King’s fast flights and fancy footwork earn World Cup plaudits

Dutch king Willem-Alexander’s dance moves were a viral hit on social media as he celebrated Curaçao’s first ever World Cup point in a 0-0 draw against Ecuador.

The 59-year-old king joined the players in the dressing room after the match with queen Máxima and daughter Princess Ariane, where the queen gave a speech before the king marked Father’s Day with some spontaneous dad dancing.

“It was a great spectacle to see the fighting spirit and the teamwork of Curaçao,” he said afterwards. “For such a small footballing nation to make such a big statement on this international stage, it was incredible to be part of it.”

The royal family’s busy itinerary also won praise, as they fulfilled the king’s promise to cheer on both the Dutch national team and Curaçao, which is an independent nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

After watching the Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 in Houston, the king congratulated the Dutch players in the dressing room. “You made us really proud today,” he said.

“It was a solid game, great attacks, good defending, superb. Thank you and keep it up.”

He then had less than three hours to get to Kansas City, a two-hour scheduled flight away, and change into a replica shirt for the Curaçao game.

 

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For the match between the Netherlands and Sweden the king sat beside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has been under fire for his response to the USA’s stringent immigration policy.

A Somali referee was refused entry at the border and Iran’s team have had to fly in and out of the country for their matches within 24 hours, but Infantino would not be drawn into criticising the Trump administration. “Maybe some times it’s good as well just to chill and relax,” he said.

The king, an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee, said: “I hope that they learn from this for the Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles.”

“I may have made a few suggestions for the peace prize in future years,” he added, referring to Infantino’s decision to award Donald Trump a custom-made peace prize at the World Cup draw last December.