The 71-year-old endured a miserable first spell as manager from 2000-02 with the Dutch failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
A memorable 1-0 defeat by a 10-man Republic of Ireland side sealed their fate in the qualifiers and Van Gaal stepped down from the job.
The former Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United boss returned for a second spell in 2012, again lasting two years.
This time he was successful in securing a place in the World Cup and the Netherlands progressed to the semi-finals before a penalty shootout defeat by Argentina.
So could this be third time lucky for Van Gaal after coming in to replace Frank de Boer last year? He will lead his Dutch team out at Lusail Stadium on Friday night for a World Cup quarter-final, with Argentina the opponents once again.
Van Gaal, a man never shy in speaking his mind, is just three games away from taking the Netherlands to a first World Cup triumph.