The captain and coach of the Dutch team were knighted in the presence of the Prime Minister Tuesday, who called the team an "inspiration" despite its 1-0 FIFA World Cup™ Final defeat by Spain.

"The Netherlands is proud of Oranje (Orange -- the colour and nickname of the national team)," premier Jan Peter Balkenende told the team at his official residence in The Hague, where he hosted them to coffee and cakes with orange icing in the garden decorated with orange balloons.

Balkenende, wearing an orange tie, oversaw as Sports Minister Ab Klink pinned medals on team coach Bert van Marwijk and captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst to mark them as Knights in the Order of Orange-Nassau. The knighthoods are bestowed by Dutch Queen Beatrix. "A fantastic achievement," said Klink as he decorated the two men in a reception broadcast life on public television.