Shirt Stories: Van Bommel's Battle of Johannesburg

When Total Football met its match

How do you stop the most talented and unplayable midfield in football history, in the most important match you’ll ever be a part of?

That was the puzzle facing the Netherlands heading into the 2010 World Cup final against Spain. Having played fluid, fast-paced football throughout the tournament en route to the final, the Netherlands were up against a tactical revolution the likes of which had not been seen since the Dutch Total Football of the 1970s. Spanish Tiki-Taka had taken over the sport, and there appeared to be no way to beat it.

The Spain midfield comprised the supreme combination of Xavi, Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, and Xabi Alonso, each of whom controlled the game like an orchestra conductor. And so Netherlands head coach Bert van Marwijk decided the best strategy was to meet the immovable Spanish pass masters with unstoppable Dutch force. First name on the teamsheet? Mark van Bommel.

This Mark van Bommel Netherlands shirt was displayed as part of The MWS Legend Collection NYC exhibition, a celebration of football history told through some of the game’s most iconic shirts and unforgettable moments.

The gameplan to disrupt the flow of Spain’s passing with high-intensity pressing and superior physicality was evident from the kick-off, with the Dutch midfield combo of Van Bommel and Nigel de Jong affording Spain no time to settle into their usual effortless passing.

With 22 minutes on the clock, Van Bommel received a yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Andres Iniesta.

As Iniesta picked the ball up on the half turn, Van Bommel’s slide tackle sent the Spanish starlet tumbling, meaning the Bayern Munich midfielder would be walking a disciplinary tightrope for the rest of the game.

And yet, he popped up all over the pitch for the following 100 minutes, in a tireless box-to-box performance that did the Netherlands shirt proud.

The Moment – What Might Have Been

Both teams flattered to deceive in front of goal, with a handful of golden opportunities to score wasted at each end. With just a few minutes of the regulation 90 left to play, Xabi Alonso was replaced with the fresh legs of playmaker Cesc Fàbregas, in what would turn out to be a fateful substitution.

As the game entered extra time, daylight began to emerge between the two tactical approaches of each team. The Dutch, set up for aggressive, high-intensity pressing, began to finally tire, while the Spanish, who let the ball do all the work with their passing game, began to find more and more space through the Dutch lines.

Van Bommel, who was 33 years old, ran his legs off trying to intercept and close down the Spanish passing triangles, but despite being one of Europe’s most respected defensive midfielders, he was still human, and a sense of inevitability had begun to set in.

Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga received a red card for a second booking deep into extra time, and Spain poured forward with wave after wave of precise attacks against ten men. 

And then, with 116 minutes on the clock, all Dutch hearts were broken. Cesc Fàbregas picked up a loose miscued clearance at the edge of the box, and fed the ball to the feet of Andres Iniesta. Flicking the ball up with a delicate first touch, Iniesta rocketed a stunning half volley finish into the bottom corner, sending the Spanish fans inside Soccer City into a frenzy of celebration.

Spain were world champions for the first time in their history. Despite putting on a Trojan performance of energy and grit, the Dutch came up short. 

For Mark van Bommel, it would not be his last dance in the Dutch shirt. He would go on to captain his country at the 2012 European Championships, but this performance in the Battle of Johannesburg encapsulated a player who threw every ounce of himself into every minute he wore that famous orange Netherlands shirt.