Dick Advocaat has done something that very few football managers would do. He has walked away from a World Cup.
The 78 year old former Rangers boss led Curacao to their first ever qualification for the tournament, making the Caribbean island the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup. He was set to become the oldest manager in World Cup history, breaking a record that has stood since 2010.
Instead, he stepped down on Monday. His daughter’s health comes first. “I have always said that family comes before football,” Advocaat said. “This is therefore a natural decision.”
Those of us who remember Advocaat’s time at Ibrox know that he is a man of principle wrapped in the blunt exterior of a Dutch coach. Five major trophies in just three years at Rangers, including a domestic treble and two SPL titles. He built a team that could compete with anyone, and then he left when the time was right.
Curacao face Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast at the tournament. Whoever takes over will inherit a squad that has already achieved the impossible under Advocaat’s guidance.
“I consider qualifying the smallest nation in the world for the World Cup one of the highlights of my career,” he said. Coming from a man who has managed the Netherlands, Belgium, South Korea, Russia and Rangers, that is not a throwaway line. He means it. And Scotland should remember him fondly for the joy he brought to Ibrox and the class he has shown in stepping away.