Arne Slot won the Rinus Michels Award for the best trainer in the Eredivisie on Sunday. The 43-year-old coach reached the Conference League final with Feyenoord, in which AS Roma turned out to be just too strong.
Feyenoord finished third in the Eredivisie, twelve points behind national champions Ajax. In the 2020/2021 year, the Rotterdammers with Dick Advocaat at the helm still had to settle for fifth place.
On the way to the Conference League final, Feyenoord settled in the knockout phase with FK Partizan, Slavia Prague and Olympique de Marseille. In the group stage, the Rotterdammers had kept Slavia Prague, 1. FC Union Berlin and Maccabi Haifa under them.
Erik ten Hag, who had Ajax under his wing last season and is now a manager of Manchester United, was one of the four other nominees. He guided the team from Amsterdam to the national title.
Ron Jans (FC Twente), Joseph Oosting (RKC Waalwijk) and Kees van Wonderen (Go Ahead Eagles, but next season SC Heerenveen) also had a chance at the individual award. All head coaches from professional football were allowed to vote. The awards ceremony was held on Sunday in a hotel in Garderen.
The Rinus Michels Awards were presented for the first time after the 2003/2004 season. At the time, AZ coach Co Adriaanse received the award for the best trainer in the Eredivisie. Ten Hag is the record holder with three victories. For Slot it is his first award.
Last five Rinus Michels Award winners:
- 2017: Peter Bosz
- 2018: Phillip Cocu
- 2019: Erik ten Hag
- 2021: Erik ten Hag
- 2022: Arne Slot
Lukkien best trainer in the Kitchen Champion Division
Dick Lukkien received the Rinus Michels Award for the best trainer in the Kitchen Champion Division. The coach guided FC Emmen to first place last season and with that direct promotion to the Eredivisie.
Wim Jonk (FC Volendam), Rob Penders (FC Eindhoven) and Marinus Dijkhuizen (Excelsior) were the other nominated trainers. Jonk and Dijkhuizen also promoted to the highest level.
Bert van Marwijk was awarded the oeuvre prize. The seventy-year-old coach won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord in 2002 and reached the final of the World Cup with the Dutch national team eight years later, in which Spain proved too strong after extra time with 1-0.
The oeuvre prize is not awarded every year. Previously, the prize was awarded to Louis van Gaal, Johan Cruijff, Foppe de Haan, Kees Rijvers, Leo Beenhakker and Dick Advocaat, among others.