Van Bronckhorst is a former Dutch international midfielder whose clubs included Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona. He is currently manager of Turkish side Besiktas.
Van Bronckhorst tasted success at every club he played for, picking up the KNVB Cup, Premier League, FA Cup, all three major Scottish trophies as well as La Liga and the Champions League crown.
He was also part of the Dutch side that finished runners-up in the 2010 World Cup.
Van Bronckhorst was born in Rotterdam to parents of Indonesian descent and started early in football by joining a local youth team called Linker Maas Oever at just six years old.
It didn't take long for people to start noticing him either as he was offered a chance to join the youth ranks of Feyenoord the next year.
Within a few years at Feyenoord, he had made enough of an impact to be offered a professional deal in 1990 when he was 15 and went on to win the Dutch Youth League with Feyenoord the next season.
By the time he left the club for Rangers for £5m in 1998, he had made 103 appearances for Feyenoord and scored 22 league goals playing alongside the likes of Regi Blinker and Henrik Larsson. He also picked up the KNVB Cup in 1995.
Van Bronckhorst made his debut for Rangers in the UEFA Cup against Shelbourne and even got on the scoresheet to help his team overturn a three-goal deficit and claim a dramatic 5-3 win.
In 2001, Van Bronckhorst had made enough of a name for himself to secure a blockbuster move to Premier League club Arsenal for a fee of around £8million.
He suffered a knee ligament injury that caused him to be sidelined very early on his Gunners career, but recovered and went on to help Arsenal win the Premier League in 2001/02 and the 2002 and 2003 FA Cups.
In the 2004/05 season, Gio put on some of his best performances as a professional and was instrumental in helping Barca to La Liga glory in 2004/05 and 2005/06 and helping them win the UEFA Champions League in the same year.
Van Bronckhorst represented the Netherlands 106 times after making his debut in an international friendly against Brazil in 1996.
He only scored six goals for his country but his strike against Uruguay in the semi-final of the 2010 World Cup is still mentioned alongside some of the best goals in World Cup history.
While he initially struggled to establish himself in the playing squad for the Netherlands, his move to Arsenal and the Premier League earned him a more regular place in the team and he would play instrumental roles for the country at the Euros in 2004 and 2008 as well as the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.
Van Bronckhorst wasted no time getting involved behind the scenes after retiring in 2010, joining the backroom staff at his beloved Feyenoord as Ronald Koeman's assistant in 2011.
He led Feyenoord to KNVB Cup glory in his first full season in charge in the 2015/16 campaign before steering the club to its first Eredivisie title in 18 years the following season. Feyenoord claimed the KNVB Cup again in 2018.
Gio's success attracted the interest of Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou R&F and he left Feyenoord to join them in January 2020 but lasted less than 12 months before quitting in December to return home to be with his family.
In November 2021, Van Bronckhorst replaced Steven Gerrard as Rangers manager.
How it started, how it's going.
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) May 21, 2022
Giovanni van Bronckhorst becomes the ninth manager to win the Scottish Cup as a player and a manager 🏆#ScottishCupFinal pic.twitter.com/v0TnAKmwwZ
Van Bronckhorst was sacked by Rangers on November 21 2022 following a run of form this season that the club described as "not meeting expectations."
He paid the price for a poor start to the current season in which Rangers endured a humiliating Champions League group stage and fell nine points adrift of city rivals Celtic at the top of the cinch Premiership.
In June 2024, van Bronckhorst was appointed the new head coach of Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas.
He and his wife set up the SV GIO after-school program where groups of children in primary school can receive support for education and sports. The program takes place in various locations including Feyenoord's home ground, De Kuip, and on the campus of the University Rotterdam.
One of Van Bronckhorst's former teammates Claudio Reyna named his son Giovanni, after the Dutch midfielder. Giovanni Reyna is a fully capped international with the USA.
Van Bronckhorst's net worth was estimated to be in the region of $5 million in 2021.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has “no interest” in the recent managerial change at city rivals Rangers - but has backed Giovanni van Bronckhorst to be a success wherever he ends up next.
Rangers have sacked manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst after just a year after a poor run of form that saw them fall nine points behind Scottish Premiership rivals Celtic.
Steven Gerrard is the favourite to become the next Rangers boss after the Glasgow giants sacked manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst after a year in charge.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has not had any talks with the Rangers board about his future - but skipper James Tavernier insists there is “definitely not a crisis” at the club despite their poor form.
