ST. PETERSBURG, September 16. /ITAR-TASS/. Much-travelled Dutch trainer Dick Advocaat, who is currently the head coach of the Serbian national football team, said the coaching work is by far important than money as he gets paid for his work in Belgrade by 20 times less comparing with the salary he used to be paid while coaching the Russian national team.

In an interview with ITAR-TASS Advocaat, who managed the Russian national side between 2010 and 2012 and led the squad to the 2012 Euro Cup, said money was not important and he enormously enjoyed coaching the Serbian team, which in terms of mentality reminded him of the Russians.

Although there was no official information on the salary Advocaat received for his work with the Russian team, various media reports suggested that the Dutch trainer was paid annually the sum of five million euros ($6.5 million) plus bonuses. He finished his work with the Russian team after it failed to clear the group stage of the 2012 Euro Cup, which was co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland.

The 66-year-old Dutch trainer signed a two-year contract to take the helm of the Serbian team in late July replacing interim coach Ljubinko Drulovic. His contract may be extended if the national team qualifies for the 2016 Euro Cup in France, otherwise he would be dismissed from his post.

“I did not come for the money. I have already earned enough of it. I wanted to work with a young team which has potential,” AFP news agency quoted him as saying earlier in the month as he spoke about his work with the Serbian team.

The Serbian team failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and on its way to qualify for the 2016 Euro Cup in France it will have to face its Group I contenders Denmark, Albania, Armenia and Portugal.

“I discovered a team that knows how to play but doesn’t know how to win and this has to change,” he was quoted by AFP. “Simply, we have to qualify. There is no other option. We have the required quality and we’re going to show it.”

The Serbian squad is the sixth national team for Advocaat in the post of the head coach. The much-experienced Dutch trainer led the national team from the Netherlands to the 1994 World Cup in the United States and the 2004 Euro Cup in Portugal, the team from South Korea to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and the Russian team to the 2012 Euro Cup in Ukraine and Poland. He also coached the teams from Belgium (2009-2010) and the United Arab Emirates (2005).