Guus Hiddink: brought a green light for Russian football team!
Date of birth: 8 November 1946
Nationality: Dutch
Playing career: SC Varsseveld, De Graafschap (three times), PSV Eindhoven, NEC Nijmegen, Washington Diplomats, San Jose Earthquakes
Coaching career: De Graafschap, PSV Eindhoven (assistant), PSV, Fenerbahçe SK, Valencia CF, Netherlands, Real Madrid CF, Real Betis Balompié, Korea Republic, PSV, Australia, Russia
The Russian press had dubbed Guus Hiddink a coaching wizard long before a magical sequence of results conspired to send his side to UEFA EURO 2008™. Winger Yuri Zhirkov said: “What else can you call him, given that he has taken so many teams to World Cups and European Championships?”
Hired in April 2006 after winning another Dutch title with PSV Eindhoven and before taking unfancied Australia to the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup, the Dutchman – who signed a new two-and-a-half year deal in March – had previously steered the Netherlands and Korea Republic to World Cup semi-finals in 1998 and 2002 respectively. He returned to Eindhoven for 2002/03 and proved his Midas touch had not deserted him at club level either, winning the championship in his first term back at the PSV Stadion, adding a Dutch double in 2004/05 and running AC Milan all the way in an enthralling UEFA Champions League semi-final. The domestic crown was successfully defended in 2005/06, by which time Hiddink was also working with Australia, who he guided to the World Cup last 16 before a last-gasp penalty against Italy ended their hopes.
It was all a far cry from his undistinguished playing career, encompassing spells at SC Varsseveld, De Graafschap, PSV, NEC Nijmegen, Washington Diplomats and San Jose Earthquakes. As a coach, he joined the PSV set-up under Jan Reker and Hans Kraay, taking sole charge in March 1987 and piloting the club to three Dutch titles and a defeat of SL Benfica in the 1988 European Champion Clubs’ Cup final. Stints with some of Europe’s leading teams - Fenerbahçe SK, Valencia CF, Real Madrid CF and Real Betis Balompié, with the Netherlands job in between – further enhanced his reputation before he accepted the Korean challenge in 2001.
source here
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