Robin Van Persie, who had the honour of leading Netherlands, in FIFA World Cup 2014, has revealed that he was once slapped by his coach, Louis Van Gaal, during one of the games of the tournament. Louis Van Gaal was known for his tactical genius and rather eccentric nature throughout his illustrious career as a manager.
He was the head coach of the Netherlands side that finished third at the 2014 World Cup and later took over at Manchester United, working with striker Robin Van Persie both times. Now, Robin Van Persie has revealed an incident where his Dutch boss went harsh on him and slapped him during the course of the game itself.
Robin Van Persie Reveals Louis Van Gaal Slapped Him In A 2014 FIFA World Cup Game
“When the match was finished and we gathered near the touchline, he got close to me and suddenly hit me. Bang! With a big flat hand he dealt me a blow and said in an angry way ‘don’t ever do that to me again’,” Robin Van Persie said in Van Gaal’s new autobiography ‘LVG – The Manager and the Total Person.’
“I looked at him absolutely stunned. Louis said, ‘Just get on with it and make sure you get it in the net from the spot’.” he added.
It Was In The Quarter-Final When Robin Van Persie Took The Blow
The incident took place in all-the important, quarter-final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the game against Costa Rica, the match had gone into extra time. A penalty shoot-out was on the cards and Van Persie started cramping up just before the final whistle went off. Van Gaal informed him from the touchline that he was about to be substituted but Van Persie refused to be taken off. The match eventually went to penalties with Van Persie still in the playing XI.
Van Persie did end up scoring from the spot but the hero of the shootout was goalkeeper Tim Krul, who Van Gaal shrewdly brought on just before the final whistle for the shootout. Krul kept out the Costa Ricans and the Netherlands won the shootout 4-3.