Ryan Babel on the Netherlands' Painful World Cup Near-Misses

Dubai: Holland hold the unwanted record of appearing in more FIFA World Cup finals without ever lifting the trophy than any other nation, finishing runners-up on three occasions despite producing some of the greatest teams the tournament has ever seen.

When the Netherlands last graced football's biggest stage in the World Cup final, Ryan Babel was among the players hoping to help the Oranje finally lift the trophy.

The former Liverpool man appeared as a guest on the fourth episode of ‘The Gulf News World Cup Podcast’.

While Babel cannot account for the Netherlands' heartbreaks in 1974 and 1978, he believes individual egos prevented his generation from getting over the line against Spain in the 2010 final.

“We had a good coach, in Bert van Marwijk and we had overall a good squad but we had a lot of division amongst players,” explained Babel.

“At the time, they were known as the 'Big Four': Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Rafael Van Der Vaart and only one of them couldn’t play from the four and that was Van Der Vaart and this became an issue.

“I think the coach could have done a better job of managing it, I remember Sneijder having a good tournament and Van Persie who wasn’t playing so well getting frustrated that he wasn’t receiving the ball enough.”

Success at a World Cup is built on far more than talent. With players and staff living, training and travelling together for potentially up to six weeks, maintaining a united and harmonious camp can be just as important as tactics on the pitch.

The teams that go deep into the tournament are often those that put individual interests aside for the collective goal.

Despite describing it as an honour to represent his country on football's biggest stage, Babel admitted he never truly felt happy within the Netherlands camp during the 2010 World Cup.

“From a squad of 23, the manager only used 14 of his players and I was one of those who didn’t play,” said Babel.

“You felt like you were there but you weren’t really a part of a team so that was in my opinion not a great situation for the overall environment.

“It worked to a certain extend because we reached the final but for me this is why you didn’t win it because everything needs to be perfect.”

Many football fans still believe the Netherlands were unfortunate not to lift the World Cup in 2010.

Bert van Marwijk's side created several clear-cut opportunities to take the lead before Spain eventually struck through Andrés Iniesta's extra-time winner.

A number of those chances fell to Robben, with Babel believing that if the team had put collective success ahead of individual ambitions in key moments, the Netherlands could have lifted the trophy in South Africa.

“I said it a few times in interviews, small details matter, those four players I mentioned all wanted to be the player who won the World Cup for the nation.

“I remember very well that final, Robben had one situation where Carlos Puyol was pulling him which stopped him from being able to score but if had fell to the ground, they would have got a red card and we could have played against 10 men and maybe increase our chances of winning.”

While the current Netherlands squad does not possess the same level of individual talent as the generation Babel played alongside, he is confident they have what it takes to make the country proud at this year's World Cup.

The former forward has been impressed by the team as they confidently topped their group.  

“They looked very convincing against Sweden for sure, stated Babel.

“Right now, they are in a positive place and have a good coach so let’s see if they can get the job done.”