Soccer-Euro-DJ Sneijder orchestrating Dutch on and off the pitch
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 16 (Reuters) - Wesley Sneijder has turned into the Dutch squad's unofficial disc jockey and is orchestrating their Euro 2008 campaign on and off the pitch.
Working on an idea picked up at his club side Real Madrid, the 24-year-old playmaker asked coach Marco van Basten ahead of the pre-tournament warm-ups if he could play some music in the dressing room to ease tension ahead of matches.
The players listen to a variety of tunes, ranging from traditional Dutch music to rock and roll.
"It works and it's relaxing," Sneijder told reporters on Monday. "If it is quiet around you everyone is looking inwards and the tension can only rise.
"A bit of music with some good rhythm gives a relaxed feeling. I don't know if it had anything to do with it but (in the first Group C game against Italy) we raced all over the pitch from the first minute."
The players give Sneijder their favourite tunes from their iPods and he does the rest, hooking them up to the main speakers in the dressing room.
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