here is a very Louis moment towards the end of, the brilliant new film by Dutch director Geertjan Lassche that feels less like a documentary and more like a two-hour meditation on the meaning of sport, relationships, mortality; life through the lens of one brutally honest 70-year-old DutchLouis van Gaal is doing drills with the national team shortly after his latest unveiling as Netherlands manager.
Van Gaal had 25 radiation-therapy sessions before he took the Netherlands job in August 2021. His record since reads: played 13, won nine, drawn four, scored 38. He will take his country to Qatar in November knowing this is the final act in a 50-year career. He’s fragile now, but also luminous and utterly compelling, that famous honesty sharpened to a point by old age and last things.
Later Van Gaal goes to see Erik ten Hag at Ajax, and we hear Ten Hag speaking English to his players before Van Gaal takes over, switches to local tongue and starts with: “Let me just say that in my time you would all be speaking in Dutch”. He pulls Hakim Ziyech to one side. Their exchange goes like this:“And do you have a realistic self image?”“The fans have accepted you, despite you giving the ball away too much … that says something.
Parts of the English press had portrayed Rooney as a kind of remedial man-beast, confused by Van Gaal’s instruction. It turns out he wanted more of this. But then Van Gaal was depicted as a hilarious eccentric throughout his time at United, with talk of mutiny as the players felt the drills and the briefing documents were, you know, a bit of a drag. Van Gaal is going to the World Cup this year. United are still thrashing about in a slough of despond. Perhaps it seems less funny now.
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