Beenhakker started his career as a coach in 1968 at SC Veendam football club. The born Rotterdammer was the youngest head coach in professional football as a 26-year-old.
Later he achieved great successes as a top coach at both Ajax and Feyenoord. In 1980 and 1990 he became champion with Ajax and in 1999 he won the national title with the club from Rotterdam. He is also a former Bonscoach of Orange.
Fries generation
In Spain he even gained a cult status and was called ‘Don Leo’. When he was the head coach of Real Madrid, the club won the national title in 1987 and 1989 for three years.
During his period at Ajax, Beenhakker also came up with the term ‘de Patatgeneration’, with which he in his eyes indicated talented, easy -going football players such as the Broertjes de Boer and Richard Witschge.
FC Volendam
Remarkable in the career of Beenhakker, it is also the ’84/’85 season in which he is a trainer of FC Volendam and in the second half of the season that combines track with national coaching. It goes wrong in the fishing village. Volendam relegates from the Eredivisie and Beenhakker goes to work full -time at Oranje.