Dick Advocaat
A durable and peripatetic Dutch football manager known for his tactical nous and short, intense tenures at clubs and national teams across Europe and Asia.
Born 1947 (age 79)·Dutch footballer and manager·Birthday: September 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dick Advocaat's career in football is a map of the global game, marked by a distinctive, no-nonsense demeanor and a capacity for quick impact. After a solid playing career, mostly in the Netherlands, he transitioned to management where he found his true calling. His reputation was built on an ability to step into high-pressure situations and deliver immediate results, earning him the nickname 'The Little General'. He led the Netherlands national team twice, taking them to the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2004. Club success followed across borders, with notable league and cup triumphs in Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg and in Scotland with Rangers. Advocaat's methods were direct, his teams often organized and physically robust, a style that brought trophies and respect, if not always long-term projects, from South Korea to Belgium and beyond.
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.
Dick was born in 1947, 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 Dick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Dick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the UEFA Cup with Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2008, a historic first major European trophy for a Russian club.
- Led Rangers FC to a domestic double (Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup) in the 1998-99 season.
- Guided the Netherlands national team to the quarter-finals of both the 1994 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004.
- Secured the Russian Premier League title with Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2007.
Did You Know?
He briefly served as the technical director for the Belgian national team under manager Marc Wilmots.
He managed the Russian national team from 2010 to 2012, leading them to UEFA Euro 2012.
His playing career included a stint with the Chicago Sting in the old North American Soccer League (NASL).
He is one of the few managers to have coached three different national teams at the European Championship finals (Netherlands, Russia, Belgium).
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