Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said in a television interview on Sunday evening that he had been suffering from prostate cancer for some time, which he said would not stop him from going to the Qatar for the World Cup (from November 21 to December 18, 2022).
The players “don’t know”, said Louis van Gaal, 70, on RTL television, adding that he had already undergone twenty-five radiation sessions, notably in the evening during the training camps of the Dutch selection. On the bench of “Oranje” since 2021, the technician from Amsterdam has previously led major teams such as Ajax Amsterdam, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Manchester United.
The players think that “I’m a healthy guy, but I’m not”, the tech added, noting that his cancer diagnosis was made in 2020 and his treatment started in 2021.”You don’t say something like that to the people you work with.” because it can “influence”, justified the man nicknamed “The Iron Tulip”, in reference to his strict methods and attitude.
During the last four periods of international matches, he explained, he went to the hospital in the evening, by “back entrance”to receive his treatment, which he describes as “preferential”. “It’s part of my life”, he added, invited on the RTL television set on the occasion of the upcoming release of a film about his life, entitled Louis. “I’ve been through so much in my life, sickness and death, I’ve probably become richer as a person because of all those experiences,” continued the one who is in his third term at the head of the “Oranje” (after 2000-2001 and 2012-2014).