The veteran Dutch coach Guus Hiddink has become this Saturday the new coach of the Caribbean island of Curaçao, a position he faces at the age of 73 after having led the Chinese national team until 2019.
Hiddink has an excellent resume as a coach of the Netherlands, South Korea, Russia and also in clubs such as PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea or Real Madrid. The Dutch coach has signed a two-year contract that will link him to Curaçao until the 2022 World Cup.
“It was difficult to say no,” Hiddink told Fox Sports. His goal will be to qualify this humble team for the next World Cup, something he has never achieved. Curaçao is a constituent state of the Netherlands and plays in CONCACAF.
Hiddink's first meeting as Curaçao's new coach will come with the opening round of qualification for the World Cup, which kicks off in October. Hiddink – who also managed Betis and Valencia in Spain – begins his eighteenth project in front of a bench.