The Netherlands midfielder admits that he is still troubled by his side's 2010 defeat to Spain, reflecting on how close he and his team-mates were to securing a historic victory
Wesley Sneijder has described Netherlands' failure to overcome Spain in the 2010 World Cup final as the worst moment in his career.
The Oranje were left heartbroken after Andres Iniesta's 116th-minute strike won the tournament for his sidefor the first time and consigned the Dutch to their third runners-up berth, after making the final in both 1974 and 1978.
The two sides meet again in their Group B opener on Friday, but Sneijder acknowledged that he would not find it easy to forget about their previous World Cup encounter.
"The final against Spain is the biggest disappointment of my career," the 30-year-old told Der Telegraaf.
"I had to walk past the cup but couldn't hold it. We were so close and the ball went in just [four] minutes before the end of the match."
Sneijder's frustrations are shared by his teammate Arjen Robben, who missed a wonderful opportunity in the 62nd minute of the game when, with the scores at 0-0, he failed to score after being put through one-on-one against Iker Casillas.
"Disappointments are part of the career of a sportsman," the winger said in an interview with Sp!ts.
"I will always carry that missed shot with me. We were so close to winning the tournament. I will always have that pain. But it happened and we can not do anything about it any more."
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