THE coach who guided Trinidad and Tobago to the pinnacle of international football has died.
Dutchman Leo Beenhakker, who helped the Soca Warriors qualify for the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany, died at the age of 82. The 2006 World Cup is the only time TT featured at the tournament.
Beenhakker was known for his calm demeanour on the sidelines as he showed little emotion.
In November 2005, after being held to a 1-1 draw by Bahrain at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, the Soca Warriors needed to defeat the same team in the second leg of the World Cup playoff to seal a spot at the World Cup. A header from Dennis Lawrence was enough to give TT a 1-0 win as Beenhakker's team created history.
That Soca Warriors team had stalwarts in the local game including captain Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy, Shaka Hislop, Stern John and Carlos Edwards.
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Before coaching Soca Warriors, Beenhakker coached in Europe at both international and club football. He led Spanish club Real Madrid to three straight La Liga in the late 1980s.
