Former Real Madrid and Ajax coach Leo Beenhakker dies aged 82

Leo Beenhakker, Dutch football coach, has died 82. He had a extensive career spanning five decades since he started as assistant coach to his retirement as technical director at Sparta Rotterdam. However, his most famous years were in the 1980s and 1990s, when he coached Amsterdam Ajax, winning Dutch first division Eredivisie in 1980 and 1990, Feyenoord, winning the league title in 1999, and Real Madrid, winning three Liga titles in a row (1987, 88, 89) and a Copa del Rey.

Beenhakker also coached Real Zaragoza in Spain, Volendam in the Netherlands, Guadalajara and Club América in Mexico, Istanbulspor in Turkey, as well as the national teams of the Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Poland, although he never won an international match in a major tournament.

On their statement, Ajax highlights that Beenhakker was one of the few able to work seamlessly at both Ajax and Feyenoord, and remembers that Leo had been a Feyenoord fan since an early age, but "his passion was coaching, improving players".