World soccer in mourning for the great Leo Beenhakker

Leo Beenhakker has passed away at the age of 82. The Dutchman became famous as the coach of teams such as Ajax, Feyenoord, Real Madrid, and the Oranje national team.

He himself regarded the championship he won with his Feyenoord in 1999 perhaps as the shining moment of a career that covered nearly half a century. But the period he spent in the service of the Whites of Spain is the one that made him globally known and appreciated: he led Real Madrid to win three consecutive Spanish titles (1987, 1988, 1989).

Beenhakker’s time with the Spanish team was the most successful.

Beenhakker was technical commissioner at the 1990 (Netherlands) and 2006 (Trinidad and Tobago) World Cups, and almost at the 1994 World Cup (he was fired shortly before by Saudi Arabia), and finally participated in Euro 2008 at age 65 with Poland. Beenhakker also won the championship twice with Ajax.