In an interview with Voetbal International, Van Gaal stated that Cruyff and Pelé are the greatest players in his view, ranking above Messi.

"As a player, I thought Cruyff was outstanding, the best I've ever seen. It's difficult for me to truly judge Pelé, of course, but I've seen snippets of his matches, sometimes even better than Cruyff's. He was truly a phenomenal player with many qualities, but back then you usually only saw highlights and compilations," Van Gaal said.

"Cruyff and Pelé rank higher in my mind than Maradona or Messi. I don't think Messi is that great, also because he isn't always pleasant as a person. And Maradona, in my opinion, was not at all a likeable figure. But this all relates to my philosophy about the individual versus the team. Cruyff was a player who could deliver brilliant individual performances, but he always served the team; he saw the bigger picture."

Van Gaal explained that he considers spatial awareness to be "the most important thing in football." "That's why I greatly admire Litmanen. He was the best number 10 I ever coached. In that position, you face many opponents, and it's very difficult to make the right choice every time."

"Litmanen's ability in the number 10 role was superior to Bergkamp's. I often discussed this with Bergkamp, but he disagreed with me. That's fine, of course, which is why he later left Ajax."

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