England's World Cup quest may have been disappointingly brief, but the Premier League can still enjoy some reflected glory from Holland's charge to the semi-finals.
The Dutch take on Uruguay in Cape Town on Tuesday looking to recreate the 1970s glory era, with coach Bert van Marwijk placing his trust in Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt and Arsenal's Robin van Persie.
"I read somewhere that when Rafael Benitez picked a team at Liverpool, he wrote Kuyt's name down first - that says everything," said Van Marwijk. "The way he plays shows his passion and enthusiasm, and it is catching. He is extremely important for us."
Years | Winners | Runner-up | Third place |
2006 | Italy | France | Germany |
2002 | Brazil | Germany | Turkey |
1998 | France | Brazil | Croatia |
1994 | Brazil | Italy | Sweden |
1990 | Germany | Argentina | Italy |
1986 | Argentina | Germany | France |
1982 | Italy | Germany | Poland |
1978 | Argentina | Holland | Brazil |
1974 | Germany | Holland | Poland |
1970 | Brazil | Italy | Germany |
1966 | England | Germany | Portugal |
1962 | Brazil | Czech | Chile |
1958 | Brazil | Sweden | France |
1954 | Germany | Hungary | Austria |
1950 | Uruguay | Brazil | Sweden |
1938 | Italy | Hungary | Brazil |
1934 | Italy | Czech | Germany |
1930 | Uruguay | Argentina | America |