Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst (born 5 February 1975) is a Dutchfootball manager and former player. Originally amidfielder, he moved toleft-back later in his career.[3][4] He is currently an assistant coach forPremier League clubLiverpool.
After assisting theDutch under-21 team and Feyenoord, Van Bronckhorst became Feyenoord manager in May 2015. He won theKNVB Cup in his first season and the club's firstEredivisie title for 18 years in 2017. In November 2021, he returned to Rangers as manager, reaching theEuropa Leaguefinal and winning theScottish Cup in his first season. In June 2024, he signed a deal with Beşiktaş and won the2024 Turkish Super Cup in his first official match.
Van Bronckhorst began playing for a local amateur youth team in Rotterdam, Linker Maas Oever, from age six. He joined the youth academy atFeyenoord the following year.[5] In 1990, aged 15, the club offered him a professional contract, which he accepted.[5] He won the Dutch Youth League with Feyenoord in 1991, but struggled to break into the first team.[6] He was loaned out toRKC Waalwijk, making hisleague debut in 1993. He returned to Feyenoord for the1994–95 season, but was used as a fringe player, making only ten appearances for the club.[6] 1995–96 was his breakthrough season, as he started almost every match for Feyenoord, playing alongside the likes ofRegi Blinker,Jean-Paul van Gastel andHenrik Larsson.[6]
Domestically, with Feyenoord failing to break thePSV–Ajax stranglehold on the Eredivisie for the fourth-straight year, and major players such as Henrik Larsson leaving the team, Van Bronckhorst began to search for a new club.[7] He chose to joinDick Advocaat (his former manager at international U-16 and U-18 level) atRangers, joining the club in 1998 for a reported transfer fee between £5–5.5 million.[8]
Arsène Wenger had signed Van Bronckhorst in June 2001 for £8 million.[15][16] He sought to replace the midfield void from by the departure ofEmmanuel Petit from Arsenal, and so partneredPatrick Vieira in the centre.[17] However, Van Bronckhorst's start atHighbury was marked by acruciate knee ligament injury which saw him sidelined after only a few months at the club. Despite this, Van Bronckhorst went on to win thePremier League title in2001–02, and theFA Cup in2001–02 and2002–03 with Arsenal. In all, he made 64 appearances for the Gunners, scoring twice.[3][4][18]
As the 2003–04 season approached, Van Bronckhorst had the opportunity to move toBarcelona and work with its new head coachFrank Rijkaard on a one-year loan, with a view to a permanent transfer.[19]
Van Bronckhorst at Feyenoord in 2007
After adapting to his new role as a left-back, he helpedBarça to a revival in the second half of the season. In May 2004, Van Bronckhorst completed his move from Arsenal to Barcelona for a fee of €2 million, signing a three-year deal.[20] He won theLiga title in the2004–05 season after some of his finest displays together with four goals to his credit. In2005–06, he helped his club repeat as Liga champions while winning the2005–06 UEFA Champions League as well (he was the only player who participated in all Champions League matches that season). In Spain, he used "Gio" as the name on his shirt.[21]
Van Bronckhorst had a year remaining on his Barcelona contract in 2007, but returned to Feyenoord on 27 June 2007 due to a clause in his contract stipulating he could join Feyenoord on a free transfer.[21] Shortly after, head coachBert van Marwijk made him captain of the club. He would go on to become a pivotal member of the squad, providing stability in an injury-hit side. At the end of his first season, he led "De Stadionclub" to win the2007–08 KNVB Cup following a 2–0 victory inthe final againstRoda JC.[22]
Van Bronckhorst made his debut for the national Olympic team in 1996, although the Netherlands failed to qualify for the1996 Olympic Games inAtlanta.[6] He was given his first full international cap in August 1996, being given a starting place byGuus Hiddink in theOranje lineup to faceBrazil in a friendly at theAmsterdam Arena.[7] Van Bronckhorst scored his first goal forOns Oranje in August 1996 at theFNB Stadium againstSouth Africa. He was part of the Netherlands squad for the1998 FIFA World Cup, but did not play during the tournament.[7] He only saw limited action inEuro 2000 on home soil, as cover for left-backArthur Numan.
Van Bronckhorst as captain of the Netherlands in 2007
Van Bronckhorst (who was regularly played as a midfielder at club level at the time) was deployed by manager Dick Advocaat as a left-back atEuro 2004. The Netherlands reached the semi-finals of the tournament, only to fall to hostsPortugal.
Van Bronckhorst was a regular in the national team for the2006 World Cup qualification campaign. In the round of 16 match against Portugal (seeBattle of Nuremberg), he received ared card in a match that saw four red cards given, a World Cup record.[23]
Van Bronckhorst scored in aEuro 2008 qualifying match againstSlovenia on 28 March 2007. The Netherlands went on to win the match by 1–0.[24]
On 9 June 2008, in a group match againstItaly, he cleared the ball off his own line, ran deep into the Italian half, then delivered a cross toDirk Kuyt. Kuyt then headed down toWesley Sneijder who slotted the ball past the advancingGianluigi Buffon. Van Bronckhorst later scored another goal to condemn the then World Cup champions to a 3–0 defeat.[25]
Prior to Euro 2008, captainEdwin van der Sar announced his intention to retire from international football after the tournament; he played his last match as captain in the 3–1 quarter-final loss toRussia. Van Bronckhorst was named Van der Sar's replacement as captain.[26]
Van Bronckhorst was included in the Netherlands' preliminary squad for the tournament,[27] and on 27 May 2010, Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk announced he would be part of thefinal squad of 23 and would serve as team captain.[28] In the semi-final againstUruguay, he scored the opening goal of a 3–2 win. The powerful long-range strike – which rose into goalkeeperFernando Muslera's top left-hand corner – was widely considered one of the best goals in World Cup history.[29][30] In November 2022,FIFA included this goal in its list of the 22 best goals.[31]
Van Bronckhorst's final match for the Netherlands and as a professional footballer came in theWorld Cup final againstSpain.[32] He was substituted in the 105th minute forEdson Braafheid with the score 0–0, only forAndrés Iniesta to condemn the Dutch to a defeat, scoring the only goal of the match in the 116th minute. After ending the tournament as runners-up, Van Bronckhorst stated he was proud of what the team had achieved.[33]
Having retired at the end of the 2009–10 season prior to the 2010 World Cup, it was announced on 21 July 2011 that Van Bronckhorst would assist newly appointed Feyenoord managerRonald Koeman, alongside fellow ex-Feyenoord playerJean-Paul van Gastel.[34] Feyenoord finished the season second behind Ajax, thereby qualifying for the2012–13 UEFA Champions League.[35] On 23 March 2015, it was announced Van Bronckhorst would be the new manager of Feyenoord afterFred Rutten would leave at the end of that season.[36]
On his managerial debut on 8 August 2015, Van Bronckhorst won 3–2 at home toUtrecht, with the winning penalty coming fromDirk Kuyt, who had been brought back after nine years abroad.[37] In hisfirst full season, Van Bronckhorst led Feyenoord to win the2015–16 KNVB Cup after the club defeated Utrecht 2–1 in the final.[38] In hissecond season, Van Bronckhorst won theEredivisie title, Feyenoord's first in 18 years.[39]
On 18 November 2021, Van Bronckhorst was appointed manager of Rangers, 20 years after leaving as a player. He replacedSteven Gerrard, who had moved toAston Villa.[46]
On his Rangers managerial debut, he won 2–0 at home toSparta Prague in theUEFA Europa League group stage;[47] on hisScottish Premiership debut on 28 November, he won 3–1 atLivingston.[48] A run of seven consecutive league wins from his debut ended with a 1–1 draw atAberdeen on 18 January 2022,[49] and a series of ten unbeaten league games under his management ended on 2 February with a 3–0 loss atCeltic, ceding first place to the rivals.[50] Van Bronckhorst's Rangers did not recover first place in the league, which went to Celtic under their new managerAnge Postecoglou.[51] On the European front, the team made their first continental final since2008 with knockout victories overBorussia Dortmund,Red Star Belgrade,Braga andRB Leipzig. They lost the2022 final toEintracht Frankfurt on penalties.[52][53][54] Days later, Rangers won theScottish Cupfinal 2–0 againstHearts for their first such trophy since 2009, having earlier beaten Celtic in the semi-finals.[55] Rangers qualified for the2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage under van Bronckhorst, but then suffered six consecutive defeats in that tournament and fell nine points behind Celtic in the2022–23 Scottish Premiership. Van Bronckhorst was sacked by Rangers on 21 November, during theWorld Cup break.[56]
Van Bronckhorst with his technical staff and players, 2024
On 5 June 2024, Van Bronckhorst became the head coach of Turkish sideBeşiktaş, by signing a two-year deal with an option for another one-year extension.[57] He won the Turkish Super Cup and led the team to 8 matches undefeated in the league. Following the team's defeat by Israeli teamMaccabi Tel Aviv in theEuropa League he was sacked on 30 November 2024.[58][59]
Van Bronckhorst was born in Rotterdam to Victor van Bronckhorst, anIndonesian-Dutch father, and Fransien Sapulette, an Indonesian mother ofMoluccan descent.[5]
Van Bronckhorst and his wife Marieke have two sons.[61] Giovanni and Marieke founded the Giovanni van Bronckhorst Foundation (GvB Foundation) in 2008. Based inRotterdam, the Foundation aims to enable disadvantaged children transitioning from primary to secondary school to develop basic life skills to overcome personal and social barriers by encouraging participation in sport.[62][63]
^"公告：范布隆克霍斯特出任广州富力主教练" [Announcement: Giovanni van Bronckhorst appointed head coach of Guangzhou R&F.].Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 4 January 2020. Retrieved4 January 2020.
