A look back at some of the hockey heroes of World Cups gone by remind us all of some of the true greats of the game. "Those guys really made a difference to me, they are really inspiring," said captain of the Netherlands, Robert van der Horst. His hero, Teun de Nooijer, won a record-breaking 453 caps for the Netherlands and was voted FIH Player of the Year three times in his long international career.
For Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles, it was Jay Stacy who proved his inspiration on the hockey field. The talented midfielder played in four Olympic Games and was voted World Player of the Year in 1999.
Oliver Korn named fellow German Christoph Eimar as his inspiration, alongside Volker Fried, a defender who competed 290 times for Germany before taking up coaching at HC Dusseldorfer.
England's skipper Barry Middleton voted Stephan Veen as his all-time great. Holder of two Olympic gold medals and two Hockey World Cup golds, the Dutch midfielder was voted FIH Player of the Year in 1998 and 2000.
