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Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat (; born 27 September 1947) is a Dutch former
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player and coach. He is currently the manager of the Curaçao national football team. Advocaat was successful as a football player and as a coach, including three stints with the Netherlands national team. He has coached a number of clubs in the Netherlands and abroad (including the Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg, with which he won the
2008 UEFA Cup Final The 2008 UEFA Cup final was a football match that took place on 14 May 2008 at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England. It was the 37th annual final of the UEFA Cup, UEFA's second tier club football tournament. The match, which was ...
), as well as the national teams of a number of countries, including
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. His nickname is "The Little General", a reference to his mentor
Rinus Michels Marinus Jacobus Hendricus "Rinus" Michels (; 9 February 1928 – 3 March 2005) was a Dutch Association football, football player and coach. He list of one-club men in association football, played his entire career for AFC Ajax, Ajax, which he ...
.


Club career

Advocaat was born in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
and was a
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
during his playing days. His career began as an 18-year-old with Hague club
ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation ...
, and he made his professional debut with the club on 21 May 1967 in a 3–0 win against GVAV. He only featured for Den Haag once more that season, and that summer, the San Francisco Golden Gate Gales franchise imported the Den Haag team, which included Advocaat, to play for six weeks in the
United Soccer Association The United Soccer Association (USA) was a professional association football, soccer league featuring teams based in the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League ( ...
as part of an effort to make the sport more popular in the United States. It was the following season that Advocaat won his only honour as a player, the
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...
, in 1968. In the 1969–70 season, he became a regular in the side, making 29 appearances and scoring his first goal for the club. He made 33 appearances the season after that. From the 1971–72, the club merged with Holland Sport to become FC Den Haag. That season, his final one for the club, Advocaat made a further 66 appearances and scored 6 goals. In total, he made 147 appearances and scored 7 goals for the club. From 1973, Advocaat's playing career continued for
Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; ), shortly as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or simply Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. The c ...
until he moved to
VVV-Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch association football, football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutc ...
during the 1976–77 season. With Roda JC, Advocaat made 121 total appearances and scored 2 goals. When the club was to be discontinued in 2009, Goal.com described him as their most famous player. In his first season with VVV-Venlo, Advocaat scored 2 goals in 20 appearances. He made 33 appearances in the 1977–78 season, scoring four goals, and made a further 21 appearances in his final season at the club. In total, he made 74 appearances and scored 6 goals. In 1978, Advocaat made the move to the United States to play with the
Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from ...
in the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...
(NASL). That season, he made 24 appearances, scoring two goals. In
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, he scored three more goals in 28 appearances and for the 1980 season, he scored one further goal from 29 appearances. During the break between the 1979 and 1980 NASL seasons, Advocaat returned to the Netherlands and made 11 appearances, scoring one goal, for his former club, FC Den Haag. Following the 1980 NASL season, Advocaat moved to
Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top flig ...
to play the remainder of the 1980–81 season. He spent 18 months at the club, scoring six goals and making 61 appearances. Following that, Advocaat moved to Belgium and played in the second division for K. Berchem Sport. However, he only made ten appearances there before moving back to the
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
to join
Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
, where he made 39 more appearances before the end of his playing career.


Coaching career


1981–92: Early coaching in the Netherlands

In addition to playing football, Advocaat was a
physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...
teacher and became involved in coaching in 1981 when his older brother Jaap was offered a job running amateur Saturday football side Door Samenwerking Verkregen Pijnacker (DSVP). Jaap did not take the role but recommended Dick for the job. Advocaat coached this side during the final four years of his playing career with Sparta Rotterdam and Utrecht. In 1984, Advocaat was unexpectedly appointed as assistant to Netherlands national team head coach
Rinus Michels Marinus Jacobus Hendricus "Rinus" Michels (; 9 February 1928 – 3 March 2005) was a Dutch Association football, football player and coach. He list of one-club men in association football, played his entire career for AFC Ajax, Ajax, which he ...
. Advocaat became a protégé of Michels, whose sobriquet was "The General". In reference to this, Advocaat acquired the nickname "The Little General". In 1987, Advocaat became manager of his first professional club,
HFC Haarlem HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889 and dissolved in 2010. The club won the Eredivisie in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912. Haarlem reached the second round of the 1982� ...
, which he led for two years. Haarlem finished in ninth place in the 1987–88 season and tenth place in the 1988–89 season. Haarlem were eliminated in the second round of the
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...
in both seasons. Advocaat then moved to
Schiedamse Voetbal Vereniging SV SVV, short for Sportvereniging Schiedamse Voetbal Verenigingen, is a Dutch football club from Schiedam. Founded in 1904, the club won the Dutch national football title in 1949. In 1991, the professional branch of SVV and neighbouring Dordrec ...
(SVV) as manager. At SVV, alongside technical director
Wim Jansen Wilhelmus Marinus Antonius "Wim" Jansen (; 28 October 1946 – 25 January 2022) was a Dutch professional association football, football player and manager. As a midfielder or defender (association football), defender, he spent most of his caree ...
, Advocaat led the team to become
Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...
champions in the 1989–90 season to win promotion to the 1990–91 Eredivisie, winning by 15 points. In 1991, SVV merged with neighbouring club Dordrecht '90, which failed to win promotion to the 1991 play-offs. SVV had finished 16th the previous season, but remained in the Eredivisie after winning their relegation play-off. The two teams competed as SVV/Dordrecht '90 during the 1991–92 season, where they finished in 15th place. and became
FC Dordrecht Football Club Dordrecht, or simply FC Dordrecht () is a professional Dutch association football club based in Dordrecht, a city in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. They currently compete in the Eerste Divisie, ...
the following season, after Advocaat had left. Despite success at both clubs, Advocaat was criticised in his initial coaching years for playing defensive football.


1992–98: Dutch national team and PSV Eindhoven

In 1990, Advocaat once more became an assistant to Michels, who was having his fourth spell as coach of the Dutch national team and looking to qualify for
UEFA Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having been inv ...
. At Euro 1992, it became apparent it would be Michels' last job, and following the tournament, Advocaat took over as national coach. Advocaat lost his first two matches in charge, a friendly against
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier against
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. During the qualifying campaign, Advocaat and
Ruud Gullit Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a former Dutch Association football, footballer and subsequent manager. Regarded among the greatest footballers of all time, he was also noted for his Utility player#Association football, abili ...
fell out; Gullit was unhappy with Advocaat's tactics in the World Cup qualifier against
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and was eventually substituted. Following this, Gullit retired from international football, but was widely expected to return with a change of administration in the summer. Advocaat qualified for the World Cup, following a crucial win against qualification rivals England. Despite the result, Advocaat was scheduled to lose his job to
Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016), internationally known as Johan Cruyff (), was a Dutch professional Association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Regarded as one of the greatest ...
for the 1994 World Cup. However, talks between Cruyff and the
Royal Dutch Football Association The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues ( Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch men's and w ...
(KNVB) broke down at the last minute and Advocaat retained his position, causing Gullit to remain in retirement although he initially joined the Dutch squad for the 1994 World Cup. In 1993, the Dutch national team had a record of five wins and two draws. At the World Cup, Advocaat led the Dutch to the
quarter-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
, where they lost 3–2 to eventual winners
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. Following the World Cup, Advocaat returned to manage at club level. His final match was a 5–0 win against
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. Advocaat returned to coaching at club level with PSV on 16 December 1994, taking over from interim manager
Kees Rijvers Cornelus Bernardus Rijvers (27 May 1926 – 4 March 2024) was a Dutch association football, footballer who was active as a midfielder and later as coach for PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Pl ...
. His first match was 1–0 loss against
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
on 22 January 1995. PSV finished third that season. Coming to the club, Advocaat coached existing players Ronaldo and
Luc Nilis Luc Gilbert Cyrille Nilis (born 25 May 1967) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who is the striker coach of Patro Eisden. He spent most of his career in his native Belgium and, in particular, in the Netherlands with P ...
, and in 1995–96, Advocaat's first full season with the club, he led PSV to second place in the Eredivisie. They also won that year's KNVB Cup, which qualified them for the following years
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
. Over the summer, Advocaat signed
Jaap Stam Jakob "Jaap" Stam (; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of all-time. Stam was part of the Manchester United team that w ...
, and in the 1996–97 season, PSV won the Eredivisie title and qualified for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
the following year. In June 1998, Advocaat left the club. PSV also won the
Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
, the Dutch Super Cup, in
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
and
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
.


1998–2001: Rangers

In 1998, Advocaat accepted the invitation from Rangers chairman David Murray to become the
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
(SPL) team's new manager.
Walter Smith Walter Ferguson Smith (24 February 1948 – 26 October 2021) was a Scottish football player, manager and director, primarily associated with his two spells as manager of Glasgow club Rangers. A defender, Smith's playing career consiste ...
was still in the job but had announced his departure in advance. When Advocaat took charge of Rangers, he became the first foreign manager to do so and only the tenth manager in the history of the club. The previous season was the last of seven under Walter Smith, and the first time the club had finished without a trophy in 12 years. Long-term members of the squad that had won nine league championships in a row left, including
Ally McCoist Alistair Murdoch McCoist (; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish former association football, footballer who has since worked as a Manager (association football), manager and TV pundit. McCoist began his playing career with Scottish club St Jo ...
, Ian Durrant,
Andy Goram Andrew Lewis Goram (13 April 1964 – 2 July 2022) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Bury, Lancashire, England, he started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for ...
and
Stuart McCall Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Preston North End. McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matche ...
. With financial backing from chairman David Murray, Advocaat invested heavily in the team. Big money signings such as
Giovanni van Bronckhorst Giovanni Christiaan "Gio" van Bronckhorst (born 5 February 1975) is a Dutch Association football, football manager and former player who last managed Süper Lig club Beşiktaş J.K., Beşiktaş. Originally a midfielder, he moved to left-back lat ...
,
Arthur Numan Arthur Numan (born 14 December 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He played as a left back and was a regular fixture in Netherlands national football team. He is currently the team manager for the Netherlands B squad and a scout fo ...
and
Andrei Kanchelskis Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis (; ; born 23 January 1969) is a Russian professional Association football, football coach and former player who currently manages Russian Second League side FC Dynamo Bryansk, Dynamo Bryansk. During his playing c ...
were among Advocaat's first as Rangers tried to regain the league championship. In Advocaat's first season, 1998–99, Rangers won the domestic treble, finishing six points above second-place
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
in the league, defeating Celtic 1–0 in the Scottish Cup final, and defeating St. Johnstone 2–1 in the League Cup final. The club also had a short run in the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, where they reached the round of 16. In the following season, the club won the SPL by an SPL record 21-point margin, and also won the 1999–2000 Scottish Cup. Rangers fans paid tribute to Advocaat and the Dutch Rangers players at the 2000 Scottish Cup Final by wearing replica orange Netherlands international tops and other orange merchandise. Advocaat also guided Rangers into the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
, having beaten UEFA Cup winners
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
in the third round qualifier. However, Rangers went out of the group stage after being drawn alongside
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
, PSV and
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
. The club then lost to
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
in a penalty shoot out in the UEFA Cup. Advocaat's third season at Rangers was less successful. Despite investment in the team with players such as
Tore André Flo Tore André Flo (born 15 June 1973) is a Norwegian professional football coach and a former striker who previously was the manager of 1. divisjon club Sogndal. He was capped 76 times, scoring 23 goals for Norway, and represented his country ...
for a record £12 million, Rangers failed to win any trophies, as Celtic under new manager
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
won the domestic treble. Advocaat branded some of his players "fat-necks" in the press. In Europe, Rangers qualified for the
UEFA Champions league The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
for the second consecutive season after two qualifying rounds. They were drawn alongside Sturm Graz,
Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...
and
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
. After good results against Sturm Graz and Monaco, the club failed to qualify for the next phase of the competition, finishing third behind Galatasaray on goal difference. Rangers then lost 3–0 to
1. FC Kaiserslautern 1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern (), K'lautern or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to Association football, football ...
in the UEFA Cup. In his last season at Rangers, with Celtic leading the SPL by 12 points, Advocaat resigned from the manager's position on 12 December 2001. His final match was a 1–1 draw against Hibernian.
Alex McLeish Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps f ...
was appointed as his successor, with Advocaat moving to the position of general manager. Advocaat eventually left Rangers for the Netherlands national team. More than a decade later, in March 2012, Advocaat's reign as manager came under scrutiny as Rangers entered administration. Advocaat defended the money spent on transfer fees and said he did not think the club would go bankrupt.


2002–06: International management and Mönchengladbach

Advocaat rejoined the national team set-up following
Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former association football, football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for AFC Ajax, Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of AFC Ajax, Aj ...
's failure to take the national team to the
2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
in January 2002 and presided over the Netherlands qualification for
Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. Th ...
via the playoffs. His first match was 1–1 draw against England. The ''Oranje'' had finished second in their group behind the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
and therefore went into a playoff in order to qualify for Euro 2004. They managed to achieve this after a 6–1 aggregate win over
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
but not before surviving a harrowing encounter, losing 1–0 in the first leg in Scotland. Advocaat was criticised by the Dutch media so much so that several of the team's players refused to speak to the media even after the comfortable and inspired 6–0 victory in the return leg at the
Amsterdam Arena The Johan Cruyff Arena ( ; officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of association football, football club AFC Ajax, Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to ...
. Despite taking Netherlands to the semi-finals of Euro 2004, the Dutch media were critical of Advocaat. Netherlands were beaten 2–1 by
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in the semi-finals of Euro 2004 after a dismal performance. The team also made several criticisms of his tactics, especially those in the team's shock loss to the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
in the second match of the first round of the tournament. In that match, Advocaat made a tactical change that shocked even his own players, as he brought on the aging
Paul Bosvelt Paul Bosvelt (, born 26 March 1970) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who is technical director of Go Ahead Eagles. As a player he was a midfielder who notably played in the Eredivisie for FC Twente and Feyenoord and ...
in midfield to replace crowd favourite
Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger. Known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, and long-range s ...
, who had been contributing immensely throughout the match with two assists. The Czechs seized the opportunity to capitalize on it and scored the decisive goal. Shortly after the tournament, with mounting pressure and even death threats, Advocaat quit his job as head coach on 6 July 2004. Advocaat then went briefly back into club management. He was hired by German club
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...
on 2 November 2004. His first match was a 1–1 draw against
Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...
on 6 November 2004. He resigned on 18 April 2005 after less than six months at the helm. His final match was 1–1 draw against Mainz 05 on 16 April 2005. He finished with a record of four wins, six draws, and eight losses. In July 2005, Advocaat signed a one-year contract to become coach of the United Arab Emirates national team, but he terminated this contract in September to become manager of South Korea's national team from 1 October 2005 until the end of the
2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams represe ...
. During his tenure with the UAE, Advocaat was manager for two matches at the 1st International Arab Friendly Tournament in Switzerland. UAE won the first match against
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
7–6 on penalties after the match had finished 1–1. They then lost the final to
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
4–5 on penalties, following a 0–0 draw in normal time. Advocaat's first match in charge of South Korea was a friendly against
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
on 12 October 2005, which South Korea won 2–0. Two more friendlies were played that year in November, a draw against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and a victory against
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. In early 2006, during the break between domestic seasons, Advocaat took a 23-man squad of players from the K-League and
J-League The , commonly a.k.a. shortened to the , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, in ...
and embarked on a five-week, ten-match tour. It started with an Advocaat's first defeat as manager against the UAE. From there they travelled to
Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
, Saudi Arabia, where they drew with
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
and won against
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. Then they travelled to Hong Kong to take part in the Carlsberg Cup, where they defeated
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
before losing in the final to
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. They then travelled to America where they lost to
Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
, won against
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS) side
LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
and
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. The tour finished in
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
, Syria, on 22 February 2006 with an
Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...
qualifying match against
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
which they won 2–1, ending the tour with six wins, one draw and three losses. In the lead up to the World Cup, South Korea played five more friendlies, winning two, drawing two and losing one. At the World Cup, South Korea opened their campaign with a 2–1 victory over
Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...
. In their second group match, they scored a late equalizer to draw 1–1 against
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, putting them in a position to qualify from
Group G Group G may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant dif ...
. However, South Korea failed to make it into the last 16 after a 2–0 loss against
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, while France defeated Togo 2–0 to advance to the next round. Following Korea's exit from the World Cup, Advocaat resigned.


2006–09: Zenit Saint Petersburg

In December 2005, gas giant
Gazprom PJSC Gazprom ( rus, Газпром, , ɡɐsˈprom) is a Russian State-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational Energy industry, energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. The Gazprom name is a contract ...
took over as owners of
Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...
team Zenit Saint Petersburg. After a mediocre start to the season, manager Vlastimil Petržela was sacked in the summer. On 26 June 2006, Advocaat was appointed in his place, signing an 18-month contract with the option of a one-year extension. Zenit finished the 2006 season in fourth place, earning a place in the
2007–08 UEFA Cup The 2007–08 UEFA Cup was the 37th edition of the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup, UEFA's former second-tier club association football, football tournament. The 2008 UEFA Cup Final, final was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, E ...
second qualifying round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
. In December 2006, the Russian Premier League transfer record was broken twice, first with the signing of
Pavel Pogrebnyak Pavel Viktorovich Pogrebnyak ( ; born 8 November 1983) is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in Moscow, Pogrebnyak began his career at Spartak Moscow, making his professional debut in 2002. Over the next th ...
and then again when Zenit bought Alejandro Domínguez. For the 2007 season, Advocaat led Zenit to their first domestic league title since the Soviet Union was disbanded. Zenit won by two points over second–place Spartak Moscow.
Andrey Arshavin Andrey Sergeyevich Arshavin (, ; born 29 May 1981) is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger or midfielder. Since 2019, Arshavin has held administrative posts at Zenit. In 2022 he became De ...
stood out as the star player of the season, being the only member of the team to start all 30 league matches. Advocaat became the first foreign coach to win the Russian championship and, by winning the league, Zenit qualified for the group stage of the Champions League the following season. In August, Advocaat had signed a deal to become manager of the Australia national team, however when Zenit offered him a new US$4 million contract extension in November, Advocaat reneged on the deal with Australia. In Europe, Zenit qualified for the
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
of the UEFA Cup. Zenit finished third in their group and advanced to the last 32 of the competition. They progressed to the quarter-finals coming through matches against
Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...
and
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
on the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
. Prior to the start of the 2008 domestic season, as league winners, Zenit faced Russian Cup winners
Lokomotiv Moscow FC Lokomotiv Moscow (, ) is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three occasions; the Soviet Cup twice; and the Russian Cup (football), Russian Cup a record ...
in the Russian Super Cup on 9 March 2008; Zenit won the match 2–0. Continuing in the UEFA Cup, Zenit were victorious against German clubs
Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...
and Bayern Munich to reach the final against Rangers, Advocaat's former club. In the final, played on 14 May 2008, Zenit won 2–0 to become only the second Russian team to ever win a European trophy. On 24 August 2008,
Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (), is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first institution created from the All-Union Dynamo Sports Club. Dynamo Mosco ...
player
Danny Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist * Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer * Danny Baker (born 1957), English j ...
transferred to Zenit for a Russian record transfer fee of €30 million ( £23 million). The arrival of Danny increased speculation that Arshavin was to leave the club, but the club rejected substantial bids from both
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
in the summer transfer window, despite the player's strong desire to leave the club. On 29 August 2008, Zenit contested with Champions League winners
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
for the
European Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
. Zenit won the match 2–1 with new signing Danny scoring the decisive goal. In Europe, Zenit failed to advance from their Champions League group but finished third which meant they entered into the last 32 of the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
. That year, Zenit finished fifth domestically, qualifying for the play-offs of the Europa League the following season. On 7 November 2008, Advocaat signed a one-year extension that contracted him to the club until the end of 2009. In December, Advocaat was named Trainer of the Year in Russia. In January 2009, Arshavin was heavily rumoured to move again. Towards the end of the winter transfer window, the Russian threatened to strike if he was not sold. Arshavin transferred to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at the last-minute for around £16.9 million. In February, Zenit's UEFA Cup continued and Zenit progressed to the last 16. They failed to reach the quarter-finals, though, losing to
Udinese Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...
2–1 on aggregate. In the domestic season, Advocaat fielded seven foreign players in a team selection (one more than the league rules allow) against Lokomotiv Moscow in April 2009. Advocaat admitted he was at fault for the mistake and the club were fined but not deducted points. In May 2009, Advocaat agreed to become manager of the Belgium national team when his contract with Zenit expired on 1 January 2010. However, on 10 August 2009, after run of poor results, he was sacked by the club with Zenit seventh in the league. His final match was a 2–0 loss to Tom Tomsk on 9 August 2009. Zenit were in seventh place at the time of the dismissal.


2009–10: Belgium and AZ

Before his dismissal from Zenit, Advocaat had already agreed a two-year, US$1,688,400 contract as manager of Belgium to start in 2010. However, when Belgium failed to qualify for the
2010 World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, Franky Vercauteren resigned as manager and Advocaat's contract was brought forward to commence on 1 October 2009. Advocaat's first two matches in charge were the remaining fixtures in the qualifying campaign, a 2–0 victory against
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and a 2–0 defeat to
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. In the remainder of 2009, Belgium won in friendly matches against
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
. Belgium lost their first match of 2010 in a friendly against Croatia. On 6 December 2009, it was announced Advocaat would function as manager of both the Belgium national team and Dutch club AZ. Advocaat succeeded
Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Koeman scor ...
, who was dismissed the previous day, and his contract ran until the end of the 2009–10 season. Advocaat only watched AZ's final group match of the Champions League on 9 December 2009, which
Martin Haar Martin Haar (born 2 May 1952) is a Dutch association football, football coach and a former defender (association football), defender. He is an assistant coach with Jong AZ. Haar was born in Zwolle, Overijssel. He played for Go Ahead Eagles (19 ...
managed. He was officially presented to the media the following day. His first match in charge was against PSV in the
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
on 12 December 2009; AZ lost 1–0. His first win managing the club came the following weekend, a 3–0 win against ADO Den Haag. Belgium lost to Croatia on 3 March 2010. On 15 April 2010, Advocaat left as manager of the Belgian national team after breaking his contract with the
Royal Belgian Football Association The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA; ; ; ) is the governing body of football in Belgium. It was a founding member of FIFA in 1904 and UEFA in 1954 and was based in Brussels, not far from the King Baudouin Stadium. Since October 2021, th ...
(KBVB) amid speculation he was to become coach of the Russia national team. Advocaat was later appointed Russia manager and announced his intention to leave AZ at the end of the season. On 22 April 2010, it was announced that Gertjan Verbeek would take over as AZ manager for the following season. Under Advocaat, AZ finished fifth in the league, entering the
third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...
of the
2010–11 UEFA Europa League The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League was the second season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 40th edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 1 July 2010, with ...
.


2010–12: Russia

On 17 May 2010, Advocaat was named the new manager of the Russia national team. He began his contract on 1 July, succeeding compatriot
Guus Hiddink Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch former football manager and professional player. He enjoyed a long career playing as a midfielder in his native Netherlands. Retired as player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading both c ...
. Advocaat signed a four-year contract. Advocaat's side began their qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 with an unexpected defeat at home to
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
. However, Russia managed to win their group and secure automatic qualification to the Euro 2012 finals. Russia began the participation of
Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
(
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...
) promising by defeating the Czech Republic 4–1 and playing a 1–1 draw against hosts
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. However, the team ultimately failed to pass the group stage after losing to Greece 1–0 in the last match. It was already decided before the tournament that Advocaat would leave to take charge of PSV.


2012–14: Return to PSV and AZ; Serbian national team

Advocaat signed a contract with Dutch giants PSV. The contract began on 1 July 2012. He replaced Fred Rutten, who was sacked in March 2012. For Advocaat, it was a return to the club from which he had his first success. Advocaat began his new job with a win in the show competition 2012 Polish Masters, followed up by beating Ajax 4–2 to secure the 2012 Johan Cruyff Shield. The
2012–13 Eredivisie The 2012–13 Eredivisie was the 57th season of Eredivisie, since its establishment in 1955. It began on 10 August 2012 with the first match of the season and ended on 26 May 2013, with the last matches of the European competition and relegation ...
campaign under Advocaat began with a shock defeat to
RKC Waalwijk RKC Waalwijk () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Waalwijk. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie i ...
. At the winter break, PSV were leading the league table on goal difference over
Twente Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...
. In the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
, PSV finished third in
Group F Group F may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant dif ...
. After finishing second to champions Ajax in the
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
, and losing the cup final to AZ, Advocaat announced his retirement from club coaching at the end of the 2012–13 season. However, on 15 October 2013, he returned to AZ to succeed the sacked Gertjan Verbeek. He was replaced at the end of the season by
Marco van Basten Marcel "Marco" Van Basten (; born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch former football manager and player who played as a striker for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all t ...
. AZ finished the season in eighth place. He also reached the semi–finals of the KNVB Cup and the quarter–finals of the Europa League. In July 2014, Advocaat was named the new manager of the Serbia national team. As the beginning of the
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...
, Serbia earned just one single point in three matches: Serbia drew 1–1 with
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
; forfeited (3–0 loss) their match against
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
because of stadium incidents during the match; then lost 3–1 to Denmark. Advocaat agreed to terminate his contract following the 3–1 home defeat against Denmark on 14 November 2014.


2015: Sunderland

Following the sacking of manager Gus Poyet, Advocaat was appointed manager of English
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
on 17 March 2015 until the end of the season. Initially, Advocaat was appointed on temporary basis. His first match in charge was a 1–0 loss to
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
four days later. His first win as manager came from his second match, a 1–0 victory over
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
in the
Tyne–Wear derby The Tyne–Wear derby, also known as the Wear–Tyne derby or the North East derby, is a local derby between the association football clubs Sunderland and Newcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East England with the two ci ...
on 5 April 2015. Following a 4–1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, Advocaat oversaw a turnaround in Sunderland's form with a 1–1 draw at Stoke City, and back to back wins against
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
and Everton. Advocaat guided Sunderland to Premier League safety on 20 May 2015 with one match remaining after a 0–0 draw at Arsenal, and a visibly moved Advocaat was pictured in tears after the final whistle. Sunderland finished the season in 16th place, two spots and three points above the relegation zone. He left the club a week later, announcing the end of his managerial career, but reversed his decision to retire on 4 June 2015, signing a one-year contract with Sunderland. During the summer transfer window, the club made two major signings in winger Jeremain Lens, who previously played under Advocaat at PSV, and striker Fabio Borini, who played for Sunderland on loan during the 2013–14 season. The club also signed several defenders and secured the loan signings of
Yann M'Vila Yann Gérard M'Vila (born 29 June 1990) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Stade Malherbe Caen, Caen. M'Vila is a France national football team, French international, having played ...
, DeAndre Yedlin and
Ola Toivonen Nils Ola Toivonen (; (Värmländsk pronunciation: la Tôjvônen; born 3 July 1986) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and forward. After beginning his career in his home town team of Degerfors, h ...
, the latter having also played under Advocaat at PSV. Despite the additions, Sunderland made a poor start to the season with a 4–2 away defeat at
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
on 8 August and a 1–3 home defeat to newly promoted
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
the following week. Following a 2–2 draw with West Ham, Advocaat resigned on 4 October 2015. His only win in the 2015–16 season was a 6–3 victory against
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
on 25 August 2015 in the League Cup. At the time of Advocaat's resignation, Sunderland were in 19th place and in the relegation zone. He finished with a record of four wins, six draws and nine losses.


2016: Fenerbahçe

On 17 August 2016, Advocaat signed a one-year contract with Turkish
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...
club Fenerbahçe. His first match in charge was a
2016–17 UEFA Europa League The 2016–17 UEFA Europa League was the 46th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the eighth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played between Ajax and ...
home tie against
Grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...
, which Fenerbahçe won 3–0. On 3 November, Advocaat led Fenerbahçe to a 2–1 win at
home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
against Manchester United in the fourth group stage match of the Europa League and finished the group stage in first place, above United, with 13 points.


2017: Netherlands

On 9 May 2017, Advocaat was revealed as the new manager of the Netherlands, his third spell in charge of the national team. His first match in charge was the World Cup qualifier at home against Luxembourg on 9 June, which the Netherlands won 5–0. He was joined by Ruud Gullit as his assistant, whom Advocaat previously clashed with in his first spell in charge of the ''Oranje''. After failing to qualify to the World Cup, Advocaat stepped down following the November friendlies against
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. With victories in both matches, he became the most successful Netherlands manager in terms of winning, with a total number of 37 victories, a record previously held by Bob Glendenning for 77 years.


2018: Sparta Rotterdam

On 25 December 2017,
Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top flig ...
announced that Advocaat would be the club's new manager for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. On 20 May 2018 Sparta was relegated to the
Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...
following a 1–3 loss to
FC Emmen FC Emmen is a Dutch professional football club based in Emmen, Drenthe. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2022–23 season. Founded in 1925, the club ...
in the Promotion/relegation play-offs.


FC Utrecht

On 12 September FC Utrecht announced they had a verbal agreement with Advocaat to finish the 2018-2019 season, after their previous manager had been sacked after 4 games.


Feyenoord

On 30 October 2019, Feyenoord announced that Dick Advocaat was appointed as the club's coach for the remainder of the 2019–20 Eredivisie season after their previous manager
Jaap Stam Jakob "Jaap" Stam (; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of all-time. Stam was part of the Manchester United team that w ...
had resigned. On 3 November 2019, Feyenoord played their first game under Dick Advocaat, winning 3-0 in an away game against
VVV-Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch association football, football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutc ...
. On 21 April 2020, Feyenoord announced that the club and Advocaat had reached an agreement for Advocaat to continue being the club's coach for the 2020–21 season. On 12 September 2020, Advocaat become the oldest coach in the history of the Dutch Eredivisie at 72 years and 351 days old.


Iraq

On 1 August 2021, he was unveiled as the new head coach of
Iraq national football team The Iraq national football team () represents Iraq in men's international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association (IFA), the governing body for football in Iraq. Iraq's usual home venue is the Basra International Stadium. I ...
to lead them in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. However, he didn't manage a win in 6 games, with 4 draws and 2 losses. He resigned on 23 November 2021.


ADO Den Haag

On 28 November 2022, Advocaat was appointed as the new manager of a struggling
ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation ...
side, after former manager Dirk Kuyt had been fired after an unsuccessful spell at the club. Advocaat retired as a coach at the end of the 2022–23 season as ADO Den Haag finished the season in mid-table of the second-tier
Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...
.


Curaçao

On 15 January 2024, Advocaat was appointed as the new head coach of the Curaçao national football team, signing a one-year contract with an option for a further year.


Overview


Club


National team


Managerial statistics


Honours


Manager

SVV *
Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...
: 1989–90 PSV Eindhoven *
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
: 1996–97 *
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...
: 1995–96 *
Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
:
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
,
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
,
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Rangers *
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
: 1998–99, 1999–2000 *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1998–99, 1999–2000 *
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
: 1998–99 Zenit Saint Petersburg *
Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...
:
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
*
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
: 2007–08 *
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...


Individual

* The 2008 UEFA Cup success earned Advocaat the Honorary Citizen of Saint Petersburg award, making him the city's first foreign honorary citizen since 1866.


Personal life

Advocaat is
teetotal Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to be ...
.


References


External links

*
UEFA profile, inc. former playing clubs (PDF file)



Dick Advocaat stats at Zenit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Advocaat, Dick 1947 births Living people Footballers from The Hague Dutch men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Men's association football midfielders ADO Den Haag players San Francisco Golden Gate Gales players Roda JC Kerkrade players VVV-Venlo players Chicago Sting (NASL) players Sparta Rotterdam players K. Berchem Sport players FC Utrecht players Eredivisie players United Soccer Association players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Belgian Pro League players Challenger Pro League players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Dutch expatriate sportspeople in the United States Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Dutch football managers Netherlands women's national football team managers HFC Haarlem managers SV SVV managers FC Dordrecht managers Netherlands national football team managers PSV Eindhoven managers Rangers F.C. managers Borussia Mönchengladbach managers United Arab Emirates national football team managers South Korea national football team managers FC Zenit Saint Petersburg managers Belgium national football team managers AZ Alkmaar managers Russia national football team managers Serbia national football team managers Sunderland A.F.C. managers Fenerbahçe S.K. (football) managers Sparta Rotterdam managers FC Utrecht managers Feyenoord managers ADO Den Haag managers Iraq national football team managers Curaçao national football team managers Eredivisie managers Eerste Divisie managers Scottish Premier League managers Bundesliga managers Russian Premier League managers Premier League managers Süper Lig managers UEFA Europa League–winning managers 1994 FIFA World Cup managers UEFA Euro 2004 managers 2006 FIFA World Cup managers UEFA Euro 2012 managers 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup managers Dutch expatriate football managers Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Germany Dutch expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Dutch expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Russia Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Serbia Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Iraq Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Curaçao Expatriate football managers in Scotland Expatriate football managers in Germany Expatriate football managers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate football managers in South Korea Expatriate football managers in Russia Expatriate football managers in Belgium Expatriate football managers in Serbia Expatriate football managers in England Expatriate football managers in Turkey Expatriate football managers in Iraq Expatriate football managers in Curaçao Dutch association football commentators Articles containing video clips 20th-century Dutch sportsmen