Perhaps “Christ the Redeemer,” icon of Rio de Janiero, was perhaps best described by Homer J. Simpson: “it’s like he’s on the dashboard of the entire country. The Simpsons are going to Brazil! But seriously, Christ the Redeemer in Rio is one of the world’s most famous landmarks. And Louis van Gaal, the way he’s leading Netherlands right now, is one of the best managers in the entire world.
It was inevitable that someone brought the two together. Especially since Van Gaal will redeem Manchester United after the failure of David Moyes.
One football expert said the ultimate job to have was to be at Old Trafford after the guy who was after Sir Alex Ferguson and LVG is perfect for that role.
In the round of 8, Louis van Gaal showed that he is masterclass; a brilliant tactician. He did some riverboat gambling in his decision making, and it paid off.
The Dutch may not be favored, but they were runner-up on three occasions; and also have a fourth place finish in 1998 on top of that. With three semifinals in five World Cups, Oranje are the greatest program never to have won it all. Perhaps Sunday night, we’ll be able to say differently.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! The Postgame. He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, the History Channel and more. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)