Before taking over as Manchester United manager, he had a 13-year playing career in the Netherlands, where he won five titles and introduced an attractive brand of game with Ajax.
Ajax manager Erik ten Hag will formally take over the reins at Old Trafford at the conclusion of the season, after being connected with the post since November and intense speculation that he had finally signed a deal in recent weeks.
After leading Ajax to five titles in the last four seasons and playing an appealing style of football, the Dutchman is prepared to seize the helm of the sinking Red Devils ship.
Erik ten Hag's achievements, personal life, and present role at Ajax are all detailed here.
Erik ten Hag, who is he?
Erik ten Hag is a Dutch manager who is presently in charge of Ajax in the Eredivisie, where they are four points clear at the top with five games remaining. The 52-year-old has been in charge of the Amsterdam club since 2017, but will join Man United as their next manager in the summer of 2022-23.
Ten Hag played professionally for FC Twente, De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk, and FC Utrecht from 1989 to 2002, spending his whole career in the Netherlands as a centre back. He retired at the age of 32. In 2012, he took over as manager of Go Ahead Eagles, before moving on to Bayern Munich II, Utrecht, and finally Ajax.
Ten Hag is married to Bianca, although nothing is known about her because she tries to keep a low profile away from the press. Although Erik has been very quiet about his family life in public, it is thought that the pair is only a few years apart in age and that they have a son.
Trophies awarded.
Ten As a manager, Hag has won six titles, but he's also accomplished a slew of other achievements. The Dutchman guided Go Ahead Eagles to their first promotion in 17 years during his first management appointment in 2012. He also helped Utrecht qualify for the Europa League qualifications in 2016-17 after winning the Regionalliga Bayern in 2013-14 with Bayern Munich II.
ten Hag has won five trophies since taking charge at Ajax in 2017. He won the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup in 2018-19, as well as the Dutch Super Cup, before repeating the feat in 2020-21. In 2018-19, he notably guided Ajax to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, and earlier this year, he became the league's quickest manager to reach 100 victories with Ajax (128 matches).
Individually, he won the Eredivisie Manager of the Year Award with Utrecht in 2016 and Ajax in 2019, and he finished fourth in the FIFA Men's Coach Award in the same year. He won the KNVB and the second tier title with De Graafschap in 1990-91.