Saturday July 10


Throughout this diary I've spoken about my desire to bump into Rudi Krol - and the arrival of the Dutch squad in our hotel meant I was able to tick that ambition off the list.
He's coaching for Orlando Pirates in the South African domestic leagues, but his presence at the hotel really brought the past into the present. As a player for Holland in the 1974 and 1978 finals, he was hoping 2010 would be third time lucky for the Dutch. Unfortunately that wasn't to be.
I must say the Dutch players were very accessible and friendly. I had a nice chat with Dirk Kuyt, who told me he'd been exchanging text messages with Fernando Torres before the game. In fact, when Torres pulled his hamstring on Sunday night the cameras showed Kuyt looking quite concerned for his Liverpool team-mate - even though he was about to lose the World Cup Final. I think that showed how mature the Dutch players are.


The general feeling I got from them is that they knew Spain were a better ***** maybe only marginally, but they thought they had the tools to win it. And of course, they very nearly did. The match could have gone either way, particularly when you think back to Arjen Robben's chances.
Anyway, the players were all using the same facilities as the rest of the hotel guests and that resulted in an amusing moment for me on Saturday morning.
You might find it hard to believe this, but I was first in the gym - and when I signed in, I checked the person who'd last used the facilities the previous evening. It was none other than Robin van Persie!
It tickled me greatly that I was sharing a gym with somebody of that stature. And thankfully, I managed to do my small workout on the treadmill before any of the Dutch players got anywhere near it!
Sunday July 11: Pre-match

Much like the players, for us commentators the day of the World Cup Final is all about trying to pass the time until kick-off.
I was in little doubt about the starting line-ups, but I did leave myself a bit of work to do on the morning of the final. I tried to look back on the tournament as a whole, totting up the goals and red cards - which would of course prove to be important later on.
We left the hotel at 2pm for a 45-minute journey to Soccer City with all of our luggage in the van so that we could depart for the airport straight after the game.
I wanted to get there early, but it seems many others had the same idea. The Media Centre was absolutely heaving and there was hardly a space to sit down five-and-a-half hours before the game.
I had a coffee with Grant Best and I did a small piece to camera with Efan Ekoku - which prompted a sarcastic response from Richard Keys and Andy Gray, who were watching on in the States.


Thankfully the time went by very quickly and I must say the closing ceremony was mind-boggling. It was full of colour, pageantry and even elephants! I hadn't seen many wild animals in South Africa so it was wonderful to see a herd of elephants on the field!
But the real highlight came at 7.15pm our time when Nelson Mandela came out in his fetching Russian hat. Having been denied his presence at the opening ceremony in such tragic circumstances, it was real lump-in-the-throat time when we saw him on Sunday night.

Sunday July 11: The match

I must give a special mention to my sound man Mark, who was absolutely magnificent. I get looked after very well at Sky Sports, but I didn't expect such individual attention as part of a media pack full of hundreds of commentators.
The World Cup can be a strain on the voice if the levels aren't right and Mark, who is based in South Africa, looked after me like a son. He sorted everything out so I had no problems with the vuvuzelas or anything like that.


When it comes to the World Cup Final, you have to be ready for any sort of game and I didn't think the first half was something you wanted the world to see. In defence of Howard Webb I think most of the bookings were Premier League bookings, although I don't know if that means they were World Cup bookings. I'm sure he didn't want to show the yellow card so many times, but the game needed controlling and once he'd set his benchmark the mistimed tackles kept coming.
I was just pleased the game wasn't settled by penalties and I thought the better team won in the end. Spain may have won their four knockout games 1-0, but the games against Portugal and Germany were comprehensive 1-0 wins.
It is disappointing that the winners only scored eight goals in the tournament. The previous low was the 11 scored by Brazil in 1994 and England in 1966 (when one game fewer was played). It's also a shame that the final was a bit flat after four terrific quarter-finals, two engrossing semi-finals and a real bunfight in the third-place game.
One stat I used on the night was this: the first nine World Cup Finals produced 45 goals, but the second nine finals only produced 24. That tells you the finals have been getting tighter and tighter, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that Sunday's game was a low-scoring affair.
After the match, we got straight into the van and went straight to the airport, and I'm pleased to report that all the luggage was still with me when I arrived back at home - including a couple of vuvuzelas to give out as gifts. They're not for me, I must add - and I'll give my family a flea in the ear if they start blowing them too much!

Final thoughts

I was pleased to see Diego Forlan win the Golden Ball. I'm sure several Spaniards ran him close, but as an individual Forlan carried Uruguay further than they were ever expected to go. He's also a top bloke.


And Thomas Muller won the Golden Boot with his first five international goals for Germany, which is an amazing feat. He played his first game in March - and was even considered too young for last summer's European Under-21's Championship so it's a remarkable achievement.
I was especially pleased when he scored against Argentina. Back in March, Diego Maradona refused to share a stage with Muller because he thought he was a ball boy. Well, he certainly knows who he is now!
Overall, I must say it was a wonderful experience to be in South Africa for this World Cup.
Perhaps watching at home it won't be considered a vintage tournament, but over in South Africa they've moved a country forward five years in five weeks.
The warmth, the fellowship and the unification of so many disparate strands in their society made this World Cup work. They understand each other so much better now and I hope that continues. It was more than just a sporting event for the South Africans and they showed what they can do. Like may others I was thrilled by the experience.
I can only wish them every success in turning their society into what they want it to become; the true Rainbow Nation.