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Louis van Gaal

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Louis van Gaal
Personal information
Full name Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal
Date of birth (1951-08-08) 8 August 1951 (age 73)
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
RKSV de Meer
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1972–1973 Ajax 0 (0)
1973–1977 Royal Antwerp 43 (7)
1977–1978 Telstar 25 (1)
1978–1986 Sparta Rotterdam 248 (26)
1986–1987 AZ 17 (0)
Total 333 (34)
Managerial career
1986–1988 AZ (assistant)
1988–1991 Ajax (assistant)
1991–1997 Ajax
1997–2000 Barcelona
2000–2002 Netherlands
2002–2003 Barcelona
2005–2009 AZ
2009–2011 Bayern Munich
2012– Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal OON, known as Louis van Gaal (Dutch pronunciation: [luˈwi vɑŋˈxaːɫ]; born 8 August 1951), is a Dutch football manager who is the current manager of the Dutch national team. He was formerly manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich; on 19 May 2014, van Gaal was appointed as the manager of Manchester United on a three-year contract beginning from the 2014-15 season.[2]

Before his career as a coach, Van Gaal played as a midfielder for Royal Antwerp, Telstar, Sparta Rotterdam and AZ. He 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 footballer.[3] Van Gaal is an avid proponent of attacking football, educated in the tradition of the Total Football playing style of Ajax and the Dutch national team of the 1970s.

After a brief spell as coach at AZ, Van Gaal served as assistant coach under Leo Beenhakker at Ajax and eventually took over as head coach in 1991. Under his lead, the club won three Eredivisie titles, the UEFA Cup, and the Champions League. Van Gaal moved to Barcelona in 1997 and won two Spanish league titles and one Copa del Rey. After some disagreements at Barcelona, he was appointed coach of the Netherlands national team, but failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Another brief spell at Barcelona followed before he became manager of AZ. After winning the Eredivisie with AZ in 2008–09, he was hired by Bayern Munich on 1 July 2009.[4] In his first season at Bayern, he secured the Bundesliga title, won the DFB-Pokal, and reached the final of the Champions League. In July 2012, he was appointed manager of the Netherlands for the second time.

Playing and early coaching career

Van Gaal in 1988.

Van Gaal was born in Amsterdam. As a youngster, he 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 Cruyff and Johan Neeskens in the midfield positions. He was loaned to Belgian First Division side Royal Antwerp playing under Guy Thys with whom he was runner-up in the Belgian top division in 1974 and 1975. After four years spent in Belgium, Van Gaal returned to his homeland and made his Eredivisie debut for Telstar under the guidance of manager, Mircea Petescu, whom he followed to Sparta Rotterdam. 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 Beenhakker's assistant. When Beenhakker left in 1991, Van Gaal took over as manager.[5]

Management career

Ajax (1991–1997)

Van Gaal was Ajax manager from 1991 until 1997 and had a very successful tenure. Under Van Gaal, Ajax became the Eredivisie champions three times, in 1994, 1995 (notably going the entire 1994–95 season unbeaten in both the league and the Champions League) and 1996.[6] He also led Ajax to the KNVB Cup in 1993 and the Johan Cruijff Shield in 1993, 1994, and 1995. On the European scene, Ajax captured the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 1995 after beating Milan in the final. The latter win was followed by a 5–1 aggregate win over Real Zaragoza in the 1995 UEFA Super Cup. Late in 1995, Ajax beat Brazilian side Grêmio on penalties to win the Toyota Cup (formerly Intercontinental Cup). Ajax were also Champions League runners-up in 1996 after losing to Juventus on penalties.

Ajax was so successful under Van Gaal's leadership that during the 1990s, the Dutch national team was dominated by Ajax players such as Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank and Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Winston Bogarde, Michael Reiziger, and Edwin van der Sar.

After serving out his contract at Ajax (1997), Van Gaal received his knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau.[7]

Barcelona (1997–2000)

He moved to Barcelona in 1997, taking over from Bobby Robson, and helped the team win two league championships (1997–98, 1998–99) and the Copa del Rey once.[6] 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.[8] His rows with Rivaldo are an example of this. Van Gaal insisted Rivaldo play as a left winger, whereas Rivaldo argued that he wanted to play in the centre, in effect undermining Van Gaal.[9]

Van Gaal eventually left the Catalan side on 20 May 2000,[8] days after losing the league title to Deportivo de La Coruña, uttering the immortal line: "Amigos de la prensa. Yo me voy. Felicidades." (Friends of the press. I am leaving. Congratulations.)[5] He returned to the Netherlands to manage the Dutch national team in preparation for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Dutch national team (2000–2002)

Under Van Gaal, the Netherlands started their campaign to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup poorly. Placed in Group 2, they could only manage to secure a late 2–2 draw at home to the Republic of Ireland, having been 2–0 down with 20 minutes to go. A 4–0 win over Cyprus was followed by a 2–0 defeat to Portugal, though the team went on to defeat Spain 2–1 in a friendly at the end of the year.

In 2001, the Netherlands beat Andorra, Cyprus and Estonia, but despite leading group leaders Portugal 2–0 with seven minutes left, drew 2–2 and fell three points behind second-place Ireland, who were unbeaten. When the sides met in Dublin, Ireland won 1–0 and the Netherlands fell seven points behind them with two games left to play, meaning that they failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Van Gaal stepped down as manager on 31 January 2002 to be replaced by Dick Advocaat. After this, speculation began that Van Gaal would succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United once Ferguson claimed he would retire that year. According to Van Gaal, Ferguson decided against retiring and the deal fell through.[10]

Return to Barcelona (2002–2003)

Van Gaal returned to Barcelona for the start of the 2002–03 season, but results were inconsistent. After four wins, four draws and three defeats from their opening 11 league matches, Barcelona lost three matches in a row, to Real Sociedad, relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla. Two wins and a draw improved things but after successive defeats to Valencia and Celta de Vigo, he was sacked in January 2003 with the club just three points above the relegation zone.[5][11]

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)

Van Gaal with AZ.

In January 2005, it was announced that he would replace Co Adriaanse as AZ manager on 1 July 2005.[12][13] Under Van Gaal, AZ finished second in the Eredivisie in 2005–06 and third in 2006–07. Van Gaal also led AZ to a runners-up finish in the 2006–07 KNVB Cup and lost a 2007–08 UEFA Champions League qualification play-off to Ajax 4–2 on aggregate.

Van Gaal initially announced he would leave AZ at the end of the 2007–08 season due to disappointing results, with the club finishing 11th in the Eredivisie.[14] However, when several players of the AZ squad pointed out that they would like Van Gaal to stay with AZ, Van Gaal said he would give the players a chance to prove themselves.

AZ started the 2008–09 season with two losses: 2–1 to NAC Breda and 0–3 to ADO Den Haag, but after that the Alkmaar-based club remained unbeaten until 18 April, topping the table ahead of FC Twente 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 Hamdaoui and Brazilian Ari. 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 in theory able to surpass AZ, lost 6–2 to PSV.[15][16]

Bayern Munich (2009–2011)

On 1 July 2009, Van Gaal took over as coach of Bayern Munich.[17][18] Van Gaal referred to his new employer as a "dream club". On 28 August 2009, Van Gaal strengthened his team by signing compatriot Arjen Robben from Real Madrid; this reunited the two, with Van Gaal selecting Robben for his debut in the Netherlands U20 team.[19][20][21]

Van Gaal got off to a poor start as Bayern 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 Leverkusen 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 Klinsmann. Van Gaal, however, kept insisting he is a prozesstrainer meaning that his team needs time to play the way he imagines.[22]

Van Gaal installed many youth players as fixtures in the starting 11, including Thomas Müller and Holger Badstuber, and also converted the winger Bastian Schweinsteiger into a defensive midfielder. A feud with Italian striker Luca Toni, 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. By March, Bayern had moved to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal and were top of the Bundesliga ahead of Leverkusen.

On 8 May 2010, FC Bayern were crowned Bundesliga champions following a 3–1 win at Hertha BSC,[23] making Van Gaal the first ever Dutch coach to win the Bundesliga.[24] 15 May 2010, Bayern won the DFB-Pokal with a 4–0 defeat of SV Werder Bremen, thus securing the domestic double.[25]

In the Champions League, Bayern won 4–4 on the away goals rule in the quarter-final against Manchester United[26] and 4–0 on aggregate against Olympique Lyonnais in the semi-final,[27] securing them a spot in the final, where Van Gaal was to meet his former pupil and assistant at Barcelona José Mourinho,[28] who was coaching Internazionale. Bayern lost the Champions League final 2–0, handing Inter a first Italian treble and thus failing to secure the treble themselves.[29] On 25 May 2010, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 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.[30] At the end of the season, Van Gaal was voted Manager of the Year by the German professional footballers in the yearly poll organized by VDV (professional players' union in Germany) and kicker.[31][32]

Van Gaal's Bayern started the 2010–11 season by winning the DFL-Supercup, which had been reinstalled after a 14-year absence.[33]

On 7 March 2011, Bayern Munich declared that Van Gaal's contract was to be cancelled after the end of the 2010–11 season.[34] However, he was instead sacked on 10 April 2011 after losing the third place in the Bundesliga.[35]

Return to Netherlands national team (2012–present)

Van Gaal with the Dutch national team in 2013

On 6 July 2012, Van Gaal was presented as the new Netherlands coach.[36] "I am happy that the KNVB approached me," said Van Gaal, who will be assisted by former Dutch internationals Danny Blind and Patrick Kluivert, both part of his successful Ajax squad from 1995. "This is the challenge which I have been waiting for."[37]

He led the Netherlands through its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification group as the team won nine and drew one of their ten matches with a goal difference of 34-5 to secure their place at the finals in Brazil.

Manchester United (2014–present)

It was always a wish for me to work in the Premier League. To work as a manager for Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, makes me very proud. I have managed in games at Old Trafford before and know what an incredible arena Old Trafford is and how passionate and knowledgeable the fans are. This club has big ambitions; I too have big ambitions. Together I'm sure we will make history.

[2]

Van Gaal was confirmed to replace David Moyes as the new manager for Manchester United on 19 May 2014.[2] He signed a three-year contract coming into effect after the 2014 World Cup.[2] Van Gaal named Ryan Giggs as his assistant manager, Marcel Bout as assistant coach, specialising in oppositional scouting, and Frans Hoek as goalkeeping coach.[2]

Career statistics

Club

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ajax 1971–72 0 0 - - - - 0 0
1972–73 0 0 - - - - 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Royal Antwerp 1973–74 10 2 - - - - 10 2
1974–75 3 0 - - - - 3 0
1975–76 19 4 - - - - 19 4
1976–77 10 1 - - - - 10 1
Total 42 7 0 0 0 0 42 7
Telstar 1977–78 25 1 - - - - 25 1
Total 25 1 0 0 0 0 25 1
Sparta Rotterdam 1978–79 31 5 - - - - 31 5
1979–80 33 1 - - - - 33 1
1980–81 33 5 - - - - 33 5
1981–82 24 1 - - - - 24 1
1982–83 33 5 - - - - 33 5
1983–84 34 2 - - - - 34 2
1984–85 30 4 - - - - 30 4
1985–86 31 3 - - - - 31 3
Total 248 26 0 0 0 0 248 26
AZ 1986–87 17 0 - - - - 17 0
Total 17 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
Career totals 333 34 0 0 0 0 333 34

Managerial statistics

As of 1 June 2014
Team From To Record
G W D L Win % Ref.
Ajax 28 September 1991 30 June 1997 278 190 50 38 068.35
Barcelona 1 July 1997 20 May 2000[38] 166 93 30 43 056.02
Netherlands 3 July 2000[39] 1 February 2002[40] 15 8 4 3 053.33
Barcelona 1 July 2002[41] 28 January 2003[42] 30 16 5 9 053.33
AZ Alkmaar 1 July 2005 30 June 2009 176 102 38 36 057.95
Bayern Munich 1 July 2009[18] 10 April 2011[35] 96 59 18 19 061.46 [43]
Netherlands 6 July 2012[36] Present 21 12 7 2 057.14
Manchester United 14 July 2014[2] Present 0 0 0 0 !—
Total 781 479 152 150 061.33 —

Honours

Van Gaal and FC Bayern players celebrating their Bundesliga victory in 2010.

Managerial honours

Ajax
Barcelona
AZ
Bayern Munich

Awards and achievements

Orders

Personal life

The youngest of nine brothers and sisters, Van Gaal was brought up as a Catholic. His father, a salesman, died when he was eleven. Van Gaal's first wife, Fernanda, with whom he had two daughters, Brenda and Renate, died of pancreatic cancer in 1994. He married his current wife, Truus, in 2008.[51]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ronay, Barney (19 May 2014). "Louis van Gaal: an aristocrat of the game". Irish Times. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Manchester United: Louis van Gaal confirmed as new manager". BBC. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  3. ^ van der Kaaij, Meindert (1997). Louis van Gaal (in Dutch). Utrecht: Kwadrat, cop. p. 43 onw. ISBN 90-6481-277-2.
  4. ^ James, Ryland (15 May 2009). "Bayern expect top marks from football professor Van Gaal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  5. ^ a b c "Louis van Gaal". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Louis van Gaal – colourful and controversial but he is a serial winner". The Guardian. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Over Louis" (in Dutch). louisvangaal.nl. Retrieved 21 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b "Van Gaal quits Barca". BBC. 20 May 2000. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  9. ^ Tynan, Gordon (22 December 1999). "Rivaldo is dropped following row with Van Gaal". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Man U close in on Van Gaal". The Guardian. London. 23 January 2002. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  11. ^ "Van Gaal leaves Barca". BBC. 28 January 2003. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  12. ^ "Jacht op eerherstel heropend". Trouw (in Dutch). 15 January 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  13. ^ "Van Gaal to take charge at Alkmaar". CNN. 14 January 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  14. ^ Ruizenaar, Theo (28 March 2008). "Van Gaal to step down as AZ Alkmaar coach". Reuters. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  15. ^ "AZ Alkmaar loses 2–1 to Vitesse in Dutch soccer league Saturday". The Canadian Press. 18 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  16. ^ "AZ Alkmaar wins Dutch First Division soccer title after PSV downs Ajax". The Canadian Press. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  17. ^ "Alkmaar approve switch: Van Gaal poised to take Bayern helm". FC Bayern. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  18. ^ a b "Bayern appoint Van Gaal as coach". BBC. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  19. ^ "Arjen Robben signs for Bayern Munich". USA Today. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  20. ^ "Van Gaal delighted with Robben". Virginmedia.com. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  21. ^ James, Ryland (15 May 2009). "Bayern expect top marks from football professor Van Gaal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  22. ^ "FC Bayern München, "Ferguson? Capello?"". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 16 October 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  23. ^ "Bayern celebrate title with win". ESPN. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  24. ^ "What a season..." Bundesliga.de. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  25. ^ "Bayern win Cup to clinch Double". BBC. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  26. ^ "United buckle under Bayern strain". UEFA. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  27. ^ "Olić treble takes brilliant Bayern to Madrid". UEFA. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  28. ^ "Soccer: Master Van Gaal takes on to pupil Mourinho". Associated Press. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  29. ^ "Bayern Munich 0 – 2 Internazionale". ESPN Soccernet. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  30. ^ Collins, Ben (25 May 2010). "Bayern want Van Gaal extension". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  31. ^ "Robben voted Germany's top Footballer". Supersport.com. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  32. ^ "Trainer des Jahres: Das Wahlergebnis". kicker (in German). 8 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  33. ^ "Bayern win German Supercup". Eurosport. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  34. ^ "Van Gaal Trainer bis Saisonende – Einvernehmliche Vertragsauflösung zum 30.6.2011". FcBayern.de. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  35. ^ a b "FC Bayern and Louis van Gaal part company". Bayern Munich. 10 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  36. ^ a b "Van Gaal returns to Dutch hot-seat". FIFA. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  37. ^ Scholten, Berend (6 July 2012). "Van Gaal returns for second Netherlands spell 2012". UEFA Official Website. Retrieved 6 July. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  38. ^ "Barcas Trainer van Gaal gibt auf". kicker (in German). 20 May 2000. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  39. ^ "Louis van Gaal soll auf Rijkaard folgen". kicker (in German). 3 July 2000. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  40. ^ "Bondscoach Van Gaal tritt zurück". kicker (in German). 30 November 2001. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  41. ^ "Van Gaal kehrt nach Barcelona zurück". kicker (in German). 13 May 2002. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  42. ^ "FC Barcelona entlässt van Gaal". kicker (in German). 28 January 2003. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  43. ^ "Bayern München" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  44. ^ "World Soccer Awards – previous winners". World Soccer. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  45. ^ ""Onze Mondial" Awards". RSSSF. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  46. ^ "Van Gaal honoured with 'Rinus Michels Award'". AEFCA. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  47. ^ "Louis van Gaal coach van het jaar" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ "Van Gaal zählt zu den Sprachwahrern des Jahres" (in German). Augsburger Allgemeine. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ "Trainer des Jahres: Das Wahlergebnis". kicker. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  50. ^ "Five things you should know about Louis van Gaal, Manchester United's new manager". Straitstimes. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  51. ^ "Manchester United's Louis van Gaal: Arrogant, dominant and innovative (and that's what he says about himself)". The Telegraph. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
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