Guus Hiddink

Guus Hiddink, born 8 November 1946, is a Dutch former professional footballer and manager. He spent most of his playing days as a midfielder in the Netherlands, retiring in 1982 before moving into coaching. Over his managerial career, he worked with clubs and national teams around the world, picking up major honours like the European Cup with PSV Eindhoven and the Intercontinental Cup with Real Madrid.

Hiddink grew up in Varsseveld and began playing for the youth side of local amateur club SC Varsseveld. He turned professional in 1967 when he signed for De Graafschap, where he played under manager Piet de Visser. During his second spell at the club, in 1973, Hiddink and de Visser helped De Graafschap win promotion to the Eredivisie. The two men’s careers stayed linked: when Hiddink managed PSV, de Visser scouted South American talents like Ronaldo, Romário, and Alex for the team. Later, as a personal advisor to Roman Abramovich, de Visser played a key role in getting Hiddink the Russia national team job and then a caretaker role at Chelsea after Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked.

Hiddink spent most of his playing career at De Graafschap, including three years under de Visser, and he remains a supporter of the club. He joined PSV in 1970 but couldn’t secure a regular spot, so he returned to De Graafschap after just one year and stayed until 1977. He came back to De Graafschap again in 1981 and retired a year later.

In management, Hiddink started as an assistant at PSV Eindhoven in 1983 before becoming head coach in March 1987. When he took over, PSV trailed Ajax by three points with ten games left, but they finished six points clear to win the league. That season, 1987–88, PSV won the European Cup for the first time, along with the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup to complete a treble. Under Hiddink, PSV claimed three straight league titles and three straight KNVB Cups. Berry van Aerle, who played under Hiddink at PSV in two separate periods, noted that Hiddink never took all the credit, always involving his staff and sharing responsibility. After a brief, unsuccessful stint at Fenerbahçe in 1990, Hiddink moved to Valencia.

Hiddink took over the Netherlands national team on 1 January 1995, facing the challenge of managing a talented but often divided squad. He used a 4–4–2 system with wingers and central midfielders, which allowed defensive midfielders like Philip Cocu and Edgar Davids to score. At Euro 1996, he sent Davids home after an argument, and the team lost to France on penalties in the quarter-finals. At the 1998 World Cup, the Dutch side played attractive football, beating Argentina 2–1 in the quarter-finals before losing to Brazil on penalties in the semi-finals and finishing fourth. Hiddink resigned soon after.

He became Real Madrid manager in summer 1998, replacing Jupp Heynckes, but was sacked in February 1999 due to poor league results and comments about the club’s board and finances. In 2000, he took over Real Betis for the rest of the season but was fired by May. That summer, despite rumours linking him to Celtic, Hiddink chose to coach South Korea, starting on 1 January 2001.

South Korea had reached five straight World Cups without winning a match. As co-hosts of the 2002 tournament with Japan, the team was expected to reach the second round. Hiddink faced heavy criticism from the South Korean media early on, partly because he was often seen with his girlfriend. After a 2–1 loss to the United States in January 2002, he was accused of not taking the job seriously. Still, he built a cohesive squad and focused on physical fitness. At the World Cup, South Korea won its first ever match, beating Poland 2–0. After a 1–1 draw with the U.S. and a 1–0 victory...