Louis van Gaal slipped effortlessly into his role as the wise old man of this World Cup, as he made a case for the Netherlands finally winning football’s biggest prize and offered a few reasons why they might not.
He held court for half an hour in Doha, insisting on speaking in Dutch, dodging a question about Memphis Depay’s rap music and happily posing for selfies on his way out of the auditorium.
This is probably Van Gaal’s last dance.
He is 71, into his third spell in charge of the Dutch national team, taking the job after five years out of football following his two seasons at Manchester United.