Louis van Gaal will take over as Manchester United manager after this summer’s World Cup where he will be in charge of his home nation the Netherlands. Here are 10 things that United fans may not know about the 62-year-old.
1) Born in Amsterdam, van Gaal joined Ajax as a professional when he was 20-years-old, but he never played a first team game for them.
2) He left for Royal Antwerp after a year in the Dutch capital and played 42 games in four seasons in the Antwerp midfield.
3) The 1977/78 season saw him represent Telstar before he left for the club where he really made his name, Sparta Rotterdam. He played 248 games for the Dutch outfit across eight seasons before a sole season at AZ Alkmaar.
4) He then took up the assistant manager role at the club before taking the same job at Ajax, then in 1991 he was promoted to first team manager at the club.
5) He managed Ajax between 1991 – 1997 and finished with seven major trophies, including three league titles. He finished with a win percentage of nearly 69%.
6) His next job was at Barcelona, where he won two league titles, a Copa del Rey and a UEFA Super Cup in his three seasons.
7) He then managed the Dutch national side for two years, before returning to Camp Nou for a season. After four years in his next job, manager of AZ Alkmaar, he was hired as Bayern Munich boss.
8) His three seasons at Bayern ended with three major trophies, and was his last role before his current boss at Netherlands first team coach.
9) Since his appointment in 2012, van Gaal has won 11, drawn seven and lost two with the Dutch national side.
10) Van Gaal was awarded with the World Soccer Manager of the Year award in 1995.