Bert van Marwijk

Lore & Background

Van Marwijk was born in Deventer, Overijssel, on 19 May 1952. As a player, he appeared 393 times in the Eredivisie for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV Maastricht, and Fortuna Sittard, and earned one cap for the Netherlands in 1975. He won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord in 2002 and the KNVB Cup with Feyenoord in 2008. He managed the Netherlands from 2008 to 2012, leading them to the 2010 World Cup final, and later coached Saudi Arabia to the 2018 World Cup before leaving before the tournament; he then coached Australia during that World Cup.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicked the Philips Stadion turf under the floodlights. Van Marwijk stood on the sideline, hands clasped behind his back, eyes scanning the midfield battle. He didn't shout; he didn't need to. The players knew their assignments: press high, recover quickly, strike fast. A glance at the tactical board earlier had set the stage for this exact moment. As the final whistle approached, securing another point in a tight contest, he nodded once. Discipline over flair. That was the way.

Reader's Guide

Van Marwijk's managerial career began at Fortuna Sittard, then moved to Feyenoord (2000–2004, 2007–2008), Borussia Dortmund (2004–2006), the Netherlands national team (2008–2012), Hamburger SV (2013–2014), Saudi Arabia (2015–2017), Australia (2018), and the United Arab Emirates (2019–2022). He never managed PSV Eindhoven.

Did You Know?

• Van Marwijk won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord in 2002.
• He led the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final, losing 1–0 to Spain.
• He coached Australia at the 2018 World Cup after leaving Saudi Arabia.
• Van Marwijk was a klaverjas world champion in 1975.
• His daughter Andra married Dutch international Mark van Bommel.