Sports
Who is Barcelona's new manager, Ronald Koeman?
Spanish club Barcelona have named Ronald Koeman as the club's new manager. Notably, the Dutchman has been appointed the head coach until June 30, 2022, after he parted ways with Netherlands national team. The announcement comes a few days after the previous coach Quique Setien was sacked, under whom Barca suffered a 2-8 defeat to Bayern Munich. Here we look at his career.
A look at Ronald Koeman's career (as a player)
Ronald Koeman began his career at FC Groningen before transferring to Ajax, which won the national Eredivisie title in 1984/85. He then joined PSV and helped the team win three consecutive Eredivisie titles (1986/87, 1987/88 and 1988/89) and the European Cup in 1988. In 1989, Koeman was signed up by Barcelona, a move that emanated his golden period.
His golden run in Barcelona
Koeman became a pivotal member of Barcelona's famous "Dream Team". In his first season, the club won the Copa del Rey by beating Real Madrid 2-0 in the final. Furthermore, Koeman helped Barca win four consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994. He scored the only goal of the 1992 European Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, as Barcelona became European Champions.
Koeman in international football
Koeman made his debut for the Netherlands national team in 1983. He was a part of the Netherlands side that clinched the 1988 Euro Cup. Notably, Koeman made history after winning a Treble (Eredivisie, European Cup with PSV and Euro Cup with Netherlands in 1988). He also went on to represent the nation in two World Cup editions (1990 and 1994).
His stats across club and international football
In club football, Koeman has scored 239 goals from 685 matches. Meanwhile, he has scored 14 times for the Netherlands in 78 matches, including 6 assists. Koeman is still Barcelona's top-scoring defender, with 90 goals across all competitions.
Initial years of coach Koeman
In 1998, Koeman joined the coaching staff of Guus Hiddink during the World Cup. Soon after, he was appointed by FC Barcelona as the first team's assistant coach and later as Barca B coach (1998/99). In the following season, he moved to Vitesse before taking charge of Ajax Amsterdam. Under him, Ajax won two league titles, a Dutch Cup and a Dutch Super Cup.
Koeman boasts plenty of experience as a coach
From 2005 to 2007, Koeman coached Benfica and PSV, a period where the two teams won the Portuguese Cup and Eredivisie respectively. Later on, he coached Valencia, who won the Copa del Rey. He ventured into the Premier League, becoming the manager of Southampton (2014/15) and Everton (2016). In 2018, he was named Netherlands' coach before finally returning to Barcelona as manager.
