Van Gaal: “I have a tumor, but I’ll be on the bench at the World Cup”

The Netherlands coach who has been sick for two years: “During the national team retreats, I went to the hospital at night for radiotherapy. I’ll be there in Qatar.”

A serious illness, the treatments, the desire to be the same on the bench at the World Cup in Qatar. Holland coach Louis Van Gaal told RTL about the battle he has been fighting with prostate cancer since 2020. The players “don’t know it,” said Van Gaal, 70, adding that he has already undergone 25 sessions of radiotherapy, even in the evening or at night during national team retreats. The coach of the Dutch national team – drawn in Group A with Qatar, Senegal and Ecuador – said: “For the players I’m a healthy guy, but that’s not the case.” The diagnosis of the disease came in 2020, treatment began last year.

–

The cure

—

Van Gaal revealed that in the last four weeks of international matches he has been to the hospital in the evening, from the “back entrance”. His family and friends knew about him, but not his players. “You don’t say that to the people he works with” because he can “influence them,” he explained. “He is part of my life,” he added. “I’ve been through so much in my life, sickness and death (Van Gaal’s first wife died of pancreatic cancer, ed), I probably got richer as a person because of all these experiences,” continued Van Gaal. in his third term as Netherlands coach after his experiences in 2000-2001 and 2012-14.

–

The reactions

—

After the revelation on social media, many messages of support arrived. Former England international Gary Lineker sent him his “best wishes” on Twitter, and Manchester United – coached from 2014 to 2016 – wrote: “We support our former manager, Louis van Gaal, in his battle against cancer” .

–

Van Gaal, who had announced his “retirement” in January 2017, was recalled to lead the national team after the resignation of Frank de Boer following the failure at the European Championship last summer that ended with the elimination from the round of 16. The Netherlands will play their first World Cup match on 21 November against Senegal. Louis van Gaal intends to be in the game. “In most cases, you don’t die of prostate cancer,” he said.

–