Van Persie pictures emulating Maradona`s glory

Cape Town: Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has admitted he is desperate to win the World Cup on Sunday to follow in the footsteps of his hero Diego Maradona after the Netherlands semi-final win over Uruguay.

The Oranje are bidding to win their first World Cup and after beating Uruguay 3-2 in Cape Town`s semi-final Tuesday night, will now face either Germany or European champions Spain in Sunday`s final at Johannesburg`s Soccer City. Van Persie, who has not been at his best at the finals and has just one goal to his credit, is delighted to be in the final and has even allowed himself to dream of what it will feel like to be part of the first Dutch team to lift the trophy. "I am used to watching other teams in the final, but this time I will be in it, I will be in the middle," beamed the 26-year-old. "I don`t know how good it will feel (to win the World Cup), but I have a really big picture in my games room back home of Maradona holding the World Cup (in 1986 after defeating West Germany). "It is an unbelievable picture, he is on his teammates shoulders holding the trophy with this huge smile on his face. If we win, I would like to make a picture like that." The Netherlands reached the World Cup final at both the 1974 and 1978 tournaments, losing to West Germany and Argentina respectively. Van Persie said to go a step further than the star-studded Dutch teams of the 1970s, led by Johan Cruyff who suffered World Cup disappointment in 1974 and was not there for the 1978 defeat, would be a dream come true, but will not be easy. PTI