Attaphol Buspakom
A Thai footballing tactician who masterminded Muangthong United's first league title, igniting a modern domestic football rivalry.
1962–2015 (age 53)·Thai footballer and coach·Birthday: October 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
Attaphol Buspakom, known universally as 'Coach Tak', was a pivotal figure in Thailand's football awakening in the late 2000s. A former national team midfielder, his playing career was solid but his true legacy was forged on the touchline. After a stint with the national team's technical staff, he took the helm at a rising Muangthong United in 2009. With a sharp tactical mind and a calm demeanor, he molded a squad of young talents and seasoned pros into an unstoppable force, capturing the Thai Premier League title in his first full season. This triumph broke the dominance of traditional clubs and set the stage for a fierce new rivalry with Buriram United, a club he would later also coach. His sudden death from a heart attack at 52 shocked the nation, cutting short a career that had fundamentally reshaped the landscape and ambitions of Thai club football.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Attaphol was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Attaphol Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Attaphol's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Died at 53
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Led Muangthong United to their first-ever Thai Premier League title in 2010.
- Coached the Thailand national football team as an assistant coach during the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
- Managed two of Thailand's biggest clubs, Muangthong United and Buriram United.
- Won the Thai Premier League Coach of the Year award in 2010.
Did You Know?
He was a key player for the Thai club Bangkok Bank FC in the 1990s, winning multiple domestic cups.
His nickname 'Tak' is a common Thai nickname meaning 'waterfall'.
He passed away just days before he was scheduled to begin a new coaching role with Army United.
As a player, he earned 14 caps for the Thailand national team.
“The ball must move faster than the man.”
