Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich)
One of van Gaal’s first acts as manager of Bayern Munich in 2009 was to call up a number of youth team players, including defender Holger Badstuber, who was given a debut by the Dutchman. Despite never quite becoming the best in the business, Badstuber has gone on to make over 100 appearances at the Allianz Arena and is also a regular for Germany.
Patrick Kluivert (Ajax)
Another of the golden generation of Dutch talent to flourish under van Gaal’s management at Ajax in the 1990s was striker Patrick Kluivert, who was handed a debut by van Gaal and went on to become a key man for his national team, whilst also banging in the goals across Europe for the likes of Barcelona and, later in his career, Newcastle United.