Eugène Gerards

Gerards began his career at Limburgia as a defender-turned-striker in 1957. In 1963 he moved to Fortuna '54, before returning to Limburgia in 1967. He followed the club to amateur competitions in 1971 and retired in 1974. Gerards was a member of the Dutch national military team, as well as the Netherlands national under-21 football team. Despite being called-up for the Netherlands national football team by manager Denis Neville in 1964, Gerards made no senior national appearances.

Roda JC

Still in his playing years, Gerards attended the German Sport University Cologne, earning various German managerial certificates. In 1974, he received his "Fußballehrer", highest professional football manager certificate in Germany, while working as municipality ambassador for Brunssum. Immediately after retirement as a player in May 1974, Gerards signed a contract as assistant manager for Dutch football club Roda JC, where he was also appointed manager of the club's youth team. He held his position for the Kerkrade-based club for 12 years, serving under head managers Bert Jacobs (1974–1980), Piet de Visser (1980–1983), Hans Eijkenbroek (1983–1984) and Frans Körver (1984–1986). During the last managerial change, Gerards replaced Eijkenbroek as interim manager for a single game in December 1984, before returning to his post under arriving manager Frans Körver for the remainder of the 1984−85 season.

OFI

At the start of the 1985−86 season, Gerards assumed his first job as manager for an ambitious Greek Alpha Ethniki side OFI. The club had recently been acquired by the rich and prestigious Vardinogiannis family, who also were the major shareholders of Athens-based regular Greek champions, Panathinaikos. Former Roda JC midfielder Grigoris Tsinos played for OFI at the time and suggested to name Gerards as their new manager. At OFI, Gerards set an outstanding record for both the club as well as Greek football in general, as he remained the team's manager…

Eugène was the son of Johanna Gerards-Dedroeg and Joep Gerards (1906–1986), a former Dutch footballer who played for various top-level Limburgian clubs during the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the president of SV Limburgia during 1946–1973. His brother Jo Gerards (1936–2014) was an amateur football manager, scout for Limburgia and sports journalist for the local newspaper. He has a younger sister Antoinette, who is a real football fan. Alongside his managerial certificates, Gerards had a certificate for retail, as well as a pilot's certificate. Gerards has a daughter from his first marriage and a son from his second marriage in the Netherlands. He married his third wife Katerina in 2004, and became a permanent resident of Crete. Characteristic of his love for Crete, he acquired Greek citizenship and founded his own winery "Geraldakis", adopting the Cretan diminutive surname ending -akis to his Dutch surname in order to signal his identification as a Cretan, a form he also used in public appearances.

Recognition

Gerards was widely considered as one of the greatest managers in Greek football. He has been honored by the club where he made his name as a manager, OFI on several occasions. A friendly game was held in his honor in 2000 at the club's home ground Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium, in which he later was offered a permanent, leather seat with his name engraved on it. In 2017 the club's board of directors decided to name the stadium's Gate 9 after him. On 20…

Manager

OFI

Greek Cup: 1986–87 APOEL

Cypriot First Division: 2001–02

Records

OFI: all-time longest serving manager: 1985–2000. Hellenic Football Federation all-time longest serving manager in a single club: 1985–2000 (OFI).