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5 Fun Things You Might Not Know About Erik ten Hag

By Jack Goodwin

AMSTERDAM - Ajax coach Erik ten Hag celebrates the national championship after the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and sc Heerenveen in the Johan Cruijff ArenA on May 11, 2022 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ANP OLAF KRAAK (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
AMSTERDAM - Ajax coach Erik ten Hag celebrates the national championship after the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and sc Heerenveen in the Johan Cruijff ArenA on May 11, 2022 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ANP OLAF KRAAK (Photo by ANP via Getty Images) /
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I don’t really know much about Erik ten Hag, past his managerial career anyway. ‘De Kleine Generaal’ can be out there doing his manager things, and I can be over here doing mine, and our ecosystems never really cross paths. I think I just naively assumed: this man’s a good manager, right?

We recently had the lovely Solskjaer, and then Rangnick who looked a bit like he might be a James Bond villain, and now we have the cool, decent one. Right? He’s always wearing lovely jackets and saying something very slightly rogue with a wry smile. He’s cool! So I thought there can’t be much else to offer, being cool is hard work, a full-time job some would say – but nay, there’s more than meets the eye with the charming Dutchman…

5. The Most Famous Person From Haaksbergen?

Manchester United
(lr) Lisandro Martinez of Ajax, Ajax coach Erik ten Hag. (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images) /

In eastern Netherlands, lies a small town which borders Germany – Haaksbergen. Lil’ Erik was born here – living just outside in a small town called Oldenzaal with his parents, Hennie (father) and Joke (mother) alongside his two brothers Michel and Rico.

Haaksbergen is known for the beautiful Oostendorper Watermölle (a watermill), the Museum Buurtspoorweg (rail museum) and of course, being the town which gave us Erik ten Hag.

But there are others! Erik’s former FC Twente teammate Andy Scharmin was from Haaksbergen. But, Andy tragically died following a plane crash at just 21 years of age in 1989. Erik still mentions Andy from time to time in interviews as an “unimaginable athlete” – which is certainly true as he was the Netherlands under-21’s captain at the time.

There is former striker Niki Leferink, who played a total number of 350 games in Dutch professional football, scoring 84 times during his 14-year playing career.

Not just football either, Bram Tankink is a former cyclist who competed in the Tour De France, and Shirley van der Lof is a racing driver and granddaughter of former Formula One driver Dries van der Lof (the first ever Dutch F1 driver).

Unquestionably however, Erik ten Hag is Haaksbergen’s most famous export, unless, of course, you’re a Dutch music fanatic, in which case, you have a strong objection and will yell “THOMAS BERGE”! at me smugly whilst singing “De Stem van Mijn Hart”. Well, Berge super-fans, I know that he took part in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 in Glasgow…and ended last with ONE point – so take that.

Sure, he actually grew up in Oldenzaal, so what about those lot? There are actually MANY more footballers from Oldenzaal, but it would’ve been tricky to call Erik the MOST famous from there, Hull City FC superstar of 2009-2010, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink is from there guys!