Guus Hiddink has agreed to become the new manager of Turkey after his contract with Russia expires on June 30. It comes afer he failed to qualify the Russians for the World Cup, although he is still leaving in high regard after a semi-final finish at UEFA EURO 2008. He was linked with a number of teams in the past month, with clubs such as Liverpool, and World Cup international sides like Nigeria, Ghana, and South Korea (where he has legendary status), although he has claimed that ‘out of respect to Russia’, that he would not be managing in South Africa this summer.
The move will be seen as a very good one from a Turkish point of view, as Guus Hiddink is famed for international management sucesses, especially with teams that have not been expected to achieve. His track record includes Holland (EURO 1996 (Quarter-Finals), 1998 FIFA World Cup (Semi-Finals, 4th Place)), South Korea (2002 FIFA World Cup (S-F, 4th)), Australia (2006 FIFA World Cup, Second Round), and Russia (EURO 2008, S-F).
A coincidence seems to be that in his two most recent semi-final appearences in major tournaments, the Turks have been the other losing semi-finalists. He will now look to build on Turkey’s past sucess with a strong EURO 2012 campaign, to be held in Poland and Ukraine.
In club management, the journeyman Hiddink has taken charge of De Graafschap, PSV, Fenerbache, Valencia, Real Madrid, Real Betis, PSV (again), and Chelsea in the space of 28 years.
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