Louis Van Gaal

Tenure at AZ Alkmaar and Beyond

In 2005, Van Gaal became manager of AZ Alkmaar, signing a four-year contract. He led the team to impressive finishes, securing second place in the Eredivisie in the 2005–06 season and third place the following year. Although AZ missed out on Champions League qualification in 2008, Van Gaal’s impact on the club was significant, and in 2008–09 he led AZ to the Eredivisie title. He later managed Bayern Munich from 2009 to 2011, winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in 2010, and the Netherlands national team from 2012 to 2014, guiding them to third place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He then had a notable term at Manchester United, where he served as manager from 2014 to 2016. During his time at Manchester United, he won the 2016 FA Cup. In 2021, he returned for a third spell as Netherlands coach and led the team to the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup before stepping down. From October 2023 to July 2026, he served as an adviser to Ajax’s Supervisory Board.

Personal Life and Net Worth

Van Gaal was raised in the Catholic faith. He met his first wife, Fernanda Obbes, at the age of 18. The couple married after three years and had two children together. Fernanda passed away in 1994 due to pancreatic cancer. In 2008, Van Gaal remarried Truus Van Gaal. The couple currently resides in their home near Albufeira in the Algarve region of Portugal. As of recent estimates, Louis van Gaal’s net worth is approximately $16 million, and he has earned a reported salary of around $2.7 million annually during his managerial career.