Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OONThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
(luˈwi vɐn ˈɣaːl; born 8 August 1951 in
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) is a
DutchThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
football
managerIn sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
formerly in charge of Ajax,
NetherlandsThe Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
,
BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, AZ and
Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
. Before his career as coach van Gaal played as a midfielder for Royal Antwerp,
TelstarTelstar is a Dutch football club based in Velsen. The club was established after the merger of two football clubs in the town of Velsen.- History :...
,
Sparta RotterdamSparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
and AZ.
Van Gaal is also a fully qualified gymnastics teacher, and has worked as such at high-schools during various stages of his career as a semi-professional football-player.
After a brief spell as coach at AZ, Van Gaal served as assistant coach under
Leo BeenhakkerLeo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
at Ajax, and eventually took over as head coach in 1991. Under his lead, the club won three league titles, the UEFA Cup, and the
Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Van Gaal moved to
BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in 1997 and won two Spanish league titles and one Spanish Cup. After some disagreements at Barcelona, he was appointed coach of the
Dutch national teamThe Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, but then failed to qualify for the
2002 World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. Another brief spell at Barcelona followed, before he became manager of AZ. After having won the Dutch championship with AZ in 2008–09, he was hired by
Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
on 1 July 2009. In his first season at Munich, he secured the German league title and won the German Cup, and made it to the final of the Champions League.
Van Gaal is an avid promoter of attacking football, educated in the best traditions of the
Total Football by Ajax and the Dutch national team of the 1970s. As a coach he is known as a slow starter who frequently finds his players needing ample time to grasp his tactics and intent of play. Generally his teams gather results in the second or third season under his coaching, an exception being the 2009–10 season when he grasped the German Bundesliga title and lost the UEFA Champions League final with FC Bayern Munich.
During several periods in his career, Van Gaal has had his troubles with the media. He is known to be very blunt with media representatives he perceives to be asking him 'stupid' questions.
Playing and early coaching career
As a youngster, Louis van Gaal started playing for the Amsterdam amateur side RKSV 'De Meer'. At the age of 20, he joined the second team of Ajax, but was never chosen to play in the first team, which at the time boasted players such as Johan Cruijff and
Johan NeeskensJohannes Jacobus "Johan" Neeskens is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. As a player, he was an important member of the Dutch national team that finished as runners-up in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups. Former England manager Alf Ramsey said Neeskens was "as good as any player" in...
in the midfield positions. After playing a few matches for Royal Antwerp, he returned to his homeland and made his
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
debut for Telstar under the guidance of manager,
Mircea PetescuMircea Petescu is a former Romanian football player and coach.Under his leadership, UTA Arad eliminated the defending European Cup champions Feyenoord in the 1970–71 season. Being also known for promoting youngsters in the teams he coached...
, whom he followed to
Sparta RotterdamSparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
. Van Gaal later joined AZ, where he also became assistant coach in 1986. After a short career at AZ, he returned to Ajax to become
Leo BeenhakkerLeo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
's assistant. When Beenhakker left in 1991, Van Gaal took over as manager.
Ajax (1991–1997)
He was Ajax manager from 1991 until 1997 and had a very successful tenure. Under Van Gaal, Ajax became the
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
champions three times, in 1994, 1995 (notably going the entire 94–95 league season unbeaten in both the league and the Champions League) and 1996. He also led Ajax to the
KNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
in 1993 and the
Johan Cruijff ShieldThe Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
in 1993, 1994, and 1995. On the European scene, Ajax captured the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
in 1992 and the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
in 1995 after beating
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in the
finalThe 1995 UEFA Champions League Final was the 40th edition and took place in Vienna between AFC Ajax and A.C. Milan. It was Milan's third European Cup final in three years and they were aiming to tie Real Madrid's record of having won the European Cup six times...
. The latter win was followed by a 5-1 aggregate win over
Real ZaragozaReal Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
in the
1995 UEFA Super CupThe 1995 UEFA Super Cup was contested between the UEFA Champions League holders AFC Ajax and the Cup Winners' Cup holders Real Zaragoza. The cup was played later than usual, the two legs taking place in February 1996. The first leg was draw 1–1 at the La Romareda stadium in Zaragoza. The...
. Late in 1995, Ajax beat Brazilian side
GrêmioGrêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
on penalties to win the
Toyota CupThe European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
(formerly Intercontinental Cup). Ajax were also Champions League runners-up in 1996 after losing to
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
on penalties.
Ajax was so successful under Van Gaal's leadership that during the 1990s, the
Dutch national teamThe Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
was dominated by Ajax players such as
Patrick KluivertPatrick Stephan Kluivert is a former Dutch footballer, currently head coach of the youth side of FC Twente. He played as a striker for AFC Ajax, A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC. Kluivert played for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2004. He...
,
Marc OvermarsMarc Overmars is a retired Dutch footballer. He is best known as a right-footed left winger, although he is able to use both his feet with equal precision and power...
,
Dennis BergkampDennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
,
FrankFranciscus "Frank" de Boer is a Dutch former professional footballer, and the younger twin brother of Ronald de Boer. Since 6 December 2010 he is the Manager of AFC Ajax.-Club career:...
and
Ronald de BoerRonaldus "Ronald" de Boer is a former Dutch football midfielder who has played for the Dutch national team as well as a host of professional clubs in Europe. He is the older twin brother of Frank de Boer.-Club career:...
,
Edgar DavidsEdgar Steven Davids is a retired Dutch footballer and current member of the supervisory board of Ajax. After beginning his career with the Amsterdam club, he subsequently played in Italy for Milan and Juventus before a loan spell with Barcelona. He went on to play for Internazionale and Tottenham...
,
Clarence SeedorfClarence Clyde Seedorf OON is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Milan. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007...
,
Winston BogardeWinston Bogarde is a retired Dutch professional footballer.A player of immense physical strength, he played mostly as a central defender, although he could occasionally appear on the left, and was best known for his spells at Ajax, FC Barcelona and Chelsea.With the latter side, he garnered...
,
Michael ReizigerMichael John Reiziger is a retired Dutch footballer who played mainly as a right defender.After making a name for himself at Ajax, with whom he won one Champions League, he went on to represent three teams in three different countries, namely appearing for FC Barcelona, for which he played in...
, and
Edwin van der SarEdwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...
.
After serving out his contract at Ajax (1997), Van Gaal received his knighthood in the
Order of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
.
Barcelona (1997–2000)
He moved to
BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in 1997, taking over from
Bobby RobsonSir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
and helped the team win two
league championshipsThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
(1997–98, 1998–99) and the
Spanish CupThe Copa del Rey 1997–98 is the 94th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on September 3, 1997 and concluded on April 29, 1998 with the Final, held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia.-1st Round:...
once. Despite this success, he clashed with the media and came under criticism. Van Gaal expressed that it was difficult to implement his football philosophy at Barcelona due to cultural differences, and that he struggled hard as some players were unwilling to follow his lead. His rows with Rivaldo are an example of this. Van Gaal insisted
RivaldoRivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
play as a left winger, Rivaldo arguing that he wanted to play in the centre, in effect undermining van Gaal.
Van Gaal eventually left the Catalan side on 20 May 2000, uttering the immortal line: "Amigos de la prensa. Yo me voy. Felicidades." (Friends of the press. I am leaving. Congratulations.) He returned to the Netherlands to manage the Dutch national team in preparation for the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Dutch National Team and return to Barcelona (2000–2003)
The Dutch national team failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals, and subsequently Van Gaal stepped down as manager on 31 January 2002 to be replaced by
Dick AdvocaatDirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...
. After this, speculation began that Van Gaal would succeed
Alex FergusonSir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
at Manchester United once Ferguson claimed he would retire that year. According to Van Gaal Ferguson decided against retiring and the deal fell through. He returned to Barcelona for a short spell, but left the job halfway during the season to be replaced by
Radomir AntićRadomir Antić is a Serbian former football defender and former football manager for the Serbian national team.Following a 17-year playing career he found his true calling in coaching....
.
Return to Ajax (2004)
In 2004, he returned to Ajax as a technical director, but resigned later that year due to an internal conflict.
AZ (2005–2009)
In January 2005 it was announced that he would replace
Co AdriaanseJacobus "Co" Adriaanse is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who is currently the head coach of Eredivisie team FC Twente.-Playing career:...
as AZ manager on 1 July 2005. AZ finished the 2006–2007 season in third place in the
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
, three points behind champions
PSV and runners-up Ajax. Van Gaal also led AZ to a runners-up finish in the 2007
KNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
. AZ failed to reach the UEFA Champions League after losing to Ajax 4–2 on aggregate.
Louis van Gaal initially announced he would leave AZ at the end of the 2007–08 season due to disappointing results. However, when several players of the AZ squad pointed out that they would like Van Gaal to stay with AZ for the 2008–09 season, van Gaal said he would give the players a chance to prove themselves.
2008–09 season: Eredivisie champions:
AZ started the 2008–09 season with two losses: 2–1 to
NAC BredaNAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
and 0–3 to
ADO Den HaagAlles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
, but after that the Alkmaar-based club remained unbeaten until 18 April, topping the
LeagueThe Eredivisie 2008–09 is the fifty-third season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. PSV were the reigning champions. The season began on 29 August 2008 with a game between Vitesse and FC Groningen and ended on 10 May 2009. A total of 18 teams take part in the league, consisting of 16...
ahead of
TwenteFC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
and Ajax for the entire season. AZ had the best defensive record in the Eredivisie and the second-best goalscoring record, behind Ajax, thanks to its offensive duo of league topscorer
Mounir El HamdaouiMounir El Hamdaoui is a Dutch-Moroccan footballer. He currently plays as a forward for Ajax in the Netherlands...
and Brazilian
AriAriclenes da Silva Ferreira , commonly known as Ari , is a Brazilian striker who plays for FC Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League.-Club career:...
. They were crowned league champions on 19 April, one day after AZ suffered an unexpected loss at home to Vitesse, which ended a string of 28 unbeaten games. That same day Ajax, the only opponent still technically able to reach them, lost 6–2 to
PSV.
Bayern Munich (2009–2011)
On 1 July 2009, Van Gaal took over as coach of
Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
. Van Gaal referred to his new employer as a "dream club". He got off to a poor start as Bayern Munich coach, winning only one of his first four matches in charge and by November the club was on the brink of a first round Champions League exit following two losses to Bordeaux. With
Bayer LeverkusenBayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
at the top of the Bundesliga, speculation was rampant that Van Gaal was on the brink of a departure from Bayern even earlier than his predecessor
Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
. Van Gaal however kept insisting he is a
prozesstrainer meaning that his team needs time to play the way he imagines. On 28 August 2009 Van Gaal strengthened his team by getting
Arjen RobbenArjen Robben is a Dutch footballer who plays for the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Though often classified as a forward, he usually plays behind the forwards as a winger, and he is also known for his dribbling skills...
from
Real MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, this reunited him with Van Gaal who debuted him in the Dutch National U20 team. A feud with Italian striker
Luca ToniLuca Toni, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. He has had successful spells at top clubs such as Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, and Roma...
who had played an important role in Bayern's 2007–08 League and Cup Double led to Toni's move to Roma. However, Bayern Munich's form improved with two Champions League victories including an impressive 4–1 victory over Juventus in Turin, which allowed them to progress from their group in second position behind Bordeaux. Also Bayern Munich moved on the semifinals of the German Cup and were top of the Bundesliga ahead of Leverkusen by March.
On 24 March 2010 Bayern played the semi-final of the German Cup against Schalke 04. They won the game in extra time, advancing to the final of the German Cup.
On 8 May 2010, FC Bayern were finally crowned champions of the
BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
following a 3–1 win at Hertha Berlin. This feat made Louis van Gaal the first ever Dutch coach to win the Bundesliga. Bayern also won the
DFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
on 15 May 2010, thus securing their domestic double and making Van Gaal the winner of the Cup in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany.
In the Champions League, a 4–4
away goalsThe away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
quarter-final win over Manchester United and a 4–0 aggregate win over
LyonOlympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
in the semi-final, secured a spot in the final. Van Gaal was to meet his former pupil and assistant at Barcelona
Jose MourinhoJosé Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
, who was coaching Inter Milan. Bayern lost the
Champions League FinalThe 2010 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, on Saturday, 22 May 2010, to determine the winners of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. It was the first Champions League final to be played on a Saturday, rather than the...
2–0, handing Inter a first Italian treble and thus failing to secure the treble themselves. On 25 May 2010
Karl-Heinz RummeniggeKarl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge is a German former football player.He had his greatest career success with German club Bayern Munich, where he won the Intercontinental Cup, the European Cup, as well as two league titles and two domestic cups.A member of the German national team, Rummenigge won the...
expressed his desire to extend Van Gaal's contract as the club was very happy with his performance, even though Van Gaal still had one year of his contract to fulfill.
Van Gaal's Bayern also secured the German super cup in 2010 as it was reinstalled after a 14 year absence. At the end of the season Van Gaal was voted
Manager of the YearThe title Football Manager of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 2002. The award is determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication Kicker...
by the German professional footballers in the yearly poll organized by VDV (professional players' union in Germany) and Kicker.
In addition, Van Gaal instilled many youth players are fixtures in the starting 11, including
Thomas MüllerThomas Müller was a German Waffen-SS Colonel who commanded the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen and the 27. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Langemarck during World War II...
,
Holger BadstuberHolger Badstuber is a German footballer who plays as a defender for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the German national football team...
and also reinvented the winger
Bastian SchweinsteigerBastian Schweinsteiger is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he is capable of playing out wide or in a more central role....
into a defensive midfielder where he has played ever since.
On 7 March 2011, Bayern Munich declared that van Gaal's contract was to be cancelled after the end of the 2010–11 season, nevertheless he was sacked on 10 April 2011 after losing the third place in the Bundesliga.
Coaching philosophy
When asked about his system in 2008, van Gaal said: "It's a footballing philosophy more than a system. A system depends on the players you have. I played 4-3-3 with Ajax, 2-3-2-3 with Barcelona and I can play 4-4-2 with AZ. I'm flexible. The philosophy stays the same though. I don't think that you can adapt it to every possible situation. You need the right mindset, and it depends on how the players see the coach and vice versa. The coach is the focal point of the team but you need to have an open mind, and so do all the players. Everyone needs to work together to achieve a common goal. Preparing your tactical formation is essential. Each player needs to know where he has to be, and that is why there needs to be mutual understanding because you need absolute discipline. This is a sport played by 22 men, and there are 11 opponents out there playing as a team. Each individual needs to know who he has to beat and be there to support his team-mates."
Player
|-
|1971–72||rowspan="2"|Ajax||rowspan="2"|
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1972–73||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1973–74||rowspan="4"|Royal Antwerp||rowspan="4"|First Division||10||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1974–75||3||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1975–76||19||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77||10||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977–78||Telstar||
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||25||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978–79||rowspan="8"|
Sparta RotterdamSparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
||rowspan="8"|
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||31||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979–80||33||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980–81||33||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981–82||24||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83||33||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983–84||34||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85||30||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985–86||31||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986–87||AZ||
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||17||0||||||||||||||||
291||27||||||||||||||||
42||7||||||||||||||||
333||34||||||||||||||||
Manager
| Team |
From |
To |
Record |
| G | W | D | L | Win % |
| Ajax |
1991 |
1997
|
BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
|
1997 |
20 May 2000
|
| Netherlands The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
|
2000 |
31 January 2002
|
BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
|
2002 |
28 January 2003
|
| AZ |
1 July 2005 |
30 June 2009
|
Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
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1 July 2009 |
10 April 2011
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Honours
Ajax
- 3 × Dutch League (Eredivisie)
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 1993–94The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1993/1994 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 RKC remained in the Eredivisie after winning promotion/relegation play-offs. VVV lost theirs and relegated...
, 1994–95The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1994/1995 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship. Starting this season, clubs qualifying for the Intertoto Cup can play for a spot in the UEFA Cup.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup....
, 1995–96The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1995/1996 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship. From this season onwards a match win was rewarded with 3 points instead of 2.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup...
- 3 × Dutch Super Cup (Johan Cruijff Shield)
The Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
: 1992–93The 1993 Dutch Super Cup game was the fourth Super Cup match in Dutch football. The game was played on 8 August 1993 at Stadion Feijenoord in Rotterdam. The game was played between 1992-93 Eredivisie winners Feyenoord and 1992-93 KNVB Cup winners Ajax. The game ended with a 4-0 victory of...
, 1993–94The match for the fifth Dutch Supercup was held on 21 August 1994 in the Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam. The match featured the winners of the 1993-94 Eredivisie Ajax and the winners of the 1993-94 KNVB Cup Feyenoord...
, 1994–95The match for the sixth Dutch Supercup was held on 16 August 1995 in the De Kuip in Rotterdam. The match featured the winners of the 1994–95 Dutch first division, and of course the UEFA Champions League 1995, Ajax, and, the winners of the 1994–95 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord. This was the third...
- 1 × Dutch Cup (KNVB Cup)
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
: 1992–93
- 1 × UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1991–92
- 1 × UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1994–95
- 1 × UEFA Super Cup: 1995
The 1995 UEFA Super Cup was contested between the UEFA Champions League holders AFC Ajax and the Cup Winners' Cup holders Real Zaragoza. The cup was played later than usual, the two legs taking place in February 1996. The first leg was draw 1–1 at the La Romareda stadium in Zaragoza. The...
- 1 × Intercontinental Cup
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 1995The 1995 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on November 28, 1995 between Ajax, winners of the 1994-95 European Cup, and Grêmio, winners of the 1995 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo...
BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
- 2 × Spanish League (La Liga)
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1997–98, 1998–99
- 1 × Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey)
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1997–98The Copa del Rey 1997–98 is the 94th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on September 3, 1997 and concluded on April 29, 1998 with the Final, held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia.-1st Round:...
- 1 × UEFA Super Cup: 1997
The 1997 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 8 January 1998 and 11 March 1998 between Borussia Dortmund of Germany, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Champions League and Barcelona of Spain, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup...
AZ
- 1 × Dutch League (Eredivisie)
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 2008–09
Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
- 1 × German League (Fußball-Bundesliga)
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
: 2009–10The 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010...
- 1 × German Cup (DFB-Pokal)
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
: 2009–10The 2009–10 DFB-Pokal is the sixty-seventh season of the annual German football cup competition. It commenced on the weekend around 1 August 2009 with the matches of Round 1 and ended on 15 May 2010 with the final which is traditionally held at Olympic Stadium in Berlin...
- 1 × German Super Cup (DFB-Supercup)
The DFL-Supercup is a match between the winner of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. In 1997, this was superseded by a league cup called DFB-Ligapokal. In 2008, although not officially sanctioned by the DFB, the match returned as the T-Home Supercup featuring Bundesliga champions FC...
: 2010
Individual Honours
- 2 × Rinus Michels Award
The Rinus Michels Award is an annual prize in Dutch football. It is supported by the official football coaches union...
(2007, 2009)
- 1 × Dutch Sports Coach Of The Year (2009)
- 1 × Die Sprachwahrer des Jahres (2009)
- 1 × German Football Manager of the Year
The title Football Manager of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 2002. The award is determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication Kicker...
(2010)
See also
External links