Euro 2012: Holland – the secrets behind the players

This article is part of the Guardian's Euro 2012 Experts' Network, a co-operation between 16 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Poland and Ukraine. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the runup to the tournament kicking off on 8 June. Robin van Persie The wonders that Van Persie creates for Arsenal and Holland have a genetic background. His father Bob is a Rotterdam-based artist. He makes art out of apparently useless materials, such as old newspaper. Just as his son Robin puts art into football, Bob puts football into art. For example he made a sculpture called "Bergkamp People" and two years ago he made the "Persieball". Visit his website bobvanpersie.com to see Robin's roots in the Rotterdam art scene. Wesley Sneijder While Sneijder was recovering from injury in Milan, his wife, Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau, was in America for much of the time. She is working on her own project: becoming a Hollywood actress. The gossip magazines in Holland suggested the situation won't benefit Wesley's performances on the pitch. We'll see. Rafael van der Vaart Rafael is not the only Van der Vaart garnering attention these days. The midfielder can see his wife, Sylvie, whenever he drives his car. She's pictured in her underwear on huge trucks driving across Europe. Sylvie is a model for Hunkemöller lingerie. "I am proud of her," says her husband. Arjen Robben When Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid on penalties in the Champions League semi-finals, Robben was impressed by José Mourinho. When the German team were partying in the changing room, Mourinho came in to congratulate everyone in his own special way. "Losing is an art in itself," said Robben. "Mourinho showed how that works during a difficult time for him." Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Huntelaar is one of the dark horses in the Holland squad. He is still not a shoo-in for the starting lineup but support for the Schalke striker is growing. His experience in Johannesburg, where he did not come on for the World Cup final against Spain, motivates him more than anything else. "That was a very big disappointment for me. A dream that did not come true. The biggest stage in football was in front of me and I couldn't get on it. That was a enormous frustration for me and in my opinion, I won't let that happen again," he said. Chris van Nijnatten writes for Algemeen Dagblad Click here to read the profile of Ibrahim Afellay And click here to read the Holland tactical preview