Of flying Dutchmen and a canal

I was exposed to a healthy football culture in school (St Stanislaus, Bandra). I played the sport, but never thought of taking it up as a profession. In India, it becomes hard to think of football as a career. It is changing now but, when I was in school, football was not an option. Former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha and I played together. So good was Viren that he played for all our teams (under-11 to under-14). And I am talking about his footballing exploits here.

During the last World Cup, I was in Amsterdam for the IIFA Awards. And when The Netherlands beat Brazil 2-1 in the quarterfinals, I witnessed some bizarre scenes out there. I saw flying Dutchmen coming out of pubs and jumping into the canal. It was great to witness such celebrations. That's my favourite World Cup moment. I also visited the Amsterdam Arena, but have not watched a match yet. I hope to do so soon.

Apart from hosts Brazil, The Netherlands, Portugal and Argentina have a chance of winning the big prize. My team is Argentina because of Lionel Messi. It is a pleasure to watch him. Let's hope he creates the same magic he does in a Barcelona shirt. I want an Argentina-Brazil final.

—Purab Kohli is model, VJ and actor. He spoke to Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya