The Making of Peter Bosz

In an attic in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, one can find an old box containing notes. These cover tactical writings related to the Dutch national team of 1992, when they were led by Rinus Michels at the European Championships in Sweden that year. The Dutch managed to reach the semi-finals that year, losing to Denmark in a penalty shoot-out. Part of that team was Peter Bosz and it was he who wrote those notes. 

Early in his playing career, Bosz made it known that he wanted to go into coaching after he hung up his boots. Michels was one of the few coaches who were part of these notes as the midfielder wished to learn from the best.

A playing career that saw him don the shirts of Vitesse Arnhem, RKC Waalwijk and Feyenoord, he took notes from all the coaches he played under, honing his craft and preparing himself for the second stage of his footballing education. 

“It is very difficult for me to throw things away, so I still have those notebooks from the 1992 European Championship in Sweden,” says Bosz. “I didn't think I was good enough for the Dutch national team. I was in the team with Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten and when Rinus Michels did his match discussions, he often really highlighted one aspect.”