The head coach of the Curaçao national team is Dick Advocaat. Biography

A veteran of world football, legendary Dutch coach Dick Advocaat became the main creator of one of the main sensations of the football year in the world, leading the Curacao national team to the World Cup (2026 World Cup), the smallest country in terms of population that has ever participated in the world Championship. About his eventful career, ups and downs, work in Zenit St. Petersburg and the Russian national team, about the UEFA Gold Cup and a new record — in the material of Izvestia.

Childhood, youth, and a dim gaming career

Dirk Nicholas the Lawyer, known worldwide as Dick the Lawyer, was born on September 27, 1947 in The Hague in a family of ordinary workers. The future coach's football career began relatively late for him. It was only at the age of 18 that he joined the academy of the ADO Den Haag club, working as a ceiling repairman during the day and playing football in the evenings. He was able to break into the main squad largely due to a series of injuries to key players: the cash-strapped club was forced to look for reserves in its own academy, and the choice fell on a Lawyer.

Despite the fact that his career as a player is difficult to call stellar, the Lawyer remained a strong professional player for 18 years, acting as a defensive midfielder. He played in nine clubs, including the Netherlands "Den Haag", "Roda", "Sparta", "Utrecht", as well as "Chicago Sting" in the USA and the Belgian "Berchem". His only trophy was the bronze medal of the Dutch championship as a member of Den Haag in the 1970/1971 season. However, it was as a coach that the Lawyer found his true calling.

The beginning of a coaching career

The lawyer began his coaching career back when he was a player, helping his older brother Jaap coach the DSVP amateur club. The real breakthrough was his acquaintance with Rinus Michels, the architect of total football, under whom he worked as an assistant in the Dutch national team from 1984 to 1987. It was from Michels that he got his famous nickname, "The Little General." The path of an independent coach began for him with work with the middle—class Dutch first division clubs Haarlem and SV Dordrecht.

The pinnacle of success: top clubs and European national teams

The real success came to him during his first coming to PSV. Leading this Dutch grandee from 1995 to 1998, the Lawyer made a "golden double", winning the championship and the Dutch Cup. The next challenge was the Scottish Glasgow Rangers. In his debut season, in the 1998/99 season, he led the team to the "golden double", winning the Scottish Championship and the Scottish League Cup. In just four years in Glasgow, he added two league titles and three national cups to the club's collection.

The Dutch national team has become a separate page in the Lawyer's biography — he led the Orange three times. The highlight was reaching the semi-finals of the 2004 European Home Championship. Also, under his leadership, the national team made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in the United States in 1994. The lawyer also coached the national teams of South Korea (2006 World Cup), the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Serbia and even managed to work in Iraq. The club list looks no less impressive: in addition to PSV and Rangers, these are German Borussia Monchengladbach, English Sunderland, Turkish Fenerbahce.

A special connection with Russia: Zenit and the national team

In Russia, Dick Advocaat's name is forever associated with the "golden era" of St. Petersburg football. He took over Zenit in the summer of 2006, replacing Vlastimil Petrzela. Tough, demanding, and with a reputation as a coach who rules with an iron fist, he quickly transformed the team from a sturdy middle-class man into a European-level grandee. Already in 2007, Zenit became the champion of Russia for the first time in recent history, interrupting the 23-year wait for gold medals.

The 2008 season was the best in the club's history. Zenit won the Russian Super Cup, and most importantly, the UEFA Cup. On the way to the finals, Villarreal, Marseille, and Bayer were defeated, and in the semifinals, the grandee of world football, Bayern Munich, was defeated (4-0) at Petrovsky Stadium. In the final of the tournament, Zenit defeated the Lawyer's former club, the Scottish Rangers (2:0). Later, the team also won the UEFA Super Cup. For these services, the Lawyer was recognized as the best coach of the Russian championship by the RFU in 2008, and also became an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg.

In 2010, he took over the Russian national team, setting himself the task of leading it to a major tournament. The team confidently passed the qualifying round and made it to Euro 2012, taking first place in the group. However, the tournament itself ended in disappointment for the team — they were eliminated in the group stage. The contract was terminated by mutual agreement after the end of the championship.

Return. Curacao and the main triumph of his career

It seemed that the coach's brilliant career was coming to an end, but the Lawyer once again surprised everyone. In January 2024, the 76-year—old specialist took over the national team of Curaçao (an island nation with a population of just over 156 thousand people), setting himself the ambitious task of making it to the World Cup. He was able to unite a team based on Dutch-born footballers who had passed the naturalization procedure. In the final match of his national team's selection, it was necessary not to lose to Jamaica. Curacao held out, played 0-0 and for the first time in its history won a ticket to the world championship.

However, in February 2026, the Lawyer announced his retirement from the national team due to serious health problems with his daughter. His place was taken by Dutch coach Fred Rutten, but the national team under his leadership was falling apart before our eyes (two crushing defeats in friendly matches). The players and sponsors demanded the return of the "little general". In May 2026, Rutten resigned, and the Curaçao Football Federation turned to a Lawyer again.

A world record. The last tournament and the decline of his career

Less than a month before the start of the tournament, in mid-May 2026, Dick Advocaat agreed to lead the team again. This decision immediately made him the main character of the World Cup. At the age of 78, he officially became the oldest coach in the history of the World Championships, breaking Otto Rehagel's record (71 years old). Under his leadership, the "Blue Wave" (nickname of the Curaçao national team) She went to the United States.

In May 2026, the Lawyer's assistant confirmed that the upcoming World Cup would be the last tournament in their brilliant career. During his long life in football, he brought up a galaxy of football players and showed the whole world that age is not an obstacle to believing in a miracle.