If it goes well for the Netherlands in Qatar over the next six weeks then Nathan Ake might be the soundtrack to the celebrations, tickling the ivories at the team hotel in what has become a hobby away from football for the Manchester City defender.
But if Holland reach the World Cup final Ake would be more nervous playing the piano for his teammates than playing in front of a crowd of 50,000 on the biggest stage of them all. Football might come naturally but his musical sideshow raises the heartbeat.
Ake bought a piano during lockdown and taught himself to play. He was seen playing in the team hotel after City 's win in Dortmund in April 2021 and he has continued playing, including at the funeral of his dad, Moise, last year.
The 27-year-old finds playing the piano as intense as football at times, but rather than a method to chill out, it is a way of taking his mind away from the game, although the arrival of a first child, a baby daughter, over the weekend will help with that.
Ake missed Manchester City's defeat to Brentford as wife Kaylee was giving birth, but in many ways, the arrival was perfect timing. The centre-back had a few days at home this week before jetting off to Qatar with his international teammates, with Holland lively outsiders for the tournament.
"We have a long unbeaten run behind us. We are very confident. The last few games in the build-up have been very good," said Ake.
"We have been improving as a team. The manager has been hammering on about clean sheets before the last two games and we also delivered those. We can probably improve a little what we do on the ball.
"As a team I feel we are improving and we are feeling good. The manager is very direct so everyone knows exactly where they stand. That helps as well.
"I think people see us as favourites to qualify from our group but if you see teams like Senegal and the players they have in the team it is not going to be easy. Especially as they are our first game. After that game we can judge how we are going but that first game will be vital.
"As a team we expect a lot from ourselves going into the tournament. It’s difficult to say what success would look like but personally, you go into a tournament to win it otherwise you may as well not go."
Ake will depart City with Pep Guardiola's side second in the Premier League, five points behind pacesetters Arsenal. It's been good if not quite brilliant start to the season for the Blues, although it has been a bright start to the campaign for the centre-back, who has become a regular fixture in the side.
He revealed City spoke about the importance of starting quicker than usual this season, given they usually come and strong at the exact point the season is being paused for the World Cup.
"We spoke before the season about how the last few seasons we have started slowly as a team and then from November and December we started to kick on. We spoke about not having that November and December time so it was important to start well," said Ake.
"This season we consciously spoke about a fast start because you never know what shape teams will be in after the World Cup."
Ake is one of 16 City players heading to the World Cup and there are bound to be meetings with club teammates along the way. He will also play alongside Virgil van Dijk for the Dutch, the pair forming an alliance in defence for their country despite the bitter feud between their respective clubs in the Premier League.
That kind of tension has reared its head in Holland camps of the past, but Ake and Van Dijk have remained close despite the rivalry between City and Liverpool.
"It is not difficult to separate club friendships and rivalry at a big tournament to be honest," said Ake. "Virgil for instance is one of my best friends. Two weekends a year we have to play against one another and at that moment he is not my friend anymore. Both of us want to win but once the game is over it is back to being friends.
"It is the same with teammates here at City. Before the game you say hello but during it is business. Most players find it easy to separate club and country. There might be an extra smile and a handshake during the pre-game formalities but that’s it. Then it is just focus.
Everyone is so competitive. There will be plenty of stick after the game too depending on the result. The WhatsApp groups might get a bit quieter but that will depend on who is doing well and who isn’t!"
This promises to be a World Cup like no other, arriving as it does in the middle of the season for Europe's biggest leagues. City have played 22 games in 15 weeks in the build-up to the tournament, a tally that should have been 24 but for postponements against Tottenham and Arsenal.
It also means the build-up to the tournament is just a week long, but Ake believes going straight into the World Cup might mean the quality is higher from the start, rather than players switching off after the end of a long season before trying to get back in the zone in June as World Cup scheduling normally dictates.
"One week we will be playing Brentford at home in the winter and a few days later we will be playing in the World Cup in the heat. That change will be strange too but for the flow of form it will be good," he said.
"At one point it might get too much but I’m not sure. We will see. I’m looking forward to it."