Van Bommel: I was in tears after Van Gaal bust-up

Former Bayern Munich skipper Mark van Bommel has revealed he was in tears after the bust-up with Louis van Gaal that eventually saw him leave the Allianz Arena.

Van Bommel developed into a key figure at Bayern after joining the club from Barcelona in 2006, but left the Bavarians for AC Milan somewhat surprisingly in January 2011.

“I was Bayern captain, I was Van Gaal’s captain – as he puts it – but I also protected the dressing room,” Van Bommel told Fox Sports.

“So if he attacked someone who did not deserve that during a team talk, I would open my mouth and protect that player. Louis can deal with a lot of things, but you should not oppose him. 

“Things got out of hand in December 2010. I had a difficult and nasty discussion with him. I told him about all the things he could not do and there was some namecalling as well. Normally, Louis is the one doing all the talking, but I was having my say for two or three minutes there and told him everything I wanted to say. 

“I then left the room and walked into the physio on my way out, with whom I had a good relationship. I immediately told him it was all over. I was so emotional about it all that I was in tears afterwards.

“I had a 30-minute chat with the physio to discuss what I had told Van Gaal and I knew I had to leave then and there.

“I never shook his hand since.”

Van Bommel spent 18 months at Milan before returning to PSV, where he retired in May 2013.