The Netherlands went a long time without a manager following Ronald Koeman’s departure. It wasn’t exactly a case of coaches fighting over the job; the Netherlands have struggled for consistent results at senior level for some time, while their pool of high-profile domestic coaches is hardly overflowing, which is why they have tended to fall back on the older generation, such as Ronald Koeman and Louis van Gaal.
Still, few expected the Netherlands, after being turned down by Arne Slot, Erik ten Hag and Peter Bosz, to appoint a foreign manager for the first time since 1978, when Ernst Happel was in charge. The Dutch FA has announced the appointment of Xavi Hernandez. They have even given him a long-term contract running until 2030.
The Spaniard has been without a job since May 2024, when he left Barcelona, having won the 2022/23 La Liga title with the club. Xavi will make his debut as Oranje manager in the Nations League on September 24 against Germany, who are now coached by Jorgen Klopp.
It is certainly an unusual choice by the Dutch FA: they have appointed a man who is a huge name in football but still lacks sufficient experience to manage a national team. Apart from Barcelona, Xavi has only coached Al Sadd.“As someone who trained at the Barcelona academy, with strong influences from Johan Cruijff and Rinus Michels, among others, I feel a special connection to Dutch football.
You could say that I am somewhat of a son of Dutch football” he said after appointment.Where no one dares to sit, Xavi does: Barca icon eyes Oranje’s benchBesides Xavi, the other leading candidate for the Netherlands job was Roberto Martínez. The former Portugal manager was very interested in the position, and the national team’s technical director, Nigel de Jong, even travelled to Malaga to meet him.
In the end, however, they failed to reach an agreement. At one point, there was also a possibility that Michael Reiziger, who manages the Netherlands U21 side, could become the senior team’s manager. All in all, it was a process involving plenty of uncertainty — and ultimately, the Dutch FA decided to roll the dice on a Barcelona legend.