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.