Fred Rutten

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rutten has managed Twente (assistant manager, manager and technical director) and PSV Eindhoven (youth coach and assistant manager). In the summer of 2008, he took over as head coach of Bundesliga club Schalke 04. On 26 March 2009, Rutten was sacked as Schalke manager. On 17 April 2009, Rutten signed a contract as the new manager of PSV Eindhoven, for the season 2009–10. Rutten's side remained undefeated for 39 consecutive games, a run that spanned from the 2008–09 season into the 2009–10 season. On 12 March 2012, Rutten was sacked as PSV manager following losses to Twente (2–6) and NAC (3–1) in the Eredivisie and to Valencia (4–2) in the Europa League. The following season Rutten served as Vitesse head coach where John van den Brom had been head coach before moving to Belgian side Anderlecht. Rutten left Vitesse after the 2012–13 Eredivisie season, finishing in fourth place. On 3 March 2014, Feyenoord released a statement confirming they had hired Rutten as their new head coach for the 2014–15 Eredivisie season. On 2 March 2015, Feyenoord announced that Rutten had decided not to extend his one-year contract, meaning he would leave the club at the end of the season. Feyenoord reached the knockout stage of the Europa League for the first time since the 2002–03 UEFA Cup with Rutten as head coach. On 17 May 2015, Feyenoord fired Rutten as head coach effective immediately after a 3–0 loss against PEC Zwolle, causing Feyenoord to finish 4th in the Eredivisie and missing out on directly qualifying for the Europa League. Rutten then had brief spells in the Middle East at Al Shabab and Maccabi Haifa. On 6 January 2019, he became head coach of Anderlecht. However, on 16 April, he was already fired after only 13 matches. On 20 May 2022, PSV confirmed that Rutten would return for the 2022–23 season as an assistant under head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy. On 23 February 2026, Rutten was appointed by FFK as the head coach of the Curaçao national football team after Dick Advocaat had stepped down. Three months later, Rutten would resign, following disagreements between him and the national players. Additionally, the national team faced pressure from the national team's sponsor, calling for the return of Advocaat.

In Their Own Story

The most significant turning point of Rutten's time at PSV occurred during the 2009–10 season. Under his leadership, the team embarked on a remarkable streak that saw them go unbeaten for 39 consecutive games in competition. This run showcased the tactical stability and resilience he instilled in the squad, marking one of the most consistent periods of the club's recent history. The momentum was hard to sustain indefinitely, however. These results led directly to the board's decision to sack him as manager on that same day, ending a tenure defined by a long unbeaten run but ultimately cut short by a sudden collapse.

Reader's Guide

Rutten's managerial honours include winning the KNVB Cup in 2001 and receiving the Rinus Michels Award in 2008.

Did You Know?

• Rutten spent his entire playing career with Twente from 1979 to 1992.
• He was sacked as Schalke manager on 26 March 2009.
• Rutten signed as PSV manager on 17 April 2009 for the 2009–10 season.
• His PSV side remained undefeated for 39 consecutive games, a run that spanned from the 2008–09 season into the 2009–10 season.
• He was fired as PSV manager on 12 March 2012.