”
The main difference between Spain and the Netherlands is the weather, they say in unison, smiling at each other. “Also”, Santi comments, “Spain is about family and tradition, whereas Holland has rules just to make everything as effective as possible.” Ramon adds: “The Dutch have a ‘just do it’ mentality and focus on the individual, whereas Spaniards focus on the collective. Most Spaniards live with their parents until their late twenties. That’s a protective environment.”
Born with a hockey stick
It all started at a very early age. Ramon and Santi have their roots in Terrassa, a town 20 kilometres north of Barcelona, known as the Spanish capital of field hockey. Santi got his first hockey stick from his father before he could walk. “And Iwas literally born with a hockey stick in my hands,” boasts Ramon. “Coming from a real Terrassa hockey family, there’s a big chance you get your ‘first’ stick three times from different family members. I told you Spain is about family and traditions.”
Early World Cup memories
Ramon’s first World Cup as a player was in Malaysia in 2002. “The first match against Belgium we played at four in the afternoon. The heat was incredible. We finished the tournament playing for 11th place against Japan on Sunday morning at 8 am. Back in the bus to the hotel I started crying. I suddenly realized how special it was to play in a World Cup, and that I had to wait another four years for the next one. When I couldn’t even be sure of Spain qualifying or me being on the team.”
Santi realized the same thing at the World Cup in Monchengladbach (Germany) in 2006. “We were playing Germany, who were the home team and favourites, in the semi-finals. The crowd went completely crazy. You could hardly hear the referees whistle, let alone communicate with your teammates. It was 2-2 just before the end of the match. You could smell the fear of the Germans. They were delaying the game and longing for the penalty strokes. Those we unfortunately lost.”
When they think of the football World Cups they watched as kids, Ramon and Santi immediately bring up the time Tazotti’s elbow smashed into the face of Luis Enrique during the Spain – Italy quarter final at the US World Cup 1994. Leaving Enrique crying with a bloodied face, it meant the end of that tournament for the promising Spanish team.
Sweet memories of playing the Netherlands
In 2005 Spain became European hockey champions after beating the Netherlands in the finals. Scoring was a very special moment for Santi. “It feels like you step out of normal life into a place where you have never been before. You are writing history. Then this feeling of extreme happiness and fulfilment comes over you. You realize you are in the right place with the right people.”
Ramon agrees. “In 2005 we were 2-1 down until three minutes before the end, but we didn’t give up and we turned the game around. Anything can happen in those last seconds. We were suddenly in ecstasy, where the Dutch had expected to be a couple of minutes earlier,” he adds.ng was a very special moment for Santi. “Scoring feels like you step out of normal life into a place where you have never been before. You are writing history. This feeling of extreme happiness and fulfilment comes over you. You realize you are in the right place with the right people at the right time.”
Winning the 2010 football World Cup as supporters created a similar feeling. “That was one big party,” says Santi.“We were preparing for the Champions Trophy with the national hockey team at Spain’s national training site. We were watching the game with a lot of other national sports people, and jumped into each other’s arms after Iniesta scored the winning goal.”
“A very good teambuilding exercise,” adds Ramon with a huge smile.
An exciting weekend ahead
This hockey World Cup is fairly disappointing for the Spaniards. They have not qualified for the semi-finals and will play for the 7th place on Sunday at 8 am against New Zealand. Santi and Ramon look forward to the coming Holland – Spain football clash though. “Spain has won the last three big tournaments and needs to show they still play to win, while the Dutch are not very stable at the moment,” analyses Santi. “The team most eager to win will come out on top,” says Ramon. “Just like in our last game against New Zealand on Sunday.”
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This month we celebrate World Cup memories. Also see our interview with Dutch field hockey international Wouter Jolie (28) and other articles. What’s your favourite World Cup memory?
