With the same surprise that revealed that he had “aggressive prostate cancer” on April 4, Louis Van Gaal announced, almost a week later, that he had overcome it. “The treatment I underwent worked, I was finally cured,” the current coach of the Netherlands national team told the agency. ANPafter dismaying the soccer planet.
“I suffer from aggressive cancer, in 10% of cases we die. Meanwhile, I thought I was healthy. But… I’m not,” he said on April 4 on Dutch national television, taking advantage of the premiere of his biographical film and in which the different phases in which the former coach of Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Manchester United faced the disease are recounted.
Precisely one day after premiering it at the Koninklijk Theater Tuschinski in Amsterdam and where it can be seen, as he was already in charge of advancing himself, that He had to undergo 25 radiotherapy sessions to finish overcoming the disease. In addition, he had to do it secretly to avoid distractions in the Oranje squad, very close to his coach: “In each period of my time as coach of the national team I had to go out at night to go to the hospital without the players knowing until now“.
Van Gaal – Koeman: the circle is closed
One of the great unknowns after hearing the news was whether the 72-year-old coach would be in a position to lead the Netherlands team at the next World Cup in Qatar in 2022, which will be played in December. Nevertheless, the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) was in charge of ratifying it, although only until then. At the same time, she started a express negotiation to leave tied to the one who will be his substitute once the appointment ends: Ronald Koemanwhich has already been officially announced.
In this way, Van Gaal, who precisely replaced Koeman in 2012 when the former Barcelona coach headed to the Camp Nou in the summer of 2020, will thus close his second stage at the head of the Orange, after the 2012-14 biennium, brilliantly completing a great World Cup in Brazil. The signs of affection have been happening these days by different sports establishments and clubs, but the most intense were his players. “We will play a great World Cup for him”Virgil Van Dijk announced.