Philip Cocu: ”It makes you realise that not everything is always to be taken for granted.”
After 133 years, the Netherlands’ second-oldest professional football club, Vitesse, has been declared bankrupt and will lose its professional license. It marks the end of Vitesse as a professional club, a heartbreaking moment for supporters, players, and everyone connected to Arnhem’s pride. As a tribute, Life After Football is spotlighting some of the Vitesse legends who have appeared in front of our cameras over the years. This time, Phillip Cocu – one of the greatest players for the Arnhem side, who later returned as their manager – a leader whose legacy in yellow and black spans both the pitch and the dugout.
Phillip Cocu’s name is inseparable from Dutch football – from his early years at Vitesse and PSV to his time as captain of FC Barcelona. In this archived interview, recorded shortly after the end of his 19-year career as a professional player, Cocu looks back on life both on and off the pitch. His story is about leadership, health, family, investments, and a life philosophy that reaches far beyond the center circle.
From Vitesse to the world stage
Cocu began playing football at just six years old with DCS in Zevenaar, balancing his early career with a solid education until he was eightteen. Everything changed when Vitesse offered him a full professional contract. “From then on, despite all my good intentions, nothing came of studying. With commercial economics I could have done something here at PSV, I think, but that’s in the past. Although, who knows? You’re never too old to learn.”
His time at Vitesse and later PSV shaped him as both a player and a person. After a long spell abroad, including six years at Barcelona, Cocu returned from Spain in 2004, ready to re-establish roots in the Netherlands. “When we had just returned, we really had to get used to the hectic life here… In Spain things generally went much more relaxed… Those six years there suited us perfectly. In the end, we decided to return to the Netherlands entirely because of the children.” That return also brought a shift in focus. While football had always been central, life off the pitch began to take on greater significance.
Life beyond the pitch
Back home, Cocu was financially secure, but not content to sit still. “I wouldn’t have to work anymore, that’s true. But I can’t just sit at home for the rest of my life.” This desire for purpose led him toward entrepreneurship and new ventures. “Since 2001 I’ve been co-owner of a café in Arnhem’s Korenmarkt: you should mainly see that as an investment. And since recently I participate in Voetbalzaken.nl – an exclusive network for business club members in professional football… I think it will work.” But even as business opportunities grew, the demands of an elite athletic career continued to shape his lifestyle.
Health and discipline
Few supporters know Cocu played for years with asthma. “Since then I’ve been using medication. And it works so well that I’ve actually never had trouble breathing during matches.” Still, medical obligations could take their toll: “If I take that [FIFA] test, I feel quite unwell for a few days afterwards.”
He had kept his condition private for a long time. “I kept quiet about my asthma for years so people wouldn’t think a bad match was because of it.” Managing his condition went hand in hand with an unwavering discipline. “I’ve sometimes skipped a nice outing because my body needed a few hours of rest… I’ve tried to live for the sport.” That discipline, especially as he got older, was one of the reasons he could sustain a top-level career for nearly two decades.
Family and friends as compass
Spain had also influenced how Cocu approached his social life. “Our social network shrank during those six years in Spain — deliberately. With Barcelona’s busy schedule you can’t maintain all contacts. The real good friends are still there.”
For Cocu, family was never secondary to football. Decisions about his future were always shared ones. “I will never decide on my own whether or not to extend my career in Australia, Dubai, or the United States… my wife and children will come along.” That commitment extended to his day-to-day presence at home. “When I’m home, I really try to be there for my wife and the children… Not many fathers can say the same.” It’s a philosophy that tied closely to his broader outlook on life.
More than football
Cocu has always looked beyond the touchlines, thinking about global challenges like climate change. “Energy-saving bulbs, nothing left on or on standby at night… every little bit helps.” His career took him to every corner of the world, changing how he sees it. “I’ve seen people living in luxury, but I’ve also met people living in enormous poverty… It broadens your view. It’s good that as a footballer you are confronted with it, even if only briefly. It makes you realise that not everything is always and everywhere the same, or to be taken for granted.”
Whether in Arnhem, Barcelona, or Westervoort, Cocu remains true to his core: football as a passion, but life as the bigger picture. “Football will always keep pulling me… But first I want to take a step back, let my body and mind recover. After the holiday, we’ll see what comes next.”
Ready for more?
Want to read more? Check out our feature with fellow Vitesse legend Marco van Ginkel on what the club meant to him.
From exclusive interviews to business moves and lifestyle beyond the pitch — explore more stories inside the Player’s Lounge.
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