Mitchell van der Gaag
Encyclopedia
Mitchell van der Gaag is a retired Dutch
footballer who played as a central defender, and a current manager
.
, returning to Eindhoven for a further three years, never being an important first team figure, however.
In January 1995, he moved to Motherwell
, and subsequently returned to the Dutch first division
with FC Utrecht. In 2001–02, van der Gaag joined Portugal
's Club Sport Marítimo, being one of the Madeira
side's most influential players, as it consolidated in the top flight. He scored six league goals in his third season, helping Marítimo finish sixth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Van der Gaag retired from football after 2006–07, having spent one season with Al-Nassr FC, in Saudi Arabia
. In July 2008, he returned to Marítimo as a coach, taking the reins of its B team
.
In late September 2009, after Carlos Carvalhal's dismissal following a string of bad results, van der Gaag was promoted to the first team. After helping the Madeirans finish fifth – a place conquered in the last round, with a 2–1 away win against Vitória de Guimarães, who ranked sixth – and qualify for the UEFA Europa League, his link was renewed for a further year.
On 14 September 2010, after collecting only one point in the league's first four matches and being ousted by FC Bate Borisov in the Europa League, van der Gaag was sacked by Marítimo.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer who played as a central defender, and a current manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
.
Football career
After graduating from PSV Eindhoven's youth ranks, van der Gaag played three seasons on loan, to NEC Nijmegen and Sparta RotterdamSparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
, returning to Eindhoven for a further three years, never being an important first team figure, however.
In January 1995, he moved to Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
, and subsequently returned to the Dutch first division
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
with FC Utrecht. In 2001–02, van der Gaag joined Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's Club Sport Marítimo, being one of the Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
side's most influential players, as it consolidated in the top flight. He scored six league goals in his third season, helping Marítimo finish sixth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Van der Gaag retired from football after 2006–07, having spent one season with Al-Nassr FC, in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. In July 2008, he returned to Marítimo as a coach, taking the reins of its B team
C.S. Marítimo B
Club Sport Marítimo B is a Portuguese football club that currently plays in the Serie A of the Portuguese Second Division. They are the reserve team of Club Sport Marítimo...
.
In late September 2009, after Carlos Carvalhal's dismissal following a string of bad results, van der Gaag was promoted to the first team. After helping the Madeirans finish fifth – a place conquered in the last round, with a 2–1 away win against Vitória de Guimarães, who ranked sixth – and qualify for the UEFA Europa League, his link was renewed for a further year.
On 14 September 2010, after collecting only one point in the league's first four matches and being ousted by FC Bate Borisov in the Europa League, van der Gaag was sacked by Marítimo.