How good is Louis van Gaal? Did Van Gaal win Champions League?

Aloysius Paulus Maria “Louis” van Gaal OON is the current head coach of the Netherlands national football team and a former player. He managed Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United at the club level, as well as three times as manager of the Netherlands national team.

Van Gaal has won 20 major awards during his managerial career, making him one of the most decorated managers in the history of football. He’s known as the “Iron Tulip” on occasion.

Following a brief stint as an assistant coach at AZ, Van Gaal joined Ajax as an assistant coach under Leo Beenhakker before taking over as head coach in 1991. The club won three Eredivisie titles, the UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League while he was in charge.

Van Gaal was later appointed as the manager of the Netherlands, although the team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2002. This was followed by a brief comeback to Barcelona before returning to AZ, where he won the Eredivisie, before being hired by Bayern Munich in 2009.

Despite announcing his retirement in 2019 due to family obligations, Van Gaal returned to management in August 2021 when he was named as the Netherlands’ head coach for the third time.