Former FC Barcelona Player and Coach Xavi Hernández Appointed Dutch National Team Manager

The Dutch national football team has appointed Xavi Hernández as its new head coach, ending a lengthy search for a successor to Ronald Koeman. The former FC Barcelona player and manager has signed a contract with the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) that runs through the 2030 World Cup.

Xavi, 46, began his coaching career in 2019 with Al Sadd in Qatar, where he also finished his playing career. He later returned to FC Barcelona, the club where he made over 700 appearances as a player. As a coach, he led Barcelona to one league title and a Spanish Super Cup, but overall results were deemed insufficient, leading to his dismissal in 2024.

His playing career was more decorated, with four Champions League titles and eight league championships won with Barcelona. He was also a starter for the Spanish national team when they defeated the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final.

The KNVB's pursuit of a new coach saw other candidates, including Arne Slot, but no agreement was reached. Xavi's appointment marks the first time the Netherlands has had a foreign head coach since Ernst Happel of Austria in 1978. The team's first match under Xavi is scheduled for September 24 against Jürgen Klopp's Germany in the Nations League.

Xavi expressed a deep connection to Dutch football, stating in a KNVB press release, "You could say I am a bit of a son of Dutch football." He cited his development at the FC Barcelona academy, influenced by Dutch coaches like Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, as a source of this bond. Nigel de Jong, KNVB's director of top football, believes Xavi's coaching philosophy aligns well with the Dutch national team's desired style: proactive, dominant, and attractive football with modern flexibility. Xavi indicated plans to assemble a technical staff that includes Dutch expertise.