Louis van Gaal believes the Netherlands can go all the way in the World Cup - now he’ll be wearing his lucky underpants.
The madcap former Manchester United manager is planning to hang up his tracksuit again at the end of the tournament after being tempted out of retirement by the chance to lead the Dutch for a third time. He took Holland to the semi-finals in 2014 - and has set his sights on lifting football’s most glittering prize in Qatar after his wife Truus packed him off to the desert with three new pairs of bright orange Y-fronts.
Van Gaal, 71, explained: “My lovely Truus has bought me three new pairs of orange underpants - and they went in my suitcase for Qatar before anything else. I wear orange underpants every day - and not only when I am with Holland.
“Because I am with the team for a long time in Qatar, she has got me three pairs and that is very handy. It means that when I wear one pair, the others can be washed - because I do like to wear a clean pair every day.”
Sales of orange underwear have rocketed in the Netherlands as Holland prepare to kick off their tournament against Senegal on Monday. They also face Ecuador and hosts Qatar in the group stages.
Van Gaal’s wife said: “It started years ago. I bought Louis a pair of orange Bjorn Borg underpants as a joke. He started to wear them when he was Holland boss. One day, I could see he was looking for his pants when he had an international week.
“I said to him ‘you are looking for your orange pants, aren’t you? You are superstitious!’ For every big Holland match he now wants to have them on.”
Van Gaal has developed a reputation for being one of the game’s great eccentrics during a 36-year managerial career. But he will also be remembered as one of the game’s greatest coaches. He has won titles with Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich and also lifted the FA Cup during his two years at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal also guided Ajax to the Champions League in 1996 and his Dutch team finished third in Brazil eight years ago after beating the hosts in a play-off. But his wife admits she is worried about her husband’s health following a successful battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer last year that he chose to keep secret.
She said: “Louis is very calm about it. He thinks he has had a wonderful life. But I am lying wide awake at night every time he has to go back to the hospital for his check-ups. He laughs at me and tells me ‘you won’t get rid of me that quickly!
“I tried to push him to ask a friend who is a doctor to let him have priority with his cancer treatment. There was a long waiting list and Louis said ‘why should I get in first just because I am Louis van Gaal?’
“The other day, Louis said ‘the cancer has not gone out of my body yet. I can still die. But I will leave you behind comfortably. You must not worry about anything.’ But what is money to me when he is not there anymore?”
