Once he was declared fit to play, the same knee was injured in a match against PSV Eindhoven and he was sidelined for quite a period yet again, and eventually an Achilles tendon injury ended his career as a player.

[2] Hamberg played in one match for Netherlands national football team, but was unavailable for further selection due to the Achilles tendon injury that ended his career.

However, Hamberg and Pfister stepped back from their position after it was announced that their players had not received any promised money for qualifying for the World Cup.

[6] Eventually Pfister returned before their World Cup opener against South Korea, but Hamberg decided not to and told the press he is a man of his words.

[8][4] As a result of his successes, Hamberg became known as one of the best youth developers in the world,[citation needed] leading to his appointment as technical manager for Liverpool F.C.