Feyenoord appointed Advocaat on 18/3. The 78-year-old former coach's role is to advise the club and coach Van Persie on team management.
"I want to help Feyenoord, and especially Robin Van Persie, finish the season strongly," Advocaat stated. "I have known Robin for almost 20 years, and our relationship has always been good. When I was coach here, as a former top striker, he shared his experience with the forwards. Now, I can support him. I am very happy to do so."
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Dick Advocaat (right) coached Van Persie at Fenerbahce during the 2016-2017 season. Photo: Fenerbahce |
The appointment comes just weeks after Advocaat resigned as coach of the Curacao national team. Had he continued coaching Curacao, the 78-year-old would have been the oldest coach at the World Cup in June. Advocaat left the CONCACAF representative to return to the Netherlands to care for his daughter battling cancer.
Advocaat previously coached the Netherlands national team from 1992 to 1994, 2002 to 2004, and in 2017. In his final year, he frequently called up Van Persie for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He also managed the star at Fenerbahce, Turkey, during the 2016-2017 season.
Van Persie was once one of the world's top strikers, scoring 132 goals for Arsenal and 58 goals for Man Utd. He won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup, and Premier League. He also helped the Netherlands reach the 2010 World Cup final and the 2014 World Cup semi-finals.
Van Persie transitioned into coaching immediately after retiring in 2019. Initially, he served as a youth team coach and assistant to Advocaat at Feyenoord, then moved to manage Heerenveen's first team in 2024, before returning to Feyenoord.
Van Persie is facing significant performance challenges this season. In European competitions, Feyenoord disappointed by losing to Fenerbahce in the Champions League qualifying round and being eliminated from the Europa League group stage. Domestic results have also been unfavorable. They currently rank second in the Dutch league, 16 points behind PSV after 27 rounds, while only 3 points ahead of third-placed NEC and 5 points ahead of Ajax. The top two teams after 34 rounds will qualify directly for the Champions League group stage, while the third-placed team must play in the qualifying rounds.
Thanh Quy (via Sports Mail)
