Co Adriaanse

As a professional player, Adriaanse played for six seasons with De Volewijckers (from 1964 until 1970) and a further six seasons with Utrecht (1970 until 1976), retiring from football at age 29.

Early career

Adriaanse began his managing career with Zilvermeeuwen in 1979, and after four years he joined AZ for the first time as scout and youth trainer. After a year, for the 1984–85 season he resumed his coaching career with two four-year stints with PEC Zwolle and FC Den Haag, where he would be sacked for the first time. He was then chosen to direct the youth side of Ajax, a position he would occupy for five seasons.

Willem II

In 1997, Adriaanse was appointed manager of Willem II. There, he implemented an – according to him – "compelling, aggressive style that can always be maintained". In his first season, the team finished in fifth place and booked impressive wins over Feyenoord (2–0) and defending champions PSV (4–1). The fifth place meant that the club qualified for European football for the first time since 1963. In their run in the 1998–99 UEFA Cup, Willem II managed to knock out Dinamo Tbilisi in the first round 6–0 on aggregate, but lost to Real Betis in the second round. The club had a weak start to their domestic season, and held an 11th place in the league table at the winter break. A strong second half of the season, however, saw them finishing in second place after beating eventual champions Feyenoord 4–1 and Ajax 3–1. This meant that Willem II, a team better known for finishing in the bottom half of the Eredivisie, would be competing in the UEFA Champions League. The team, however, finished bottom of their 1999–2000 UEFA Champions…

Tactical approach

Adriaanse gained attention in the Netherlands after leading Willem II to qualification for the UEFA Champions League. The team frequently employed an attacking style of play, an approach Adriaanse continued to utilise later during his managerial career.

Training

Adriaanse is famous for his controversial training approach. At Willem II, he once ordered his whole squad to follow him by car, while they drove 13 km away from their training ground. At a remote spot, all players had to give their car keys to Adriaanse. Then he drove back to town, while the squad had to run in front of his car. Back at the training ground, the players got their car keys back. Since their cars were still parked far from the training ground, however, they all had to walk back another 13 km. At AZ Alkmaar, he once ordered the whole squad to search for Easter eggs during a training session. They looked for an hour until Adriaanse finally revealed there were no eggs hidden. Adriaanse already had these strange training methods at the start of his career, because when he was a youth trainer at Ajax, he sometimes ordered his players to lie on the ground. Then a teammate with football boots on would run over the bodies. Because of all these infamous incidents, Adriaanse has been referred to as "Psycho Co".

As a manager

Porto

Primeira Liga: 2005–06 Taça de Portugal: 2005–06 Red Bull Salzburg

Austrian Football Bundesliga: 2008–09 Twente

Johan Cruyff Shield: 2011 Individual

Rinus Michels Award: 2004 Primeira Liga's Manager of the Season: 2006