Van Gaal's first foray into management came at AZ Alkmaar, where he took on the assistant manager role between 1986 and 1988. From there he moved to Ajax where between 1988 and 1991, he was the assistant to a couple of interim managers including Spitz Kohn, left, before Leo Beenhakker took the reins at AjaxPhotograph: VI-Images via Getty ImagesWhen Beenhakker left in 1991, Van Gaal took over as manager and in his first season in charge Ajax won the Uefa Cup when they beat Torino on away goalsPhotograph: Bob Thomas/Getty ImagesTriumphs in the Eredivisie in 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96 meant forays into the Champions League for Ajax; in 1995 the Dutch side beat Milan to lift the biggest prize in European club footballPhotograph: VI-Images via Getty ImagesThe trophy and Van Gaal got prime position in the cockpit as the team flew back to Amsterdam …Photograph: VI-Images via Getty ImagesWhere the coach received a hero's welcome Photograph: VI-Images via Getty ImagesWhen his contract at Ajax ended in 1997, Van Gaal moved to Barcelona taking over from Bobby Robson, and helped the team win two league championships (1997-98, 1998-99) and the Copa del Rey oncePhotograph: VI-Images via Getty ImagesDespite the success Van Gaal clashed with the media, came under criticism from fans and he expressed that it was difficult to implement his football philosophy at Barcelona due to cultural differences, and that he struggled hard as some players, especially Rivaldo, were unwilling to follow his lead. Van Gaal eventually left the Catalan side on 20 May 2000, days after losing the league title to Deportivo La CoruñaPhotograph: Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesAfter leaving, Van Gaal returned to the Netherlands to manage the national team in preparation for the 2002 World Cup. But failing to beat Portugal and the Republic of Ireland meant that the Dutch failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Van Gaal's reign started off with a lighter moment when he performed a karate kick at the request of gathered youngsters prior to a press conference in Zeist. He performed this during the 1995 Champions League final when disagreeing with a referee's decisionPhotograph: Jerry Lampen/ReutersVan Gaal returned to Barcelona for the start of the 2002–03 season, but results were inconsistent. After four wins, four draws and three defeats from their opening 11 league matches, Barcelona lost three matches in a row. Two wins and a draw improved things but after successive defeats to Valencia and Celta Vigo, he was sacked in January 2003 with the club just three points above the relegation zonePhotograph: Albert Gea/ReutersIn July 2005, Van Gaal took charge of AZ and the team finished second and third in the Dutch league in his first two seasons. Van Gaal initially announced he would leave at the end of the 2007–08 season due to disappointing results, with the club finishing 11th in the Eredivisie. However, when several players of the AZ squad pointed out that they would like Van Gaal to stay with AZ, Van Gaal said he would give the players a chance to prove themselves. They did so in spades as, after two early defeats, they topped the table for the rest of the season and won their first title for 28 years Photograph: Robin Utrecht/AFP/Getty ImagesJuly 2009 saw Van Gaal take charge at Bayern Munich and in May 2010 Bayern were crowned Bundesliga champions, making Van Gaal the first ever Dutch coach to win the BundesligaPhotograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty ImagesMay 2010 also saw Bayern defeat Werder Bremen 4-0 to lift the DFB German Cup and secure the domestic double. However a 2-0 defeat to Internazionale in the Champions League final scuppered dreams of a treble. In March 2011, Bayern Munich declared that Van Gaal's contract was to be cancelled after the end of the 2010–11 season. However, he was instead sacked on 10 April 2011 after losing the third place in the BundesligaPhotograph: Kai-uwe Knoth/AFP/Getty ImagesIn July 2012 Van Gaal took charge of the Netherlands national team for a second time. It was a more successful tenure than last time as he led them through the 2014 World Cup qualification group with an unbeaten record, with nine wins and one draw and a goal difference of 34-5 to secure their place at the finals in BrazilPhotograph: Koen Van Weel/EPA
