Tuesday, April 12, 2022 – Holland coach, Louis van Gaal, has revealed the treatment he has undergone for an aggressive form of prostate cancer has been successful.
Earlier this month, the 70-year-old former Manchester United and Barcelona manager revealed his diagnosis on a Dutch television show.
Van Gaal, in his third spell as Holland coach, is set to lead the side at the World Cup in Qatar later this year before being replaced by Ronald Koeman.
‘I’ve been through everything,’ Van Gaal told Dutch news agency ANP.
‘I had 25 radiation treatments. Then I had to wait five or six months to see if it had done its job. It did.’
The Dutch head coach previously confirmed the diagnosis on Dutch television show Humberto as he promoted his new film, LOUIS, explaining that he had kept the illness a secret from his players for a considerable period of time.
‘In each period during my time as manager of the national team I had to leave in the night to go to the hospital without the players finding it out until now, while thinking I was healthy, but… I am not,’ he said.
‘I think you don’t tell people you work with like that because it might influence their choices, their decisiveness. So I thought they shouldn’t know.’
Sharing more detail on his health issue, Van Gaal revealed that he had a ‘pretty aggressive form’ of cancer, but was staying positive as he paid tribute to the hospital staff that had treated him.
‘You don’t die from prostate cancer, at least not in 90 per cent of the cases. It is usually other underlying diseases that kill you.
‘But I had a pretty aggressive form, got irradiated 25 times. Then you have a lot of management to do in order to go through life.
‘I did have preferential treatment in the hospital. I was allowed in through the back door when I went to an appointment and was immediately pushed into another room.
I have been treated wonderfully. You will of course tell your friends and relatives about it. The fact that nothing has come out yet also says something about my environment. That’s great.’
Holland have confirmed that Ronald Koeman will take over as their national head coach once Van Gaal steps down from the role after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Koeman, who was sacked by Barcelona in October 2021 after overseeing their worst start to a season since the 1987-88 campaign – will return to international management on January 1, 2023.
His contract with the national side will run through the 2024 European Championship and the 2026 World Cup.
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