Your father was a hero in the Dutch
resistance during the Second World
War, no? You must have heard some
stories – you and your five brothers!
Rene de Jong, Nijmegen
Yeah, I think my parents wanted a girl
but didn’t manage it. [Laughs] I grew
up in a lovely agricultural region – I’d
help a family friend to milk cows – and
my dad was a headteacher who let us
do as we pleased. He was part of the
war resistance. He never talked about
it when I was young, but later he saidhe helped British pilots if they crashed
behind the lines. He also pinched food
vouchers in order to redistribute them.
He never bragged about it, though.I heard you became a teacher while
playing for De Graafschap and NEC.
What did you learn?
David Johnstone, East Kilbride
At the time you’d usually train only in
the afternoon, so in the morning I was
a PE teacher at this school for socially
maladjusted children. I enjoyed it, andit was very diverse: there were children
with epilepsy or mild Down’s syndrome
but also with social disabilities or high
aggression levels. One day, a young
guy turned to me with a knife. He said
he was going to stab the tyres of my
car. I said, “My tyres? OK, then you have
to go outside – you’ll find my car there.”
He came back after 15 minutes and
told me he hadn’t done it. After I was
reassured that he was calm again, he
gave me the knife and I let him back in.How would you sum up your playing
career? What was your time in the
NASL like, during the late 1970s?
Chris Guardiano, via Facebook
I made the most of my career. I didn’t
reach the top – I was below that. As
a midfielder I could create something
and I had a good left foot, but I didn’t
really have many defensive qualities
and wasn’t quick over long distances.
America was a great adventure. After
playing for the Washington Diplomats
I went to San Jose Earthquakes, where
my manager was Bill Foulkes – one of
the Busby Babes who’d survived the
Munich air disaster. He was a brilliant
guy: a hard worker, but relaxed and
with a great sense of humour. And my
room-mate was George Best! He was
known as the Fifth Beatle and had the
reputation of a cowboy, but I didn’t
really see that there. While we were
team-mates, he didn’t drink and he
trained well. I sometimes acted as
a kind of bodyguard when groupies
would enter the hotel, trying to catch
a glimpse of him. He’d ask, “Can you
brush them off?” [Laughs] He was still
very good on the pitch – he’d dribble
straight towards you, then when you
thought you’d got him, he was gone.What was your secret recipe at PSV?
You went from being an assistant to
winning the title three years in a row- and the European Cup!
Richard Teasdale, via Facebook
There was no secret recipe, but we had
an ambitious and ingenious transfer
strategy, attracting a bunch of outright
winners which I managed like a group
of thoroughbred stallions. When I took
over in February 1987, PSV weren’t top
of the league, but we managed to win
it. Yet the chairman wanted to appoint
renowned coach Rinus Michels for the
following season. He was overruled by
the general manager and the treasurer,
who wanted to stick with rookie coach
Hiddink. The rest is history! [Laughs]
Interview Arthur Renard
“After that Iniesta goal in 2009,
some people argued it was fixed.
It was the only time I started to
have a few conspiracy theories”
GUUS HIDDIn K
YOU ASK
THE
QUESTIOnS
R
etirement is the life for
Guus Hiddink these days,
but he’s still in good nick.
And no wonder: before
reflecting with FFT on a distinguished
career, the Dutch doyen had his weekly
training session with other former pros
such as Sjaak Swart and Danny Muller,
something he relishes at the age of 75.
Hiddink spent most of his modest
playing career with De Graafschap
and NEC Nijmegen before teaming up
with George Best in the USA, but he
tells us his left foot is “still functioning
well”. He made his commute on a blue
Vespa – a farewell gift from Chelsea
players in 2016, and very handy when
navigating Amsterdam’s busy traffic.
It’s also a nice reminder of two short
but sweet spells in west London, where
Hiddink delivered an FA Cup and went
close in the Champions League. Such
love at Chelsea is also in abundance
elsewhere: particularly PSV, as a shock
European Cup winner in 1988, and in
South Korea and Australia on the back
of unprecedented World Cup progress.
As he answers your many questions,
it becomes evident that appreciation
for the well-travelled tactician comes
from everywhere – and not just from
fans, either. A heart-to-heart with
Mark Viduka here, a personal message
from Andres Iniesta there: it’s the kind
of love that gets you put on a stamp...6 June 2022 FourFourTwo