AIn his own way, Louis van Gaal seemed like a Louis van Gaal memorial as he soaked up what must have been his final moments on the World Cup stage. An emotional storm raged around the Dutch coach after the quarter-final defeat by Argentina. His players mourned, van Gaal himself just stood there and Argentina celebrated their win, albeit with a slightly odd mix of emotions.
Instead of just being happy, they mocked, even insulted, their defeated opponent. Lionel Messi, who aims to become the greatest player in history next weekend, even engaged in a direct exchange of words with van Gaal, who in those minutes was surrounded by the aura of a wise man who wanted to take in the big picture. Who only perceives the little excitements of football like an annoying fly that is just there without really disturbing. Van Gaal took his leave with dignity. “It’s incredibly painful to be eliminated like this,” he would later say. “I’m very proud of this team, I had a great time.”
