Coaches can anticipate to be mercilessly grilled on the World Cup however the Netherlands’ boss Louis Van Gaal was thrown an actual curve ball throughout a information convention on Thursday that left him shocked.
For a lot of managers, addressing lots of of reporters is without doubt one of the more difficult obligations of a World Cup because it was for Van Gaal as he fielded questions on all the things from human rights to ways forward of Friday’s conflict with Ecuador. However the one which caught Van Gaal off guard got here from Papa Mahmoud Gueye, a younger journalist from Senegal, overwhelmed 2-0 by the Netherlands of their opening match, who earnestly raised his hand, took the microphone and instructed the Dutch coach, “I’ve no query”.
“I’m a younger journalist who simply began,” started Gueye. “I’ve no query for you simply a possibility to inform how I’m fan of yours since childhood even for those who did give us our first defeat (on this event).”
The remark appeared to catch the 71-year-old off guard earlier than he broke into an enormous smile.
“Oh, can I hug you,” beamed Van Gaal. “I gives you an enormous fats hug afterward as a result of I believe it’s nice that you just mentioned this actually, truthfully folks don’t typically say this stuff to me, I’m going to provide you an enormous fats hug.”
True to his phrase, when the information convention concluded Van Gaal got here down from the rostrum and greeted the younger man and embraced him as Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries applauded and a crowd gathered to seize an image of the enjoyable second.