Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is in line to become the highest-paid Dutch coach in the Premier League, but the 52-year-old’s family are already very well off.
Ten Hag, who becomes the ninth Dutchman to coach in the English top flight, will earn a record-breaking salary that trumps the £3.3 million a year package compatriot Louis van Gaal earned during his tenure at Old Trafford.
It will be a handsome wage for the current Ajax boss, but it has emerged that Ten Hag is actually very wealthy outside of football.
Ten Hag’s multi-millionaire family are one of the richest in the Netherlands, having made their money in real estate
His father Hennie founded the company in 1967 and these days Ten Hag’s brothers Rico and Michel are manning the fort, with the latter the chairman of the board.
The eldest brother assumed more responsibility when his dad took a step back after spending half a century of running the business.
Hennie had wanted Erik to be involved in the business and other financial firms but the middle son was not interested and created his own path in football.
He had three playing stints with FC Twente, as well as turning out for De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk and FC Utrecht – before eventually going on to manage the Eredivisie side, having retired at the age of 32.
Ten Hag’s first job in management was at Go Ahead Eagles and he also worked as Bayern Munich’s reserse coach while Pep Guardiola was at the helm.
But it was at Ajax where Ten Hag has flourished, winning two Eredivisie titles and two KNVB cups.
He also guided the Amsterdam outfit to the Champions League semi-finals during a memorable run where they knocked out both Real Madrid and Juventus in 2018/19.
He’s now tasked with bringing back the good times at United, where there’s set to be wholesale changes.
“It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead,” Ten Hag told United’s official website after being announced.
“I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve. It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”
