Guus Hiddink

Guus Hiddink (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣys ˈɦɪdɪŋk] ; 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. After retiring as a player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading clubs and countries from across the globe to achieve various titles and feats. With PSV Eindhoven he won the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the predecessor of the UEFA Champions League. With Real Madrid he won the Intercontinental Cup.

Playing career

Hiddink was born in Varsseveld and started his career as a player in the youth side of amateur club SC Varsseveld. He turned professional after signing for Dutch club De Graafschap in 1967, playing at the Doetinchem club under manager Piet de Visser. In 1973, during Hiddink's second spell there, he and manager de Visser earned promotion to the Eredivisie, the top league in Dutch football. For some years the careers of the two men intersected: when Hiddink managed PSV Eindhoven, De Visser scouted numerous South American players for the team, such as Ronaldo, Romário, and former Chelsea defender Alex. Also, De Visser, in his role as personal advisor to Roman Abramovich, was influential in bringing Hiddink to the Russia national team and later to Chelsea as caretaker manager following the dismissal of Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Hiddink spent most of his playing career at De Graafschap, including three years under de Visser, and remains a fan of the club. He joined PSV in 1970, but after failing to win a permanent position in the team, rejoined De Graafschap after just one year and remained there until 1977. In 1981, he rejoined De Graafschap again and retired a year later. Generally he played as a midfielder.