JOIN US“I am here to speak about the good, beautiful things of football. It was rough at times but that’s football,” insisted del Bosque as he addressed a post-match press conference.
The 59-year-old tried everything to stay clear of commenting on the strong-arm tactics of the Dutch which earned them eight bookings including a sending-off for John Heitinga.
The former Real Madrid supremo would rather acknowledge the fact that their World Cup final foes made it very difficult for them to clinch their first-ever global championship.
“To keep up with the pace the Dutch set for 90 minutes was very difficult. My players were quite tired at the very end but I think we dominated the match,” said the mild-mannered del Bosque, who always cut a picture of a gentleman at his press conferences in South Africa, in defeat and in victory.
The quiet man triumphed as Andres Iniesta’s extra-time winner proved the difference against the Netherlands.
“Spain, the country, deserves the reward of this World Cup. This goes beyond sport. We were celebrated throughout Spain,” he remarked.
Spain's creative passing game and flair will continue to dominate world soccer, del Bosque said.
“I think our effort, our flair is never ending, that will last forever. We have excellent players in this squad and they demonstrate that every time they go on the pitch,” Del Bosque said. “Netherlands played a good game. I think in this final we saw offensive football. Both sides were pressing.”
The Spaniards made few changes from their 2008 Euro Championship triumph.
“This World Cup title does draw from what we did in 2008,” he said. “It is the continuity and continuation of players who were on that squad. We have a very good legacy and tried to respect that legacy.
“We simply followed on the lines of what was done back then. We only brought some players in to the squad to refresh it,” said Del Bosque.