But the amiable Dutchman's contract with the Koreans is up after Saturday's third-place play-off in Taegu and he will become a free agent should he decide, as expected, against an extension.
While there is huge pressure on him to stay from a grateful Korean public, the man who took Holland to the semi-finals in France four years ago has given no sign that he is about to have a change of heart and stay on.
The fact that he has lived in a hotel throughout his time in Korea shows he has always viewed his task as a short-term one, limited to steering the team through the challenge of co-hosting the World Cup.
Always the professional, the most marketable coach in football is now focused on the third-place play-off match against the losers of Wednesday's Brazil-Turkey semi-final.
But he already appears to be in retrospective mood.
"We can be proud of the boys and what they did not just tonight but especially over the long run of the tournament," he said after the semi-final defeat.
"The expectations in Korea were enormous but not realistic. Earlier in the tournament I tried to keep the pressure away from the team.
"The team has really come together but you have to keep in mind that they play in the Korean league, which is a second or third-class league."