<p>Blind played in every game for the Netherlands at both the 2014 and 2022 World Cups, getting two goals and four assists across the two tournaments.</p><p>They both ended in the exact same way for the defender and his nation, with Argentina beating them on penalties in the semi-finals in Brazil and in the quarter-finals in Qatar. Containing a stunning late Netherlands equaliser, fiery clashes and controversial refereeing decisions, the match in 2022 went down as a World Cup classic.</p><p>Four years on, the 36-year-old will be watching from the sidelines as Oranje look to finally become world champions.</p><p><strong>Daley, let's speak about the World Cup. The Netherlands are often the dark horse in the tournaments, not always a very top favourite, but always dangerous. How do you compare them to Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, or France? Do you believe that the Netherlands can win the World Cup?</strong></p><p>"Yes. As a Dutch player going into the World Cup, you always believe you can win. Otherwise, you don't need to go there. You don't go there just to play games; you go there to compete and try to win it. </p><p>"I think a lot of players of the national team now are playing in the top leagues, playing for big clubs, so I think it's a very great squad on balance, and everyone has a chance. </p><p>"I think many countries don't like to play against the Netherlands, so let's see. I'm very curious, and I will follow it with a lot of interest."</p><p><strong>Let's go back four years ago to the crazy game against Argentina. How do you remember it?</strong></p><p>"I think it was a very interesting match. Some crazy things happened during that match which will never be forgotten. I think there were really moments (that we could) discuss a lot, but I will stay away from that...</p><p>"It's really sad, because I lost to Argentina on penalties twice in the World Cup, so I didn't really lose the game. Penalties are like a lottery; you can win or lose it. Going out of the World Cup twice on penalties is a bad feeling... Sometimes you think you would rather lose 3-0 because then you just don't have a chance, but we had a chance every time. We had big chances in the match as well, and losing on penalties is painful.</p><p>"Every time we played the World Cup, I was thinking something special could happen if we could have won with penalties, but you never know. It is what it is. It's a gamble, and it was a great experience to be able to play in the World Cup, and this particular match was a crazy one."</p><p><strong>How would you describe Ronald Koeman as a manager, as a coach?</strong></p><p>"I think he's a good coach. He proved with different clubs already, earlier in his career. </p><p>"He's always been really honest with me about his plans, and about what he expected from me and what he expects from players, so I've always had good experiences with Koeman."</p><p><strong>In terms of leadership, how important is Virgil van Dijk for this team?</strong></p><p>"I think in the national team now, there are a lot of players who are very important.</p><p>"Virgil is, of course, one of them. He is a big leader, for many years for Liverpool and of course also for the national team, but I think there are leaders in every part of the Netherlands team - you have Frenkie de Jong, who's maybe a bit quieter but really a leader; Memphis Depay can be a leader up front. So in every area, you have players who are very important.</p><p>"It's a team that I think a lot of countries would not like to play against, and I hope they do well, and I'm really curious to see that."</p><p><strong>Follow the Netherlands' opening clash of the World Cup with Flashscore.</strong></p>