Veteran Holland hockey goalkeeper Guus Vogels wants a final flourish to a glittering career.

By Adarsh Vinay

Thirty-four-year-old Guus Vogels has won two Olympic gold medals. He also has four Champions Trophy gold medals to his name. However, a World Cup winner's medal has always eluded him. As he reaches the twilight of his career, the star Dutch goalie hopes to change that before calling it a day.

"This World Cup will be my last major tournament before I retire. So I really want to win it. Finishing my career with a World Cup medal will be great. I would love to retire as a world champion," Vogels said.

The Netherlands have won the hockey World Cup thrice, with the last victory coming in 1998. They finished third in 2002 but were a dismal seventh in 2006. The goalkeeper conceded that his team had declined in the past few years. "Yes, there have been some disappointments in the last few years. But we have made some changes to the teams. We have some new faces."

"Our first aim would be to make it to the semis. For that we need to play well in our pool. Korea and Germany will be stiff opponents. Our first match against Argentina is crucial. A lot depends on that," said Vogels.

Vogels has been a part of the national team for 14 years and he has been Holland's number one goalkeeper for 10 years now. He said that new rules like the self-pass and umpire referrals would make the game difficult. But he also added that they would make it more interesting.

"New rules have made the game more exciting, but a bit more difficult for goalkeepers. The game has become faster and that is the reason why we see more goals. For a goalkeeper it has become tougher," he said.

Vogels also said that his team was happy with the security arrangements. "There are no complaints. There is always a threat these days. We are not new to this as there was similar security at the (Beijing) Olympics."

The veteran keeper will turn 35 next month. After the tournament, he will return to Holland and hang up his boots. Whether he will do so as World Cup gold medal winner? Only time will tell.