Quick Facts
Biography
Mitchell van der Gaag (born 22 October 1971) is a Dutch retired footballer who played as a central defender, and the current manager of S.B.V. Excelsior.
Playing career
Van der Gaag was born in Zutphen, Gelderland. After graduating from PSV Eindhoven's youth ranks, he spent three seasons on loan to NEC Nijmegen and Sparta Rotterdam, returning to Eindhoven for a further three years but never being an important first-team figure, however.
In January 1995, van der Gaag moved to Motherwell. He scored a career-best seven goals in 28 games in his second full season to help the Steelmen narrowly avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier Division, and subsequently returned to the Eredivisie with FC Utrecht.
For the 2001–02 campaign, van der Gaag joined Portugal's C.S. Marítimo, going on to be one of the Madeira club's most influential players as it consolidated in the Primeira Liga. He netted six times in his third year, helping the team finish sixth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Manager career
Van der Gaag retired from football in 2007, having spent one season with Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia. In July of the following year, he returned to Marítimo as a coach and took the reins of its B-team.
In late September 2009, after Carlos Carvalhal's dismissal following a string of bad results, van der Gaag was promoted to the main squad. After helping the Madeirans finish fifth – a place conquered in the last round with a 2–1 away win against Vitória de Guimarães, who ranked sixth – and qualify for the Europa League, his contract was renewed for a further year.
On 14 September 2010, after collecting only one point in the league's first four matches and being ousted by FC BATE Borisov in the Europa League, van der Gaag was sacked by Marítimo. He returned to management after nearly two years, still in Portugal, signing with second division's C.F. Os Belenenses. In his first season he won the league, thus returning the club to the top flight after three years.
Van der Gaag took a temporary leave of absence in late September 2013 due to heart problems, after feeling unwell during a league game against former club Marítimo (1–0 home win). In February 2015, he was appointed at Cypriot First Division club Ermis Aradippou, being released after just one month after refusing to renew his contract for the following campaign.
Honours
Player
- Johan Cruijff Schaal: 1992
Manager
- Segunda Liga: 2012–13