In the absence of Van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben was one of the in charge, together with Sneijder, of leading the Netherlands in 2010 to achieving a World Cup scepter whose country already brushed with the fingers in the time of Cruyff. The Dutch came as one of the favorites, but in the preparation match against Hungary they suffered the first mishap, Robben (who had earned the glass player label the previous years while wearing the Real Madrid shirt) suffered a muscle injury. The then Bayern player was deprived of playing in the first two games of the World Cup and he had to undergo an express recovery and reach the decisive stage of the tournament. “He is the type of player who changes the dynamics of a whole team. It is important that he recovers from all the injuries he has had during the season. When he is ready, he will tell me,” said Bert van Marwijk, Dutch coach,
So it was, Robben decided to return to Cameroon, just 19 days after his injury, in the third match of the group stage. The Africans were already out and the Netherlands, classified. A game in which there was nothing at stake and that would serve as a drill, with a goal included, before leading his country to the final. It was key, like Sneijder, for the rest of the championship, he was even about to embitter the final to Spain if it hadn't been for Casillas' foot.