On August 8, 1951, Aloysius Paulus Maria “Louis” van Gaal, now the manager of the Netherlands national football team, was born. He held three different managerial positions with Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and the Netherlands at the club level.
Van Gaal ranks among the most decorated football managers in history with 20 major awards to his credit. On occasion, he is referred to as “Iron Tulip.”
Prior to starting his coaching career, Van Gaal played midfield for Royal Antwerp, Telstar, Sparta Rotterdam, Ajax, and AZ. He was a qualified physical education instructor who also played semi-pro football while working as a high school teacher.
Louis van Gaal teams coached
He has coached Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and the Netherlands three times among other teams.
When he was brought back to lead the Netherlands for a second time, he guided the country to third place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Later the following summer, he was hired by Manchester United, where he won the FA Cup, until being fired in 2016.
