Wesley Sneijder would rather not be reminded of the failed European Championship 2012. In his biography, the record international of the Dutch national team reveals that he wanted to get out in the run-up to the tournament and goes deeper into the camera of the NOS.
“I would have preferred to completely omit that tournament in my book. It was worthless,” said Sneijder, who already wanted to ‘get out’ during the preparation in Hoenderloo. “My cases were already packed. Why? I felt it coming.”
“Everyone knew their place in 2010. Apparently something had changed in 2012. Some players thought they were more entitled to a starting place. If that stays indoors, that’s no problem. But if it comes out, it will be a issue.”
“It only got worse at the tournament,” Sneijder continues. “Everything stands or falls with that first game against Denmark. We played well and had more right to win from the Danes than in 2010. But we lost. And then the turnips were cooked.”
Sneijder prefers not to mention names, but answers ‘correctly’ to the question whether Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart made a fuss. “They weren’t entirely wrong either, because they were in good shape. But the trainer decides; he is ultimately responsible. If you see that there are more qualities than shape, you shouldn’t even go.”
After the defeat against Denmark, Huntelaar and Mark van Bommel even nearly fisted together while eating. “It was not a fight, because I was in between. Despite my height, I can handle them. I knew then: this will not be okay anymore.”
– .
