Renowned Dutch football figure Leo Benhakker has died at the age of 82. He was a prominent coach for both the Netherlands national team and Real Madrid.

Benhakker began his coaching career at Vendome in 1968, becoming the youngest head coach in Dutch professional football at just 26 years old.

He achieved remarkable success with both Ajax and Feyenoord, securing league titles with Ajax in 1980 and 1990, and repeating that achievement with Feyenoord in 1999, their fierce rival.

His tenure at Real Madrid was also notable, where he led the team to three consecutive Spanish championships from 1987 to 1989.

Though his time with the Dutch national team included two stints, it wasn’t particularly fruitful; in 1986, the “Oranje” failed to qualify for the World Cup in Mexico, and in 1990, as the reigning European champions, they were eliminated by Germany in the knockout stages.

Benhakker continued to coach internationally, with stints in Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Poland. He made history with Trinidad and Tobago by leading them to their first World Cup appearance in 2006 and guided Poland to the Euros two years later.

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