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De Ligt will begin his 11th career season with a different coach than the previous one. *Photo: Fabrizio Romano*
Born in 1999, De Ligt rose through the Ajax youth academy, making his senior team debut in the 2016-2017 season under coach Peter Bosz. In June 2017, Borussia Dortmund appointed Bosz, compensating Ajax with nearly 6 million USD.
Ajax immediately appointed coach Marcel Keizer as his replacement, and he began the 2017-2018 season with De Ligt and his teammates. By December 2017, Ajax sacked Keizer, swiftly bringing in Erik ten Hag. Consequently, De Ligt started the 2018-2019 season with Ten Hag, a period when Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals.
In summer 2019, De Ligt joined Juventus for 88 million USD, working under coach Maurizio Sarri for the 2019-2020 season. Sarri led Juventus to their 9th consecutive Serie A title but was still sacked in August 2020 after the team's elimination in the Champions League round of 16.
Juventus then appointed Andrea Pirlo for the 2020-2021 season. Pirlo guided the team to the Coppa Italia title but finished 4th in Serie A, leading to his dismissal in late May 2021. De Ligt, once again, began the 2021-2022 season with a new coach, Max Allegri.
Similar to Ten Hag at Ajax, Allegri remained at Juventus for several seasons. However, in summer 2022, De Ligt moved to Bayern for 82 million USD, meaning he started the 2022-2023 season under a new coach, Julian Nagelsmann.
Coincidentally, this also marked Nagelsmann's final season at Bayern, as he was sacked in March 2023. The "Hum Xam" appointed Thomas Tuchel as his replacement to lead De Ligt and his teammates for the 2023-2024 season.
In summer 2024, De Ligt moved to Man Utd for 53 million USD, reuniting with coach Ten Hag. However, by October 2024, Ten Hag was sacked, making way for Ruben Amorim.
Thus, De Ligt began the 2025-2026 season under Amorim, until the Portuguese coach was dismissed on 5/1. Whether he remains at Man Utd or departs, the Dutch defender will work with a new coach when the 2026-2027 season begins.
| Season | Coach | Reason for Change |
| 2016-2017 | Peter Bosz | Career start |
| 2017-2018 | Marcel Keizer | Bosz transferred |
| 2018-2019 | Erik ten Hag | Keizer sacked |
| 2019-2020 | Maurizio Sarri | De Ligt transferred |
| 2020-2021 | Andrea Pirlo | Sarri sacked |
| 2021-2022 | Max Allegri | Pirlo sacked |
| 2022-2023 | Julian Nagelsmann | De Ligt transferred |
| 2023-2024 | Thomas Tuchel | Nagelsmann sacked |
| 2024-2025 | Erik ten Hag | De Ligt transferred |
| 2025-2026 | Ruben Amorim | Ten Hag sacked |
| 2026-2027 | To be confirmed | Amorim sacked |
In total, De Ligt has worked with a new coach multiple times, primarily because the previous coach was sacked, including Keizer, Sarri, Pirlo, Nagelsmann, Ten Hag, and Amorim. He changed coaches three times due to his own transfers and one time because coach Bosz resigned.
Compiled by Hoang An
