AJAX WAS WHERE Van Gaal established a reputation as one of the world’s top coaches. In six seasons there, he won the Dutch League three times, finished second twice and third once.
He secured the UEFA Cup and helped the team reach two successive Champions League finals, winning once.
The 1995 European Cup final 1-0 win over AC Milan was undoubtedly his crowning glory. Long before Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ came on the scene, he managed to take a team with an average age of 23 and go the entire season unbeaten both in the Eredivisie and the Champions League.
By the time he left his role at Ajax to join Barcelona, he was practically a Dutch national hero, receiving a knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau prior to leaving for Spain.
2. Claiming two successive league titles at Barcelona
His time at Barcelona was not quite as triumphant as his Ajax tenure, despite similarly impressive achievements
In three seasons there, he won four trophies (two league titles, a UEFA Super Cup and a Copa del Rey) — no mean feat, especially considering that he was up against a Real Madrid side that won the Champions League twice during this period.
However, his time at Barca was marred by ongoing disputes with both the media and Brazilian star Rivaldo, widely regarded to be the best player in the world at the time, who wanted to play centrally but whom Van Gaal banished to the wing (Juan Mata must be hoping he isn’t afforded similar treatment).
Moreover, unlike at Ajax, he failed to bring the Spanish side much in the way of Champions League success, as they exited the competition at the group stages twice.
All in all though, his first spell at Barcelona was relatively successful, and he gave the impression that he was leaving on his own terms, famously telling the media amid his departure: “Friends of the press. I am leaving. Congratulations.”
Needing to prove himself all over again after his disastrous tenure as manager of the Dutch team, coupled with two unequivocally unsuccessful and brief second spells in various capacities at Barca and Ajax, Van Gaal took over at AZ Alkmaar — a relatively small club compared to others he had managed.
He did quite well initially finishing second and third in his first two seasons there, before an 11th place finish after spending a significant amount of money for a Dutch club ($20million) had him threatening to resign.
Yet the following season, Van Gaal went from the depths of despair to ecstasy, as AZ went on a 28-match unbeaten run to claim the Eredivisie title for just the second time in their history.
They were also the first side outside the ‘Big Three’ (PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord) to win the title for 28 years, with their fortune turning after Van Gaal decided to abandon his emphasis on possession-based football and adopt a more counter-attacking style.
He subsequently referred to the achievement as “my greatest little masterpiece”.
4. Doing the double and taking Bayern Munich to the Champions League final in the same season
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Louis van Gaal’s first season at Bayern was essentially one game away from being perfect. He secured a league and cup double and helped them reach the Champions League final.
They were eventually beaten by an Inter side in inspired form amid the season’s climax, but this could not significantly tar the immensely positive impact Van Gaal had made, as he became the first Dutch coach to win the Bundesliga.
Of course, his second season at Bayern would be an altogether different story — more on which later — but in the summer of 2010, it looked as if the veteran coach could be set to build an Ajax-esque dynasty in Germany.
Since agreeing to return as coach of the Netherlands on 6 July 2012, Van Gaal has exorcised the demons prompted by his previous disastrous effort at managing the national team.
Even if the World Cup does not go as planned, he can point to a qualification campaign that encompassed nine wins and one draw against some tricky opponents including Romania and Turkey, with an overall goal difference of 34-5.
Flanked by assistants, Danny Blind and Patrick Kluivert — two members of the famous 90s Ajax team he managed — he has taken a limited enough Dutch side and turned them into a force to be reckoned with.
Whether they can transcend these limitations (particularly in defence) and genuinely challenge for the World Cup trophy is unlikely, though it wouldn’t be the first near-miracle Van Gaal has achieved.
Like the majority of top-level managers, Van Gaal enjoyed a relatively modest playing career.
He joined the Ajax second team aged 20, but was never deemed good enough to be included in the first team.
Perhaps his failure at the Amsterdam club was inevitable, when he was competing with the legendary likes of Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens for a place in midfield.
He went on to play for Royal Antwerp, Telstar, Sparta Rotterdam and AZ, but never came close to reaching the heights he would later experience as a manager.
Thus, like Jose Mourinho among others, his arrogant demeanour is perhaps borne out of an insecurity at never having the talent and good fortune to excel as a footballer.
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EMPICS Sport
(A match programme from 1975 featuring Royal Antwerp’s Louis van Gaal)
2. Ireland v Holland
Prior to taking over as Dutch manager, Van Gaal had enjoyed considerable success at both Barcelona and Ajax.
Holland had exited their previous two tournaments at the semi-final stage, and thus, it seemed a match made in heaven when they were paired with a coach who clearly knew how to win trophies.
Yet somehow, it all went pear-shaped. They were beaten 2-0 by Portugal and could only draw the reverse fixture 2-2, despite the team leading with seven minutes to go.
A draw and a loss to Mick McCarthy’s Ireland sealed their fate, as Van Gaal went from a national hero to a national embarrassment, and Holland failed to qualify for a major tournament for the first time since 1986.
In his 2009 autobiography, Van Gaal revealed that he was originally set to manage Manchester United in 2002, owing to Alex Ferguson’s planned retirement.
A deal had been agreed for the Dutch coach to take charge, only for Ferguson to renege on his previous agreement and proceed to manage United for another 10 years.
This turn of events, coupled with his humiliation in failing to take Holland to the World Cup, must surely have had a devastating emotional impact on an inherent perfectionist like Van Gaal.
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EMPICS Sport
(Then-Manchester United Chief Executive Peter Kenyon is alleged to have approached Van Gaal about becoming United boss back in 2002)
4. His Barca return
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Van Gaal’s CV as far as United fans are concerned is his disastrous second spell at Barca.
Having won the league twice in his initial three-year spell there, he left after a disastrous six months the second time around.
Think Moyes at United only far worse — when he was sacked in January 2003, the club were just three points above the relegation zone.
They did manage to improve to an extent in his absence, but still only came sixth, making it Barcelona’s worst season in 15 years.
Van Gaal would have to work hard to restore his reputation after this brief and spectacular debacle seriously damaged it.
Life at Bayern started off perfectly for Van Gaal. He described the German team as his “dream club,” winning the league and cup in his first season there, in addition to reaching the final of the Champions League.
However, off the field, there were problems — he was continually at odds with the media, describing journalists’ questions as “parrot music” and he also fell out with and subsequently ostracised popular players, including Lucio, Mario Gomez and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.
While these issues were begrudgingly tolerated when Van Gaal was successful, with the club in fourth in the 2010-11 season and in danger of missing out on the Champions League, people suddenly weren’t willing to be so accommodating.
Consequently, few tears were shed at the Allianz Arena following his dismissal just prior to the campaign’s end.
5 of Louis van Gaal’s best moments in football and 5 of his worst
5 of his best…
1. The Ajax years
AJAX WAS WHERE Van Gaal established a reputation as one of the world’s top coaches. In six seasons there, he won the Dutch League three times, finished second twice and third once.
He secured the UEFA Cup and helped the team reach two successive Champions League finals, winning once.
The 1995 European Cup final 1-0 win over AC Milan was undoubtedly his crowning glory. Long before Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ came on the scene, he managed to take a team with an average age of 23 and go the entire season unbeaten both in the Eredivisie and the Champions League.
By the time he left his role at Ajax to join Barcelona, he was practically a Dutch national hero, receiving a knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau prior to leaving for Spain.
2. Claiming two successive league titles at Barcelona
His time at Barcelona was not quite as triumphant as his Ajax tenure, despite similarly impressive achievements
In three seasons there, he won four trophies (two league titles, a UEFA Super Cup and a Copa del Rey) — no mean feat, especially considering that he was up against a Real Madrid side that won the Champions League twice during this period.
However, his time at Barca was marred by ongoing disputes with both the media and Brazilian star Rivaldo, widely regarded to be the best player in the world at the time, who wanted to play centrally but whom Van Gaal banished to the wing (Juan Mata must be hoping he isn’t afforded similar treatment).
Moreover, unlike at Ajax, he failed to bring the Spanish side much in the way of Champions League success, as they exited the competition at the group stages twice.
All in all though, his first spell at Barcelona was relatively successful, and he gave the impression that he was leaving on his own terms, famously telling the media amid his departure: “Friends of the press. I am leaving. Congratulations.”
3. Winning the league with AZ Alkmaar
Needing to prove himself all over again after his disastrous tenure as manager of the Dutch team, coupled with two unequivocally unsuccessful and brief second spells in various capacities at Barca and Ajax, Van Gaal took over at AZ Alkmaar — a relatively small club compared to others he had managed.
He did quite well initially finishing second and third in his first two seasons there, before an 11th place finish after spending a significant amount of money for a Dutch club ($20million) had him threatening to resign.
Yet the following season, Van Gaal went from the depths of despair to ecstasy, as AZ went on a 28-match unbeaten run to claim the Eredivisie title for just the second time in their history.
They were also the first side outside the ‘Big Three’ (PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord) to win the title for 28 years, with their fortune turning after Van Gaal decided to abandon his emphasis on possession-based football and adopt a more counter-attacking style.
He subsequently referred to the achievement as “my greatest little masterpiece”.
4. Doing the double and taking Bayern Munich to the Champions League final in the same season
Louis van Gaal’s first season at Bayern was essentially one game away from being perfect. He secured a league and cup double and helped them reach the Champions League final.
They were eventually beaten by an Inter side in inspired form amid the season’s climax, but this could not significantly tar the immensely positive impact Van Gaal had made, as he became the first Dutch coach to win the Bundesliga.
Of course, his second season at Bayern would be an altogether different story — more on which later — but in the summer of 2010, it looked as if the veteran coach could be set to build an Ajax-esque dynasty in Germany.
5. Gaining redemption with the Netherlands
Since agreeing to return as coach of the Netherlands on 6 July 2012, Van Gaal has exorcised the demons prompted by his previous disastrous effort at managing the national team.
Even if the World Cup does not go as planned, he can point to a qualification campaign that encompassed nine wins and one draw against some tricky opponents including Romania and Turkey, with an overall goal difference of 34-5.
Flanked by assistants, Danny Blind and Patrick Kluivert — two members of the famous 90s Ajax team he managed — he has taken a limited enough Dutch side and turned them into a force to be reckoned with.
Whether they can transcend these limitations (particularly in defence) and genuinely challenge for the World Cup trophy is unlikely, though it wouldn’t be the first near-miracle Van Gaal has achieved.
And 5 of the worst…
1. His failure at Ajax as a player
Like the majority of top-level managers, Van Gaal enjoyed a relatively modest playing career.
He joined the Ajax second team aged 20, but was never deemed good enough to be included in the first team.
Perhaps his failure at the Amsterdam club was inevitable, when he was competing with the legendary likes of Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens for a place in midfield.
He went on to play for Royal Antwerp, Telstar, Sparta Rotterdam and AZ, but never came close to reaching the heights he would later experience as a manager.
Thus, like Jose Mourinho among others, his arrogant demeanour is perhaps borne out of an insecurity at never having the talent and good fortune to excel as a footballer.
(A match programme from 1975 featuring Royal Antwerp’s Louis van Gaal)
2. Ireland v Holland
Prior to taking over as Dutch manager, Van Gaal had enjoyed considerable success at both Barcelona and Ajax.
Holland had exited their previous two tournaments at the semi-final stage, and thus, it seemed a match made in heaven when they were paired with a coach who clearly knew how to win trophies.
Yet somehow, it all went pear-shaped. They were beaten 2-0 by Portugal and could only draw the reverse fixture 2-2, despite the team leading with seven minutes to go.
A draw and a loss to Mick McCarthy’s Ireland sealed their fate, as Van Gaal went from a national hero to a national embarrassment, and Holland failed to qualify for a major tournament for the first time since 1986.
3. Not getting the United job in 2002
In his 2009 autobiography, Van Gaal revealed that he was originally set to manage Manchester United in 2002, owing to Alex Ferguson’s planned retirement.
A deal had been agreed for the Dutch coach to take charge, only for Ferguson to renege on his previous agreement and proceed to manage United for another 10 years.
This turn of events, coupled with his humiliation in failing to take Holland to the World Cup, must surely have had a devastating emotional impact on an inherent perfectionist like Van Gaal.
(Then-Manchester United Chief Executive Peter Kenyon is alleged to have approached Van Gaal about becoming United boss back in 2002)
4. His Barca return
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Van Gaal’s CV as far as United fans are concerned is his disastrous second spell at Barca.
Having won the league twice in his initial three-year spell there, he left after a disastrous six months the second time around.
Think Moyes at United only far worse — when he was sacked in January 2003, the club were just three points above the relegation zone.
They did manage to improve to an extent in his absence, but still only came sixth, making it Barcelona’s worst season in 15 years.
Van Gaal would have to work hard to restore his reputation after this brief and spectacular debacle seriously damaged it.
5. Getting sacked by Bayern
Life at Bayern started off perfectly for Van Gaal. He described the German team as his “dream club,” winning the league and cup in his first season there, in addition to reaching the final of the Champions League.
However, off the field, there were problems — he was continually at odds with the media, describing journalists’ questions as “parrot music” and he also fell out with and subsequently ostracised popular players, including Lucio, Mario Gomez and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.
While these issues were begrudgingly tolerated when Van Gaal was successful, with the club in fourth in the 2010-11 season and in danger of missing out on the Champions League, people suddenly weren’t willing to be so accommodating.
Consequently, few tears were shed at the Allianz Arena following his dismissal just prior to the campaign’s end.
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