Little General’s biggest fight – Why Dick Advocaat leading Curacao at World Cup is special
78-year-old Dick Advocaat has coached some of the biggest teams and names in his long career. From leading his home nation, the Netherlands, at the 1994 World Cup to managing Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg to a first-ever European trophy, the man they call Little General has been around the block and more.
32 years after stepping on US soil with his beloved Oranje at a World Cup, he was back in the country at the biggest stage with Curaçao and had tears in his eyes. As the tiny Caribbean island nation lined up for a first-ever World Cup game against the mighty Germans, cameras caught Advocaat overcome with emotion.
This wasn’t only about him possibly coaching at his final World Cup but also the fact that it nearly didn’t happen despite leading the team to qualification.
Family comes first for Dick Advocaat
With a population of slightly over 150,000 and having only become a football team in their own right in 2011, the team known as Blue Wave were making a splash under the Dutch coach. But barely two months after leading Curaçao to an unbelievable World Cup qualification, Dick Advocaat stepped down from the role of the head coach.
The reason was personal; his daughter was facing serious health issues as she dealt with cancer, and her father needed to be with her. “I have always said that family comes before football,” Advocaat said while announcing his decision to resign. During their last qualification game against Jamaica, the veteran coach missed the game for the same reasons.
He had coached Netherlands and South Korea at World Cups, and Curaçao would have been his swansong at the event, but family came first for him. For Curaçao fans, his departure was a massive blow.
The former PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord manager had gained a cult following in the island nation, and the fans revered him as a hero for doing the impossible. They even quietly dreamed of producing a significant result at the 2026 World Cup and now that dream had slipped away. But fate would intervene.
In March, Advocaat’s former assistant coach, Cor Pot, appeared on the Dutch television program Vandaag Inside and stated that the chemotherapy treatment for his compatriot’s daughter is going well. Pot said that this was good news, and Advocaat was relieved. This was big and important in all aspects, and then Pot said something that piqued the interest of Curaçao fans.
“Dick sometimes says he’s stopping and then continues anyway. So you never know,” Pot said. Indeed, in 2015, he announced his retirement a week after leading Premier League club Sunderland to safety. But a few weeks later, he reversed his decision and signed a one-year contract with the Black Cats. Could Curaçao witness something similar? They could only wait.
The Little General answers the call to arms
Following Dick Advocaat’s decision to resign, fellow Dutchman Fred Rutten stepped up to take Curaçao’s coaching role. Rutten had Advocaat’s blessing, and the fans got behind the team, but the results didn’t come. Poor defeats to China and Australia raised doubts about his ability to lead the team at the World Cup, and president of the Curaçao Football Federation Gilbert Martina came under pressure to make a change.
Martina, however, remained firm but then came a threat. Atilay Uslu, the CEO of travel company Corendon, who had helped the national team financially, said they would withdraw support if Rutten stayed. There was no choice left for Martina. Rutten was gone, and the Little General was called in.
After his daughter’s health improved, Advocaat found it hard to turn down the approach of the nation he helped dream. On May 12, his return was officially announced. Dick Advocaat would become the oldest coach to lead a team at the World Cup, over three decades after managing his first game at the tournament.
“I’m Dutch. But working for them for two years makes you become a true Curacao national,” he said before the opening game against four-time World Cup winners Germany.
Advocaat was the one who had bought into the Curaçao football program. His appointment came alongside the recruitment of players of Dutch diaspora with the Caribbean nation’s status as part of the broader Dutch Kingdom. He had overseen a successful World Cup qualifying campaign, and he was back to complete the job.
For someone whose managerial career has spanned well over 40 years across the breadth and lengths of the globe, standing in the dugout for Curaçao was truly special for the seasoned Dutchman. His tears told the story of a father who stepped away for the love of his daughter and a coach who returned for the love of his team.
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