Virgil van Dijk says Holland's stars are taking inspiration from Louis van Gaal's courageous fight against prostate cancer.
Van Gaal kept his condition under wraps from his players until they had qualified for Qatar. Only in April did he reveal he had undergone 25 sessions of radiotherapy treatment, which had been successful.
'We are all human beings and when the news came out it was a shock for us,' said Liverpool centre-half Van Dijk after the Dutch kicked off with a 2-0 win against Senegal in Group A.
'It was tough but it was important we showed our support.