Robin van Persie knows his Holland team-mates have the chance to become immortal on Sunday.

Victory over favourites Spain in the World Cup final at Soccer City would finally erase the bitter taste of defeat from 1974 and 1978, when Rinus Michels' legendery Total Football side - inspired by the talismanic Johan Cruyff - came up short in back-to-back finals.

"It is a bit difficult because you have to fight against the generation of 1974 and 1978," said Arsenal forward Van Persie. "They are legends, Cruyff, Johan Neeskens and so on. If we win it for the first time it will be unbelievable because it means that we have done better than them."