Leo Beenhakker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Beenhakker)
Jump to: navigation, search
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth 2 August 1942 (1942-08-02) (age 69)
Place of birth Rotterdam, Netherlands
Teams managed
Years Team
1972–1975 SC Cambuur
1975–1976 Go Ahead Eagles
1979–1981 AFC Ajax
1981–1984 Real Zaragoza
1985 FC Volendam
1985–1986 Netherlands
1986–1989 Real Madrid
1989–1991 AFC Ajax
1990 Netherlands
1992 Real Madrid
1992–1993 Grasshopper-Club Zürich
1993–1994 Saudi Arabia
1994–1995 Club América
1995 İstanbulspor A.Ş.
1995–1996 Guadalajara
1996–1997 Vitesse
1997–2000 Feyenoord Rotterdam
2000–2003 AFC Ajax (Technical director)
2003–2004 Club América
2004–2005 De Graafschap
2005–2006 Trinidad and Tobago
2006–2009 Poland
2007 Feyenoord (ad interim)
2009–2011 Feyenoord (Technical Director)
2011– Újpest FC (Sports Director)

Leo Beenhakker (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈleˑjoˑ ˈbeˑnˌɦɑkər] ) (born 2 August 1942 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland) is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.

Contents

[edit] Coaching career

He has been the coach of several prestigious clubs including Ajax, Feyenoord, Real Madrid, Real Zaragoza and Club América. He has also coached the Saudi Arabian and Dutch national teams. He coached the national team of Trinidad and Tobago in the year leading up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Under Beenhakker's guidance the team managed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, where the team secured a (goalless) draw against Sweden in its first match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and gave England cause for concern in the second match.

From 2000 to 2003 Beenhakker was Director of Technical Affairs with Ajax. In that period he fired coach Co Adriaanse and replaced him with Ronald Koeman.

Because he has been active in Spanish football he has the nickname "Don Leo". He is famous for his fondness of cigars and his dry humour.

[edit] Poland

On 11 July 2006, Beenhakker was appointed as the manager of the Polish national team. Originally, he was appointed to manage Poland until the end of Euro 2008, however, his contract was prolonged until November 2009 and the end of World Cup 2010 qualifiers. On 17 November 2007, beating Belgium 2–0, he managed to qualify with Poland for the European championships – the first coach ever to do so; even in its golden years, the seventies and eighties, Poland never qualified to play in the Euros. On 20 February 2008, he was decorated with the Order of Polonia Restituta by the Polish President Lech Kaczyński. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries.[1]

Upon Poland's failure to qualify for World Cup 2010, Beenhakker was sacked as coach.[2]

[edit] Feyenoord

While still in charge by Poland, Feyenoord hired him on 5 May 2007 as an interim coach to lead the team through the 2006–07 play-offs. After his departure from Poland, he was named the sports director of the Dutch club, having signed a contract on 9 October 2009 up to 30 June 2011.[3]

[edit] Újpest FC

Following his spell in the Netherlands, Beenhakker agreed on a three-year deal with Hungarian first division side Újpest FC, and was officially introduced as the new sports director of the purple-whites in a press conference on 29 July 2011.[4] As managing director Csaba Bartha unfolded in the event, Beenhakker's main duty is to work with the first team, however, they also plan to use his diverse and extensive personal relationships to establish a scouting network across Europe, which could be used in both directions.[5]

[edit] Languages

Beenhakker is a polyglot who speaks several languages, including Dutch, English and Spanish. He also learned a few words in Polish during his time as national team manager.

[edit] Managerial honours

Ajax
Real Madrid
Feyenoord

[edit] References

Awards
Preceded by
Foppe de Haan
Rinus Michels oeuvre award
2010
Succeeded by
Most recent
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages