Ronald Koeman’s contract runs until the World Cup in 2026. – Photo: KNVB Media
After the upcoming World Cup, Ronald Koeman will take over from Louis van Gaal as national coach. His contract for this with the KNVB will run until the World Cup in 2026 and has now been signed by both parties.
Ronald Koeman: “I am looking forward to the new collaboration. A little over a year and a half ago, I certainly did not leave the Dutch national team out of dissatisfaction. My stay felt good, the results were good and the click with the internationals was good. We will soon continue on that path. That is certain for me.”
Marianne van Leeuwen, director of professional football KNVB: “We are very happy that Ronald will return next year. During his previous ‘term’ as national coach, there was great satisfaction with his work and the results. That is why, after internal deliberations, I entered into discussions with Ronald and his agent Rob Jansen, together with director of top football Nico-Jan Hoogma.”
When Van Gaal was appointed, it was known that he will remain on until the World Cup, which will take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18. In order to be sure of a national coach with extensive experience at the highest level for the period thereafter, the KNVB took the initiative early on to enter into a discussion with Koeman: “I did not want to wait to fill in the succession of Louis van Gaal. . After all, the changing of the guard will come at an atypical moment; end of the calendar year, a period in which top trainers have been under contract for a long time and the rinse is therefore thin. As early as mid-January, we therefore decided to contact Ronald, who was available. Then we came to an agreement in a few conversations,” says Marianne van Leeuwen.
As a player, Koeman has 78 caps to his name. In 1988 he won the European Championship with the Dutch national team. He played for four Dutch clubs in professional football: FC Groningen, Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV. He also played 192 games for FC Barcelona. With PSV and FC Barcelona, Koeman won the European Cup I, the current Champions League. He also won the UEFA Super Cup with FC Barcelona.
After his career as a football player, Koeman started working as a trainer. He has been at the helm of Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica, PSV, Valencia, AZ, Feyenoord, Southampton, Everton and Barcelona. He was national coach from February 2018 to mid-2020, a period in which the Dutch national team finished second in the Nations League and qualified for the European Championship. From January 1, 2023, Koeman will be the tenth trainer to write more than one ‘term’ as national coach on his resume after the Second World War. From that time he is also available through the KNVB for interviews about the Netherlands national team. No announcements are now being made about the further implementation of Orange’s staff after ‘Qatar’.
–
