Glory be to the best!

All things, good or bad, must change. Never in the 80-year history of the FIFA World Cup have we seen a European team win the World Cup in another continent. History will be re-written this Sunday when two European heavyweights, The Netherlands and Spain, lock horns to decide the first European world champion outside Europe. And we'll be spoilt for choice as these two football superpowers gun for their first share of glory on the world stage.

The Dutch will hope to be third time lucky after being defeated twice in the World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978. Acknowledged as one of the finest exponents of the game, the visually delightful Dutch have so far failed to deliver when needed. The Johan Cryuff-led team – which had redefined the way football was played with the introduction of total football in the 1974 World Cup – inexplicably conceded defeat to a West German team in the finals. Since then, the Dutch have painted glimpses of delight in the beginning and crafted "orange tears" in the end at every major global tournament. The jinx of not winning a major tournament was at last broken in 1988 when the legendary Rinus Michels, backed by the famous AC Milan troika of Rjikard, Gullit and Van Basten, guided the Dutch to continental glory by winning the European Championships for the first and only time. There have been many great Dutch teams since then, but the teams each have failed to deliver when it mattered the most.

Spain also have had a similarly heartbreaking history of unattained glory on the international stage. Home to perhaps the best domestic league in world football, the Spanish have been blessed with a wealth of talent over the years. But like the Dutch, they, too, have failed to deliver. The European Championship laurels of 1960 and 2008 are the only shining stars in their incredibly underachieved resume. But things have at last come full circle for them as they are offered a chance to prove their mettle not just as a host to the world's best domestic league but also as the greatest footballing nation on the planet.

The Dutch have already caused a flutter in the pre-tournament calculations by sending the flamboyant Brazilians out of the World Cup in the quarter finals. They have an amazing flair which explains why they are the only undefeated team in the tournament so far. Now, they are face to face with what they have been awaiting for the last thirty-six years.

Despite suffering a shock opening defeat to Switzerland, Spain were billed as one of the pre-tournament favourites and have managed to live up to the billing. The manner in which they summarily halted a rampant Germany in their tracks in the semi-finals bespeaks their strength.

It's been 32 years since the Dutch got the chance to play in the World Cup finals and this is going to be Spain's first World Cup final entry. So, whoever romps home with the cup on Sunday, it will be a first for both these great nations and both will fight tooth and nail for glory. This World Cup has been an amazing journey with incredible twists and turns. We now wait for the last riot of color it has to offer us on the night of 11 July. Red or orange, glory be to the best!


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