Known for his frankness and indifferent attitude towards celebrity, the former assistant of Manchester United and Wales has carved out a distinctive niche in the football world.
His journey on the field was brief. At the tender age of 19, his playing career was abruptly halted after a freak accident—falling out of bed, which resulted in a severe knee injury. But his love for football drove him to pivot towards coaching.
He embarked on this new path at Feyenoord’s academy, where he spent 13 years nurturing young talents, one of whom was Robin van Persie. This budding star would later reunite with him at Manchester United, showcasing the coach’s knack for developing future football icons.
Moving beyond Feyenoord, he contributed to the Dutch national youth teams before taking on the role of assistant under Louis van Gaal at Manchester United. His tenure at Old Trafford was marked by his straightforward approach, earning him a reputation for being direct with high-profile players.
Reflecting on his time at United, he shared with de Telegraaf, “At United, I was fully responsible for the training sessions of the first-team squad before matches. I handled all the pre-match team talks and conducted post-match discussions with both the team and individual players.”
He credits Louis van Gaal for providing him the platform to hone his skills at the highest level, allowing him to lead in numerous capacities. “Louis gave me the opportunity to develop myself at the top level and lead in so many ways,” he expressed.
Stuivenberg joined his United colleague Ryan Giggs as part of the coaching team with the Wales national team after Van Gaal’s sacking and a brief stint at Genk. Giggs valued Stuivenberg’s tough-love approach.
‘Albert would always tell me what he thought. He will never be a yes-man. He would be up front. If I was missing something, I would always want someone who would question me. ‘Why are you doing that?’ He’s experienced. He’s a brilliant coach, and the lads love him,’ Giggs told the Athletic in 2020.
While at Wales, he was offered the chance to become Mikel Arteta’s assistant at Arsenal, and at the Emirates, his brutally honest streak continued. He advocated for Arteta to axe Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, fearing the Gabon striker’s flashy lifestyle could have rubbed off negatively on young stars like Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah.
He was also keen to nurture the attitudes of those he believed he could hone into leaders. With Stuivenberg’s help, Granit Xhaka began his transformation from hot-headed to real leader – a characteristic that has helped him perform as Sunderland and Switzerland captain and be one of the best players in the Premier League this season.
While it is his constant donning of wireless headphones on the touchline that has led to the nickname ‘AirPod Albert’. It is understood that he is in communication through WhatsApp with another, rotating member of the management team sitting in the stands, for a distinct perspective of the game.
His headphone wearing is a widely discussed characteristic, but he has perhaps not received the same mockery as other coaches – Chris Armas, who was part of United’s coaching staff under Ralf Rangnick donned similar earphones on the sideline to communicate with analyst Lars Kornetka, and was relentlessly mocked by both fans and players, even allegedly being compared to TV character Ted Lasso by some parts of the dressing room.
Stuivenberg has taken charge of Arsenal multiple times when Arteta has been unavailable. When the Spaniard was out with Covid in January 2022, Stuivenberg was in the hotseat for Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City, and in December 2023, with Arteta banned, the Dutchman suffered defeat at Aston Villa.
By Daniel Burdon
