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Rinus Michels

Rinus Michels

Name: Rinus Michels
Born: 9 February 1928
Rinus Michels was the innovative thinker whose concept of 'Total Football' helped first Ajax and then the Netherlands break new ground in terms of both tactics and success - as well as capturing the imagination of football lovers the world over.
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He Was My Coach

"I always greatly admired his leadership. Both as a player and as a coach there is nobody who taught me as much as him. He was a sportsman who put the Netherlands on the map in such a way that almost everybody still benefits from it. There is no one I learnt from more than Rinus Michels. I often tried to imitate him, and that's the greatest compliment one could give."
Johan Cruyff

Did You Know?

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  • When he replaced Englishman Vic Buckingham on 22 January 1965, Michels became the first Dutchman to coach Ajax in official competition.
  • After the end of his playing career, Michels took a break from the game and worked as a gymnastics teacher at a school for deaf children.
  • Michels announced his presence in Dutch football when he scored five goals on his Ajax debut in an 8-3 win against ADO Den Haag in 1946.
  • Czech coach Frantisek Fadrhonc led Netherlands to the 1974 finals, ahead of Belgium. When Michels took over Fadrhonc became his assistant.
  • In the five international matches that Rinus Michels played in for the Netherlands, the team lost all of them by a combined score of 21-4.

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