Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis"van Gaal (Dutch pronunciation:[luˈʋivɑŋˈɣaːl]ⓘ;[a] born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch formerfootball player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor forAjax. At club level, he served as manager ofAjax,Barcelona,AZ,Bayern Munich andManchester United, as well as having three spells in charge of theNetherlands national team. Van Gaal has won 20 major honours in his managerial career at club level, along with 3 stints as coach of the Dutch national team.[4][5] He is sometimes nicknamed the "Iron Tulip".[6][7][8]
Before his career as a coach, Van Gaal played as a midfielder forRoyal Antwerp,Telstar,Sparta Rotterdam, Ajax and AZ. He is also a qualifiedphysical education teacher, and worked at high schools during his career as a semi-professional footballer.[9] After a brief spell as an assistant coach at AZ, Van Gaal served as an assistant underLeo Beenhakker at Ajax, and eventually took over as head coach in 1991. Under his lead, the club won threeEredivisietitles, theUEFA Cup and theUEFA Champions League. He moved to Barcelona in 1997 and won twoleague titles and oneCopa del Rey, but left after disagreements with the club's hierarchy.
Van Gaal was then appointed at theNetherlands, but failed to qualify for the2002 FIFA World Cup. This preceded another brief spell at Barcelona, before he returned to AZ, where he won an Eredivisie title, the club's second ever in its history. He moved to Bayern Munich in 2009, and in Germany won theBundesliga, theDFB-Pokal and reached the final of the UEFA Champions League. He returned to manage the Netherlands for a second time, where he led the nation to a third-place finish at the2014 FIFA World Cup. He was appointedmanager of Manchester United later that summer, where he won theFA Cup before he was dismissed only days later. Despite announcing his retirement in 2019, due to family reasons, Van Gaal returned to management in August 2021, when he was appointed as head coach of the Netherlands for a third time.[10] He retired from management after the2022 FIFA World Cup.
Van Gaal was born inAmsterdam.[2] As a youngster, he started playing for the Amsterdam amateur side RKSV de Meer. At the age of 20, he joined the second team ofAjax, but was never chosen to play in the first team, which at the time boasted players such asJohan Cruyff andJohan Neeskens in the midfield positions. He was loaned toBelgian First Division sideRoyal Antwerp playing underGuy Thys with whom he was runner-up in the Belgian top division in1974 and1975. During his time with Antwerp, Van Gaal suffered a broken nose in a friendly againstKortrijk.[11] After four years spent in Belgium, he returned to his homeland and made hisEredivisie debut forTelstar under the guidance of manager,Mircea Petescu, whom he followed toSparta Rotterdam. He later joinedAZ, where he also became assistant coach in 1986. After a short career at AZ, he returned to Ajax to becomeLeo Beenhakker's assistant. When Beenhakker left in 1991, Van Gaal took over as manager.[12]
Van Gaal moved toBarcelona in 1997, taking over fromBobby Robson, and helped the team win twoLa Liga titles (1997–98,1998–99) and theCopa del Rey once.[13] Despite this success, he clashed with the media and came under criticism. He 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.[19] His rows withRivaldo 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.[20]
Van Gaal eventually left the Catalan side on 20 May 2000,[19] days after losing theleague title toDeportivo La Coruña, uttering the immortal line: "Amigos de la prensa. Yo me voy. Felicidades." ("Friends of the press. I am leaving. Congratulations.")[12] He returned to the Netherlands to manage the Netherlands national team in preparation for the2002 FIFA World Cup.
Under Van Gaal, the Netherlands started their campaign to qualify for the 2002 World Cup poorly. Placed inGroup 2, an injury-hit side could only manage to secure a late 2–2 draw at home to theRepublic of Ireland, having been 2–0 down with 20 minutes to go.[21] A 4–0 win overCyprus was followed by a 2–0 defeat toPortugal.
In 2001, the Netherlands beatAndorra,Cyprus andEstonia, but despite leading group leaders Portugal 2–0 with seven minutes left, drew 2–2 and fell three points behind second-place Republic of Ireland, who were unbeaten. When the sides met inDublin, Van Gaal boasted before the match that his squad was so much more talented, even the Irish fans would want them to qualify. Ireland went down to ten men after 58 minutes but scored nine minutes later and won 1–0. The Netherlands fell seven points behind them with two games left to play, meaning that they failed to qualify for theWorld Cup for the first time since1986.[22] Van Gaal stepped down as manager on 31 January 2002 to be replaced byDick Advocaat. After this, speculation began that Van Gaal would succeedSir Alex Ferguson atManchester United once Ferguson claimed he would retire that year. According to Van Gaal, Ferguson decided against retiring and the deal fell through.[23]
Van Gaal returned to Barcelona for the start of the2002–03 season on a contract until June 2005, but results were inconsistent. The club won a record-equalling ten successive matches inthe Champions League but struggled inLa Liga. After four wins, four draws and three defeats from their opening 11 league matches, Barcelona lost three matches in a row, toReal Sociedad, relegation-threatenedRayo Vallecano andSevilla. Two wins and a draw improved things but after successive defeats toValencia andCelta Vigo, he left by mutual consent on 28 January 2003 with the club in 12th place, just three points above the relegation zone and 20 points behind leaders Real Sociedad.[12]
His transfers, particularly the signings of goalkeeperRobert Enke, midfielderGaizka Mendieta and playmakerJuan Román Riquelme, all disappointed.[24] Riquelme had been bought to replace Rivaldo, whom Van Gaal had released on a free transfer, despite having a year left on his contract. The two had fallen out during Van Gaal's previous tenure and after Van Gaal returned, Rivaldo said: "Van Gaal is the main cause of my departure. I don't like Van Gaal, and I am sure that he doesn't like me, either."[25] Van Gaal replied that Rivaldo's lack of commitment was the reason he was released, saying that he "was only interested in making more money and playing less. He was chosen as the best player in 1999, but he has not handled himself well since then and has not behaved like a footballer should. He had illusions about Barca and was requesting to take holidays when important Champions League games were approaching. He then hides back home in Brazil. He plays for Brazil like we needed him to at Barcelona, and he has proved this in the World Cup finals, showing he reserved himself for Japan."[26] Rivaldo joinedAC Milan and won that season's Champions League. However, due to his poor performances throughout the season, he won the Bidone d'Oro Award in 2003, which is given to the worst Serie A player during a particular season.[27]
In January 2005, it was announced that Van Gaal would replaceCo Adriaanse as AZ manager on 1 July 2005.[30][31] Under Van Gaal, AZ finished second in the Eredivisie in2005–06 and third in2006–07. Van Gaal also led AZ to a runners-up finish in the2006–07 KNVB Cup and lost a2007–08 Champions League qualification play-off to Ajax 4–2 on aggregate.
Van Gaal initially announced he would leave AZ at the end of the2007–08 season due to disappointing results, with the club finishing 11th in the Eredivisie.[32] When several players of the AZ squad said that they would like him to stay with AZ, however, Van Gaal said he would give the players a chance to prove themselves.
AZ started the2008–09 season with two losses: 2–1 toNAC Breda and 0–3 toADO Den Haag, but after that the Alkmaar-based club remained unbeaten until 18 April, topping the table ahead ofTwente and Ajax for the entire season, despite being predicted to finish as low as 13th by pundits.[33] AZ had the best defensive record in the Eredivisie and the second-best goalscoring record, behind Ajax, thanks to its offensive duo of league topscorerMounir El Hamdaoui and BrazilianAri. They were crowned league champions on 19 April, one day after AZ suffered an unexpected loss at home toVitesse, which ended a string of 28 unbeaten games (surpassing the team's1980–81 record of 25 unbeaten games). That same day Ajax, which was the only opponent that would have been able to surpass AZ given a win, lost 6–2 toPSV.[34][35]
Van Gaal and Bayern Munich players celebrating their Bundesliga victory in 2010
On 1 July 2009, Van Gaal took over as coach ofBayern Munich.[36][37] He referred to his new employer as a "dream club". On 28 August 2009, he strengthened his team by signing compatriotArjen Robben fromReal Madrid; this reunited the two, with Van Gaal selecting Robben for his debut in the Netherlands U20 team.[38][39][40]
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 aChampions Leaguegroup stage exit following two losses toBordeaux. WithBayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga, speculation was rampant that he was on the brink of a departure from Bayern even earlier than his predecessorJürgen Klinsmann. Van Gaal, however, kept insisting he is a "prozesstrainer", meaning that his team needs time to play the way he imagines.[41]
Van Gaal installed many youth players as fixtures in the starting 11, includingThomas Müller andHolger Badstuber, and also converted the wingerBastian Schweinsteiger into a defensive midfielder. A feud with Italian strikerLuca Toni, who had played an important role in Bayern's2007–08league andcupdouble, led to Toni's move toRoma. Bayern Munich's form, however, improved with two Champions League victories including an impressive 4–1 victory overJuventus inTurin, which allowed them to progress from their group in second position behind Bordeaux. By March, Bayern had moved to the semi-finals of theDFB-Pokal and were top of theBundesliga, ahead ofBayer Leverkusen.
On 8 May 2010, Bayern were crownedBundesliga champions following a 3–1 win atHertha Berlin,[42] making Van Gaal the first ever Dutch coach to win the Bundesliga.[43] On 15 May 2010, Bayern won the DFB-Pokal with a 4–0 victory overWerder Bremen, thus securing the domesticdouble.[44]
In the Champions League, Bayern won 4–4 on theaway goals rule in the quarter-final against Manchester United[45] and 4–0 on aggregate againstLyon in the semi-final,[46] securing them a spot in the final, where Van Gaal was to meet his former pupil and assistant at Barcelona,Internazionale coachJosé Mourinho.[47] Bayern, however, lost thefinal 2–0, handing Inter a first Italiantreble and thus failing to secure the treble themselves.[48] 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, despite Van Gaal still having one year of his contract to fulfil.[49] At the end of the season, Van Gaal was votedManager of the Year in the yearly poll organized by VDV (professional players' union in Germany) and German magazinekicker.[50][51]
Van Gaal's Bayern started the2010–11 season by winning theDFL-Supercup, which had been officially reinstated after a 14-year absence.[52]
On 7 March 2011, Bayern Munich declared that Van Gaal's contract was to be cancelled after the end of the 2010–11 season.[53] However, he was instead sacked on 10 April 2011 after losing the third place in the Bundesliga.[54]
On 6 July 2012, Van Gaal was presented as the new Netherlands coach.[55] "I am happy that the KNVB approached me", said Van Gaal, who was assisted by former Dutch internationalsDanny Blind andPatrick Kluivert, both part of his successful Ajax squad from 1995. "This is the challenge which I have been waiting for."[56]
Van Gaal led the Netherlands through its2014 World Cupqualification group as the team won nine and drew one of their ten matches with a goal difference of 34–5. Qualification was secured with two matches to spare, following a 2–0 away win against Andorra on 10 September 2013.[57]
Despite their successful qualifying campaign, expectations surrounding the Netherlands national team were comparatively low due to mixed pre-tournament friendly performances and the failure of the Dutch squad in Euro 2012, where they suffered three defeats out of three in the group stages in that tournament. In their first group game at the World Cup, at theEstádio Fonte Nova inSalvador, however, Van Gaal's Dutch team came from behind to defeat reigning champions Spain 5–1.[58] The Dutch victory over Spain was attributed in part to Van Gaal's use of counter-attacking tactics which disrupted thetiki-taka possession-based football of the Spanish team. His use of a3–5–2formation was notable, as opposed to the typical Dutch4–3–3 and this helped the Netherlands to tactically take advantage of Spain's weaknesses.[59]In their next match, the Dutch were trailing 2–1 toAustralia in the second half of their second group game, before winning 2–3 with the winning goal from young substituteMemphis Depay.[60]
Ahead of the last game in the group, Van Gaal accusedFIFA of "playing tricks" in the scheduling of matches to advantage the home nation, asBrazil were to play their last group match four hours after the Dutch, who they could meet in the round of 16 depending on their result. Brazil managerLuiz Felipe Scolari reacted by saying: "It was FIFA who chose the kick-off time. Some people expressed a view that we were going to choose who we were going to play. Those sorts of comments are either stupid or ill-intentioned." Van Gaal also criticised the referees who had awarded penalties against the Dutch in both of their matches, calling the decisions "unjustified" and "incorrect".[61]
The Dutch won their last group match againstChile 2–0 to advance through as group winners.[62] They then defeatedMexico 2–1 in the round of 16, coming behind from aGiovani dos Santos goal in the 45th minute, withWesley Sneijder andKlaas-Jan Huntelaar scoring in the 89th and 90+2 minutes respectively.
During their quarter-final match againstCosta Rica in the World Cup, Van Gaal made the decision to substitute first-choicegoalkeeperJasper Cillessen forTim Krul in the final minute ofextra time; as Krul had not played at all in the Netherlands' four prior matches at the tournament, Van Gaal saved one of his three allowed substitutions to bring Krul on.[63] This decision paid off, as Krul saved two of the Costa Rican penalties to send the Netherlands through to the semi-finals to faceArgentina. The Dutch team lost to Argentina in another penalty shootout. Van Gaal ended his tenure[64] as Netherlands manager on 12 July 2014 when the Dutch beat the hosts Brazil 3–0 in the third/fourth place play-off match with goals fromRobin van Persie,Daley Blind andGeorginio Wijnaldum.[65]
Van Gaal was confirmed to replaceDavid Moyes as the new manager forManchester United on 19 May 2014, becoming the club's first manager from outside the British Isles.[66] He signed a three-year contract coming into effect after the 2014 World Cup.[66] He namedRyan Giggs as his assistant manager,Marcel Bout as assistant coach, specialising in oppositional scouting andFrans Hoek as goalkeeping coach.[66]Albert Stuivenberg was appointed as assistant coach.[67] Van Gaal said he had inherited a "broken" United squad,[68][69][70] and that he would give youth a chance.[71]Ed Woodward said Van Gaal had "impressed everyone around the club" and that there was "a real positive energy and buzz around the place".[72]
Van Gaal's first signings were midfielderAnder Herrera for £29 million,[73][74] and defenderLuke Shaw for £30 million.[75][76] On 20 August, Argentine defenderMarcos Rojo was bought for €20 million fromSporting CP[77] and, on 26 August, United signed Argentine wingerÁngel Di María fromReal Madrid on a five-year contract. Di María's £59.7 million fee set a new record for a signing by an English club, and took the club's summer spending to a reported £130 million.[78] On transfer deadline day, Van Gaal signedDaley Blind from Ajax for a fee of £14 million[79] and was granted an extension to signRadamel Falcao on loan fromMonaco for a reported £6 million.[80]
After ten league matches, United were in ninth place with 13 points and three victories, their worst start to the season since1986–87 underRon Atkinson.[88] Their poor run included a 5–3 defeat to newly promotedLeicester City. The squad was suffering from injuries, including to new signings Herrera, Rojo and Falcao.[88] Van Gaal reacted to the poor form by saying that it would take three years to take his United team to their full potential.[89]
On 4 February 2015, Van Gaal was charged byThe Football Association over comments he made about the refereeChris Foy, saying: "Every aspect of a match is against us – the pitch, the referee" during United's goalless draw in an FA Cup fourth-round match againstCambridge United.[90] After a requested hearing with the FA, Van Gaal was cleared of his charges, but was warned of future conduct.[91] On 8 February, Van Gaal was criticised byWest Ham United managerSam Allardyce for hislong ball tactics after the Hammers conceded a late equaliser to United. Van Gaal responded to the criticism with statistics which seemed to show that West Ham played more long balls than his side.[92][93] His tactics were defended by fellow managersArsène Wenger andGarry Monk.[94][95]
United's form improved as the season progressed. A run of seven consecutive Premier League wins was part of a ten-match unbeaten run that started with a 1–0 home win overCrystal Palace on 8 November 2014 and was ended bySouthampton, who won 1–0 at Old Trafford on 11 January 2015.[96] United completed another sequence of seven league wins in a row between 28 February and 12 April, concluding with an impressive 4–2 defeat of champions andlocal rivalsManchester City. This was followed by three consecutive losses toChelsea,Everton andWest Bromwich Albion.[97] United were also knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the2014–15 FA Cup by holders and eventual winnersArsenal, who inflicted a 2–1 home defeat on Van Gaal's team on 9 March.[98]
In hisfirst season, Van Gaal led Manchester United to a fourth-place finish, three places and six points higher than the previous season.[99]
United comfortably defeatedClub Brugge in the qualifying round of the2015–16 Champions League to earn a place in the group stage. Domestically, United were solid in defence and went top of thePremier League at the end of September; however, mixed results followed, leaving them in fourth position going into November. They were eliminated from theLeague Cup byChampionship clubMiddlesbrough and were eliminated from the Champions League at thegroup stage on 8 December after a 3–2 loss away toVfL Wolfsburg. They finished third in their group and subsequently dropped down to theUEFA Europa League.[100] Fifteen days later, Van Gaal walked out of a press conference after being questioned about his future, amid speculations of dismissal following a six-game run without a win. He concluded: "I wish you a merry Christmas and maybe also a happy new year when I see you."[101]
The new year began well for the Dutchman with wins against Swansea City,Sheffield United and Liverpool, and a draw againstNewcastle United. Manchester United, however, lost to Southampton on 23 January, rekindling rumors about Van Gaal offering to resign, but having his resignation rejected by United executiveEd Woodward.[102]
After a 3–0 defeat away toTottenham Hotspur on 10 April, several United players reportedly turned on Van Gaal in the dressing room, calling him "clueless" and questioning his tactics after he openly criticized young strikerMarcus Rashford and several other players and made several questionable decisions during the match, a result which left United four points off fourth-placed Manchester City.[103]
On 21 May 2016, Van Gaal won his only trophy with Manchester United, theFA Cup, when his side defeated Crystal Palace2–1 after extra time;Jesse Lingard's winning goal made United match Arsenal's then-record of 12 FA Cups.[104] Two days later, Van Gaal and the Dutch members of his staff were sacked by the club.[105]
On 17 January 2017, it was announced that Van Gaal had retired "for family reasons".[106] He later said that it was only asabbatical.[107] He announced his official retirement from football on 12 March 2019.[108][109]Telstar announced that during the2021–22 Eerste Divisie, Van Gaal would be managing the Telstar squad for one single match as a charity event.[110]
Third stint at the Netherlands national team (2021−2022)
On 4 August 2021, Van Gaal came out of retirement to take charge of theNetherlands national team for a third time. He replacedFrank de Boer, who left the position in June following the team's disappointingEuro 2020 campaign.[111]
Van Gaal's first match in his third stint at the Netherlands national team was a 1–1 draw against Norway on 1 September 2021.[112]
In the2022 FIFA World Cup, the Netherlands finished top of Group A, then they defeated theUnited States 3–1 in the round of 16.[113] On 9 December, Van Gaal and his Netherlands side lost again to Argentina on penalties, this time in the quarter-finals.[114] Following their exit from the World Cup, Van Gaal resigned as head coach of the Netherlands national team, after 20 matches without defeat in his third stint.[115]
Van Gaal is considered to be one of the greatest and most successful managers of all time.[4][5][116][117] He served as an inspiration for several other coaches due to his teams' style of play and his use of a back–three defensive line, includingGian Piero Gasperini andAlberto Malesani, as well as influencing his former assistant José Mourinho, and his former playersPep Guardiola andLuis Enrique.[118][119][120][121][122] Due to his rigorous, stern, authoritative style, and strong personality he was occasionally nicknamed the "Iron Tulip" throughout his career, a nickname which Van Gaal himself despised, as he always believed that he had been "fair" as a coach.[6][7][8][123] Although he had several controversial conflicts with his players, the press, and members of his teams' management staff throughout his career, he was known for his leadership, and often saw himself as a "relationship" manager, who saw the importance of the mental aspect of the game, and was known for his ability develop young players, promote his philosophy, and create strong relationships with them, as was the case during his time at Ajax in the 90s.[124]
In an interview withFIFA in January 2008, Van Gaal spoke of the importance of his football philosophy rather than the systems he used, as well as the need for flexibility as a coach, as demonstrated by his use of several formations throughout his career, such as the 4–3–3 and 3–3–1–3/3–4–3 with Ajax, the 2–3–2–3 at Barcelona, the 4–4–2 at AZ Alkmaar, and the 4–2–3–1 with Bayern Munich. He also believed that it was imperative to prepare the game well from a tactical standpoint as a coach, and for his teams' players to be disciplined and hard-working in their approach to training.[125][126][127][128][129][130]
At Ajax, Van Gaal's style of using set patterns of play was inspired by Dutchtotal football, which was popularised by fellow former Ajax managerRinus Michels; his players were therefore known for their quick passing as well as their versatility.[126] He brought in experts from different sports as part of his coaching staff to improve the players' athletic qualities through rigorous training, including physiologist Jos Geysel, running coach and ex-basketball player Laszlo Jambor, and the club's strength and conditioning coach Rene Wormhoudt.[126] Van Gaal also used Van der Sar as asweeper keeper, who would not only rush out of his area to clear the ball away from danger, but also build-up plays from the back with his passing and ability with his feet; his defenders, in particular thesweeper in thecentre of the back–three, were also required to be comfortable controlling and distributing the ball out from the back.[126][131][132][133] The team were not only known for their technical ability, tactical sense, and exciting playing style, but for their athletic and physical qualities as well.[126][134] Defensively, Van Gaal also made use of a high defensive line and pressing off the ball when not in possession.[135][136]
Van Gaal believed in playing attractive attacking football based on possession, with which his teams became associated in his early career;[126][137][138] however, he also believed that success was imperative above all.[139][140] At AZ Alkmaar, although he initially retained his traditional Dutch style,[118] he later also adopted a more counter-attacking style en route to winning the league title in 2009.[140] He also deviated from the traditional Dutch style as head coach of the Netherlands during the 2014 World Cup; he played in a more defensive–minded counter-attacking style, using a 5–3–2/3–5–2 formation, which used aspects of man-marking and overlapping wing-backs. The system proved to be successful against defending champions Spain'stiki-taka possession-based style in the team's first-round victory, and complemented the qualities of the team's forwards.[139][141][142] Van Gaal also used a similar counter-attacking tactical approach during his third spell as head coach of the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup, using a 3–4–1–2 formation, which divided critics.[143][144][145] During his time as manager of Manchester United, he also drew criticism from other managers and pundits for his perceived use of "long ball" tactics toMarouane Fellaini, something which Van Gaal himself denied,[146] fieldingMarouane Fellaini as a deep-lyingtarget man up-front on occasion in a 4–3–3, in order to utilise his ability in the air.[147][148]
Despite his achievements, Cruyff was often critical of what he perceived as being Van Gaal's more rigid coaching style, in comparison to his own more intuitive approach, commenting: "Van Gaal has a good vision on football. But it's not mine. He wants to gel winning teams and has a militaristic way of working with his tactics. I don't. I want individuals to think for themselves and take the decision on the pitch that is best for the situation... I don't have anything against computers, but you judge football players intuitively and with your heart. On the basis of the criteria which are now in use at Ajax [recommended by Van Gaal] I would have failed the test. When I was 15, I could barely kick the ball 15 metres with my left and with the right maybe 20 metres. I would not have been able to take a corner. Besides, I was physically weak and relatively slow. My two qualities were great technique and insight, which happen to be two things you cannot measure with a computer."[149]
The youngest of nine brothers and sisters, Van Gaal was brought up as a Catholic. His father, a salesman, died when Van Gaal was 11. At the age of 18, Van Gaal met Fernanda Obbes at a Catholic youth group. They married three years later, and had two daughters, Brenda and Renate. In 1994, Obbes died ofliver andpancreatic cancer. Van Gaal was mocked by fans of Ajax's opponents for her illness.[150] In 2008, Van Gaal married his current wife, Truus, with whom he shares a holiday home nearAlbufeira,Algarve, Portugal.[151]
On 3 April 2022, Van Gaal said that he was receiving treatment for prostate cancer.[153][154] On 12 April 2022, he said that his treatment was successful.[155]
In 2000, Van Gaal appeared inNike's "The Mission" campaign advertising theirTotal 90 range of football equipment. In the advert, Van Gaal sends a team of Nike-sponsored players to retrieve a Nike Geo Merlin ball being held in a secure facility by robot ninjas.Oliver Bierhoff protests, "It's just a ball", to which Van Gaal responds, "No! It's rounder!" After the players retrieve the ball, Van Gaal pilots the escape helicopter to safety.[156]
In 2022,Geertjan Lassche made a two-hour documentary about Louis van Gaal, entitledLouis, with the tagline "The man behind the legend". It premiered on 11 April at theTuschinski Theatre in Amsterdam. It was released on 14 April 2022.[157][158]
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