Guus Hiddink

Guus Hiddink (born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch manager, and former professional football player. He is recognised for winning the European treble (Eredivisie, Dutch Cup and European Cup) with PSV Eindhoven; leading South Korea to a fourth place finish in the 2002 FIFA World Cup; managing the Netherlands into the same position in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, losing to eventual runner-up Brazil on penalties; leading Australia to the second round at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament for 32 years; leading Russia to the semi-finals of Euro 2008, Russia's best performance since the breakup of the Soviet Union; and reviving Chelsea by winning the FA Cup in 2009 against Everton. He is currently the manager of the Russian national team, whilst holding the job of Technical director at Chelsea FC.
Hiddink was born in Varsseveld and started his career as a player in the youth side of amateur club SC Varsseveld. He turned professional after signing on for Dutch club De Graafschap in 1967. Hiddink played at the Doetinchem club under manager Piet de Visser. In 1973, Hiddink and manager De Visser earned promotion to the Eredivisie, the top league in Dutch football. Ever since, the careers of the two Dutchmen have intersected: De Visser scouted numerous South American players, such as Romário (who played under Hiddink at PSV from 1988 until 1990) and current Chelsea defender Alex, for Hiddink's PSV. Also, De Visser, in his role as personal advisor to Roman Abramovich, was influential in bringing Hiddink to the Russia national football team and more recently to Chelsea as caretaker manager following the dismissal of Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari. It was De Visser who introduced Hiddink to Abramovich during a meeting in Eindhoven in 2004. He spent most of his playing career at De Graafschap, including three years under De Visser, and remains a fan of the club. He joined PSV in 1970, but after failing to win a permanent position in the team, he rejoined De Graafschap after just one year and remained there until 1976. He also had stints in the North American Soccer League in the United States with Washington Diplomats from July to December 1976, and San Jose Earthquakes for all of 1977, before returning home to sign for NEC. In 1981, he rejoined De Graafschap and retired a year later. He generally played as a midfielder during his playing days.

After the sacking of former Brazilian Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari during the 2008–09 English Premier League season, Chelsea confirmed on 11 February 2009 that Hiddink would become Scolari's replacement until the end of the Premier League season, whilst continuing his duties with Russia. Hiddink's first game in charge was a 1–0 victory against Aston Villa at Villa Park. His first game in charge at Stamford Bridge was a 1–0 victory over Juventus in the Champions League knockout stage. Success continued in the form of a 3–1 away victory against Liverpool—commentators stated that Hiddink had rejuvenated Chelsea following Scolari's departure. After knocking Liverpool out of the competition, Hiddink went on to take Chelsea to the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea lost out to eventual winners Barcelona in the 93rd minute after 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, after numerous penalty calls were turned down.
Hiddink only lost once during his tenture as Chelsea manager, a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, where Luka Modric scored the only goal of the match. In the final home game of the season, in which Chelsea beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0, Chelsea home fans chanted Hiddink's name throughout the match and called for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to 'sign him up' (on a permanent basis). Hiddink's highly positive reception hightlighted the Chelsea fans' appreciation of the manager. He marked an end to his Premier league campaign with a thrilling 3-2 away win over Sunderland FC. In his last game as a temporary coach of Chelsea FC, he won the 2009 FA Cup by beating Everton 2-1 at Wembley. He was visibly pleased at winning the Cup, and claimed it was one of his biggest achievements in subsequent interviews. Even though throughout his tenure at Chelsea, various players asked him to stay including captain John Terry, Michael Ballack, and Petr Cech, Hiddink always stated that he intended to return to his post for Russia. As a parting gift, the Chelsea players gave him an engraved watch and a shirt signed by all of the players. He has also been announced as Chelsea's Technical director, meaning he still has a professional affiliation with the club of sorts. Two days after his last match, he was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti. (wikipedia - static.stuff.co.nz - visualrian.com)