Phillip Cocu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Phillip Cocu

Cocu in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth	(1970-10-29) 29 October 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth	Eindhoven, Netherlands
Height	1.82 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1988–1990	AZ Alkmaar	50	(8)
1990–1995	Vitesse	137	(25)
1995–1998	PSV	95	(31)
1998–2004	Barcelona	205	(31)
2004–2007	PSV	94	(23)
2007–2008	Al Jazira	17	(4)
Total		598	(122)
National team
1996–2006	Netherlands	101	(10)
Teams managed
2008–2012	Netherlands (assistant)
2012	PSV (caretaker)
2013–2018	PSV
2018	Fenerbahçe
2019–2020	Derby County
2022–2023	Vitesse
Honours Men's football Representing  Netherlands UEFA European Championship Bronze 2000 Bronze 2004
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Phillip Cocu (born 29 October 1970) is a famous Dutch football manager and former player. He was known for being a strong midfielder on the field. Most recently, he managed the team Vitesse.

Cocu was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands. When he was three, his family moved to Zevenaar. He started playing youth football at a local club called DCS at age six. Later, he joined the youth academy of De Graafschap. After a short time at AFC '34, Cocu joined AZ in 1987. This was the start of his professional football journey.

In 1990, Cocu moved to Vitesse. He became a regular player there for four seasons. In 1995, he joined PSV. With PSV, he won the KNVB Cup and the Eredivisie title in 1997. From 1998 to 2004, Cocu played for Barcelona. He became a team captain there and won the La Liga title in 1999. He also played in two Champions League semi-finals. When he left Barcelona in 2004, he held the record for most league games played by a foreign player.

Cocu returned to PSV in 2004. During his second time with the club, he won three more Eredivisie titles. He also reached the Champions League semi-finals again. After playing for Al Jazira for one year, Cocu stopped playing professional football.

He first played for the Netherlands national team in 1996. He played in the 1998 World Cup, scoring two goals. He also played in the 2006 World Cup. Cocu was part of the Dutch team in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 European Championships. He reached the semi-finals in 2000 and 2004. In 2004, he was the captain of the Dutch team. Cocu played 101 games for the Netherlands. This makes him one of the players with the most appearances for his country. He was known for being a versatile player. He could play as a defensive midfielder, but also as a defender, wing back, winger, or forward.

After retiring as a player, Cocu became a coach. He worked as a youth coach and assistant manager at PSV. He was also an assistant coach for the Dutch national team from 2008 to 2012. In 2012, Cocu became the caretaker manager for PSV and won the KNVB Cup. In 2013, he became the official manager of PSV. He led the club to win three league titles in five years.

Early Football Days

Phillip Cocu was born in Eindhoven. His family moved to Zevenaar when he was three years old. This move happened because his father got a new job. Phillip started playing youth football at a local amateur club called DCS. He was only six years old at the time. Usually, players had to be seven to join, but the team made an exception for him.

He played for DCS until he was noticed by De Graafschap's youth academy. After a short time there, he moved to AFC '34 in 1986. Just one year later, his talent was spotted again by a professional club. In June 1987, Cocu joined the youth teams of AZ.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at AZ and Vitesse

Cocu began his time at AZ in the reserve team. But he quickly moved up to the first team. He played his first professional game on 22 January 1989. He was 18 years old and played as a left winger. This match was in the Eerste Divisie against NEC.

He scored his first goal two weeks later in a cup game against Fortuna Sittard. His first league goal came in March against SVV. He scored four goals in his first season. In the 1989-90 season, he played in almost every league match. After that season, Cocu was sold to Vitesse for about €272,000. Vitesse had just been promoted to a higher league.

In his first season at Vitesse, Cocu played only eight matches. This was because he broke his fibula bone. His second season was much better. He played most games and scored three goals. His first Vitesse goal was in August 1991 against ADO Den Haag. At Vitesse, Cocu changed from a left winger to a central midfielder. His coach, Herbert Neumann, saw him as a leader in the middle of the field.

In 1992, Cocu played his first European match. Vitesse played against Derry City. After winning that game, they beat Mechelen from Belgium. Cocu scored a long-range goal that won the away match 1–0. Vitesse was later knocked out by Real Madrid. In the Eredivisie, the team finished in fourth place. Cocu played all league matches in his third season and scored twice as many goals.

In the 1993–94 season, Cocu scored 11 Eredivisie goals. This included three goals in a 5–0 win over Go Ahead Eagles in December. After this season, Louis van Gaal and Ajax wanted to buy Cocu. However, they could not pay the transfer fee Vitesse wanted. A year later, PSV and Feyenoord offered the amount in Cocu's contract. This meant Vitesse could not refuse the offer. Cocu chose to play for PSV.

Cocu joined PSV in June 1995 along with Chris van der Weerden. He scored right away in his first PSV game against Fortuna Sittard. In his first season, he helped PSV win the KNVB Cup. He scored the first goal in the final against Sparta Rotterdam, which PSV won 5–2. In October 1996, Cocu scored two goals in a big 7–2 win against Feyenoord. That season, Cocu and PSV won the Johan Cruyff Shield by beating Ajax 3–0. They also won the Eredivisie title.

In the 1997–98 season, Cocu won the Johan Cruyff Shield again. He scored two goals in a 3–1 win against Roda JC. In the Eredivisie, PSV finished second behind Ajax. They also lost the KNVB Cup final to Ajax (5–0). After this season, Cocu decided not to extend his contract. He wanted to leave for free. Many big clubs like Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Lazio wanted to sign him. But he chose to join Barcelona, the club he loved as a child.

Playing for Barcelona

At Barcelona, Cocu joined many other Dutch players. These included Louis van Gaal, Michael Reiziger, Frank de Boer, Patrick Kluivert, Boudewijn Zenden, Ronald de Boer, and Winston Bogarde. He played in midfield with stars like Luís Figo and Pep Guardiola. Cocu played 36 league matches and scored 12 goals. He helped Barcelona win the La Liga title in his first season. In March, Cocu scored both goals in a 2–0 win against Real Sociedad.

In his second season, the team finished second in the league. Cocu scored six league goals. This included two goals against Real Oviedo (a 3–2 win) and two against Athletic Bilbao (a 4–0 win). Barcelona and Cocu reached the Champions League semi-finals. They were knocked out by Valencia. Cocu scored a goal in the second game of that semi-final. In 2000, Van Gaal left the club. The team's performance got worse in the next two seasons. Barcelona finished fourth in the league twice.

In 2001, Pep Guardiola left Barcelona. This made space for a new midfield with Cocu, Xavi, and Gabri. In the 2001–02 season, Barcelona reached the Champions League semi-finals again. But they lost to Real Madrid and missed the final. In 2002, coach Louis van Gaal returned. He chose Cocu as vice-captain, with Luis Enrique as captain.

The 2002–03 season was one of Barcelona's toughest in years. The team finished sixth in La Liga. Van Gaal was fired early in the season. Cocu also tore a knee ligament in a Champions League match against Inter Milan in February. He was out of action for two months. Weeks before, Barcelona had beaten Inter 3–0, with a goal from Cocu. His contract was ending in 2003. He waited for the Barcelona presidential elections to decide on extending it. Cocu had planned to join PSV if talks failed. But he agreed to a one-year extension in June.

The 2003–04 season started with a new coach, Frank Rijkaard. Cocu scored Barcelona's first goal of the league season. It was the winning goal in a 1–0 match against Athletic Bilbao. He played 36 league matches that season. He also often served as the team captain. Barcelona finished second in La Liga. In early 2004, Barcelona said they would not renew Cocu's contract. They could not agree on a new deal because he did not accept their much lower offer. Cocu was sad about the club's decision. But he was happy to return to PSV, who had always kept their offer open. After he left, club president Joan Laporta gave him a special plaque for his loyalty.

When Cocu left Barcelona, his 205 La Liga matches and 291 total appearances were club records for a foreign player. These records stood until Lionel Messi broke them in 2011 and 2012.

Back to PSV and Al-Jazira

In 2004, Cocu signed a two-year contract to return to PSV. He played in midfield with Johann Vogel and captain Mark van Bommel. In the 2004–05 season, this team won the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup. They also reached the Champions League semi-finals.

In the Champions League, Cocu scored an important away goal for PSV against Lyon (1–1) in the quarter-finals. PSV reached the semi-finals, but lost to Milan. After losing the first game 2–0, PSV went 2–0 up in the second game, with a goal by Cocu. However, a goal by Milan's Massimo Ambrosini ended their hopes of reaching the final. Cocu scored a second goal in injury time, but it was not enough. In the league, Cocu missed the title-winning match against Vitesse. He had been sent off in the previous game against Willem II.

When Mark van Bommel left PSV in 2005, manager Guus Hiddink made Cocu the new captain. PSV won the league title again. They reached the second round of the Champions League, but Lyon eliminated them. Cocu was sent off in the return match. For his great play in the league, Cocu won the Zilveren Schoen. This award is for the second-best Eredivisie player that year.

After the 2005–06 season, Cocu signed a one-year contract extension with PSV. The team started the 2006–07 season well. But their performance dropped a lot in the second half. The title was almost lost. The championship was decided on the very last day of the league. PSV played against Vitesse. PSV won the match 5–1, and Cocu scored the final goal. This goal ended up deciding the title race. The goal difference between PSV and second-place Ajax was just one goal, which was enough for PSV to win the Eredivisie title.

Cocu was thinking about retiring after the 2006–07 season. But he received offers from Australia and Al Jazira Club. After talking to people who worked for Al Jazira, he decided to sign a one-year deal with the club in the United Arab Emirates in August 2007. In his first match against Al Wasl, he scored right away in their 2–1 win. With Al-Jazira, Cocu played in 17 league matches and scored four goals. After the season, Cocu thought about staying for another year. But he chose to return to the Netherlands to study to become a professional football coach. In July 2009, PSV held a special testimonial match for Cocu at the Philips Stadion. A team of famous former players like Luís Figo and Edgar Davids played against the current PSV team.

International Career

Cocu playing for the Netherlands during the 2006 World Cup

Phillip Cocu almost made his international debut in 1994. Coach Dick Advocaat included him in the 25-player squad for the 1994 World Cup. This was because of his good play at Vitesse. However, he did not make the final team.

His international debut came at age 25 in early 1996. It was an exhibition match against Germany. Coach Guus Hiddink gave him this chance. Cocu scored his first international goal against the Republic of Ireland in June. Hiddink called Cocu up for Euro 1996. He came on as a substitute in two group matches. He was in the starting team for the quarter-final loss against France.

Two years later, the Dutch team qualified for the 1998 World Cup. Cocu had earned his spot as a starting player. He played in all World Cup matches. He scored goals in the group stage games against South Korea and Mexico. In the semi-final against Brazil, the game went to a penalty shoot-out. Cocu took the third Dutch penalty, but the goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel saved his shot. The Netherlands lost the shoot-out (4–2) and missed out on the final.

Cocu and the Netherlands played in Euro 2000. They qualified automatically as a host nation. The Dutch team, with Cocu playing in every game, won all their group matches. They also won the quarter-final against Yugoslavia. However, Cocu and the team were again knocked out after a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals. This time, they lost to Italy.

The Netherlands and Cocu did not qualify for the 2002 World Cup. They were in a tough qualification group with Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. In 2003, Cocu received his first red card in an international friendly match against Belgium.

The Netherlands did well in the Euro 2004 qualifiers. Cocu scored two goals, both in separate matches against Austria. During Euro 2004, Cocu was chosen as team captain. He played in all matches. In the quarter-finals against Sweden, he missed a penalty in the shoot-out. But the Netherlands still managed to win. In the semi-finals, the team was eliminated by the host nation, Portugal. After Euro 2004, Cocu lost the captain role to Edgar Davids. This was a decision made by the new manager, Marco van Basten.

The Netherlands qualified for the 2006 World Cup. Cocu scored three goals in the qualifying matches. Cocu was a starting player in most games. But he was sent off against Andorra in September 2005. This meant Cocu missed the last two qualification games. At the World Cup, the Netherlands moved past the group stage. But they were knocked out by Portugal in the second round. This game is famous for being very rough. Cocu almost scored to tie the game by hitting the crossbar early in the second half.

After the tournament, Cocu retired from international football. He played 101 games for the Netherlands. This places him among the top players with the most appearances for his country. He was given a special farewell and a golden plaque for his service. This happened before a match against Belarus in September 2006. In 2011, Cocu was given an honorary title by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB). This was for his great service to Dutch football.

Playing Style

Phillip Cocu was a very complete and flexible player. He could play as a defender, midfielder, and even as a forward. He once said that he never played as a right full-back or as a goalkeeper. This shows how many different positions he could play on the field.

Managerial Career

Coaching PSV Eindhoven

After Cocu returned from the UAE in 2008, he wanted to become a football coach. He joined a course to get the necessary coaching licenses. He went back to PSV to help with several youth teams. Cocu was also immediately made the second assistant to Bert van Marwijk. Van Marwijk had become the manager of the Netherlands national team.

Later, Cocu's role at PSV changed. He helped Ernest Faber with the PSV under-19 team. He also became a trainee for the PSV first team under Huub Stevens in late 2008. After Stevens resigned in January 2009, Cocu became the assistant manager under caretaker manager Dwight Lodeweges. After the season, he continued to be available part-time for the first team.

In February 2010, he passed his coaching exam. This allowed him to be a manager in the Netherlands. A month later, Cocu agreed to stay as assistant manager for the Dutch national team for two more years. With the Netherlands, he was at the 2010 World Cup. The team lost the final against Spain.

In December 2010, Cocu was promoted to first assistant manager for the Dutch national team. This happened after Frank de Boer became manager of Ajax. In the summer of 2011, Cocu signed a new two-year contract with PSV. When Fred Rutten was fired as PSV manager in March 2012, Cocu was appointed as caretaker manager for the rest of the season. Faber joined PSV from FC Eindhoven to be Cocu's assistant.

During his few months as manager, he brought young player Memphis Depay to the first team. He also replaced Andreas Isaksson with Przemysław Tytoń as the starting goalkeeper. However, the team's results did not get better. After a 2–1 home loss against RKC Waalwijk, Cocu openly said they were out of the title race. Even though they won their last five games in a row, Cocu and PSV finished third in the league. This meant they missed out on Champions League football. Still, the team won the KNVB Cup. They beat Heracles Almelo 3–0 in the final.

For the 2012–13 season, the PSV board appointed Dick Advocaat as the new manager. Cocu wanted to gain more coaching experience. So, he took on the role of PSV under-19 coach. He also left his job as assistant manager for the Dutch national team after Euro 2012. The Netherlands was eliminated in the first round of that tournament.

During the season, it was decided that Cocu would take over from Advocaat if he left. When Advocaat quit after the season, Cocu signed a four-year contract as manager of PSV. He was joined by Faber and Chris van der Weerden as his assistants. Cocu emphasized developing players from PSV's youth teams. On 18 April 2015, Cocu won the Eredivisie title. This happened after a 4–1 win over Heerenveen. This was PSV's first league title since 2008. It also ended Ajax's four-year winning streak in the league. Cocu's team successfully defended their league title the next season.

Managing Fenerbahçe

On 22 June 2018, Cocu was hired as the manager of Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He signed a three-year deal. The club had new owners at the time. He was fired on 28 October. The club was only one point and one spot above the relegation zone. This followed a 3–1 home loss to MKE Ankaragücü.

Coaching Derby County

On 5 July 2019, Cocu was announced as the new manager of Championship club Derby County in England. He led Derby to a 10th-place finish. He also brought a style of play known locally as "Cocuball." On 14 November 2020, Cocu and Derby parted ways. The club was at the bottom of the league table at that time.

Managing Vitesse Again

Cocu returned to coaching after almost two years. On 26 September 2022, he was appointed manager at Vitesse. The team was in 14th place when he joined. He had played for Vitesse before, leaving in 1995. He replaced Thomas Letsch, who had left for VfL Bochum. Cocu resigned on 11 November 2023. This was after a 1–3 home loss to SC Heerenveen. The team was at the bottom of the league with eight points after twelve matches.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Scores and results list the Netherlands goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cocu goal.

List of international goals scored by Phillip Cocu

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	4 June 1996	De Kuip, Rotterdam	Republic of Ireland	3–1	3–1	Friendly
2	9 October 1996	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Wales	5–1	7–1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	20 June 1998	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France	South Korea	1–0	5–0	1998 FIFA World Cup
4	25 June 1998	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne, France	Mexico	1–0	2–2	1998 FIFA World Cup
5	5 September 2001	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Estonia	3–0	5–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	16 October 2002	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
7	6 September 2003	De Kuip, Rotterdam	Austria	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
8	17 November 2004	Mini Estadi, Barcelona, Spain	Andorra	1–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	26 March 2005	Stadionul Giulești, Bucharest, Romania	Romania	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	8 June 2005	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	3–0	4–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial Statistics

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record								Ref
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
PSV (caretaker)		12 March 2012	2 July 2012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	+19	&&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075.00
PSV		1 July 2013	22 June 2018	&&&&&&&&&&&&0225.&&&&&0225	&&&&&&&&&&&&0146.&&&&&0146	&&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036	&&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043	&&&&&&&&&&&&0478.&&&&&0478	&&&&&&&&&&&&0234.&&&&&0234	+244	&&&&&&&&&&&&&064.89000064.89
Fenerbahçe		22 June 2018	28 October 2018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021	−8	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020.00
Derby County		5 July 2019	14 November 2020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&065.&&&&&065	&&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026	&&&&&&&&&&&&&074.&&&&&074	&&&&&&&&&&&&&090.&&&&&090	−16	&&&&&&&&&&&&&032.31000032.31
Vitesse		27 September 2022	11 November 2023	&&&&&&&&&&&&&041.&&&&&041	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050	&&&&&&&&&&&&&060.&&&&&060	−10	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.27000029.27
Total				&&&&&&&&&&&&0358.&&&&&0358	&&&&&&&&&&&&0191.&&&&&0191	&&&&&&&&&&&&&071.&&&&&071	&&&&&&&&&&&&&096.&&&&&096	&&&&&&&&&&&&0646.&&&&&0646	&&&&&&&&&&&&0417.&&&&&0417	+229	&&&&&&&&&&&&&053.35000053.35	—

Football Achievements

As a Player

PSV

• Eredivisie: 1996–97, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
• KNVB Cup: 1995–96, 2004–05
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 1996, 1997

Barcelona

• La Liga: 1998–99

Al Jazira

• Gulf Club Champions Cup: 2007

As a Manager

PSV

• Eredivisie: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
• KNVB Cup: 2011–12
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2015, 2016

Individual Awards

• Rinus Michels Award: 2015, 2018

Images for kids

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See Also

• List of footballers with 100 or more caps