Ronald Koeman Appointed FC Barcelona Manager in a Two-Year Deal
Ronald Koeman (right), a cult figure among FC Barcelona fans, played for the club under Johan Cruyff (left) and scored the goal that won them their first European Cup in 1992 at Wembley. (Picture courtesy: FCB/Twitter)
FC Barcelona announced Ronald Koeman will be the new head coach of the team having secured the services of their former player in a two year deal. Koeman, 57, will coach the Spanish club till June 30, 2022, the club said in an official statement.
“A club legend and Barca’s hero at Wembley who gave fans their first European Cup, Koeman is coming back to Camp Nou. But this time he will be in the dugout to lead the team,” the statement added.
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Koeman is the fifth Dutchman to join as manager of Barcelona following in the footsteps of Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard. Koeman was a player under Cruyff in 1992 when Barcelona won their first European trophy at Wembley, his goal the decider that clinched them the cup.
He joined Barcelona in 1989, and was, at the time, their second most expensive signing -- after Diego Maradona.
As a player, Koeman made 264 official appearances, scored 88 goals and became the highest scoring defender in the club’s history. In his time the club won 10 trophies-- four La Liga titles, a European Cup, a Copa del Rey, a European Super Cup and three Spanish Super Cups.
The game that sealed his status as a club legend though was the one against Sampdoria in the European Cup final in 1992, where Koeman’s extra time freekick landed them the title that had eluded them throughout their history -- the European Cup.
It is this cult status that Barcelona -- and their embattled president Josep Maria Bartomeu -- are hoping to lean on with his appointment. Every post and statement that has followed this announcement has remanded fans and onlookers of the sentiment attached with Koeman in the city of Barcelona.
It bears no mention though that Koeman’s managerial career has been far less glittering. His first taste of coaching came as Guus Hiddink’s right hand man in the ‘98 World Cup in charge of the Dutch team. He served as Van Gaal’s assistant coach for Barcelona for two years between 1998-2000, before going back home to take charge of Vitesse. He won the Dutch league with Ajax and PSV. A brief stint at Valencia in 2007 won them the Copa del Rey, but he was sacked after the side finished only two points above the relegation zone in La Liga.
Since then, Koeman’s only major success -- despite having managed clubs in three different countries -- was as manager of Southampton, where he took a young side, fed mostly by a thriving youth academy to seventh and sixth place finishes in the Premier League. Everton signed him up soon after, but that association lasted 16 months. Koeman was sacked with the club ending up in the bottom three.
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Koeman was put in charge of the Dutch team in 2018 after the country failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and has had moderate success with the side, reaching the UEFA Nations League final (beaten by Portugal) and helping them qualify for the Euros scheduled for next year.
His appointment means the Dutch have now lost both their national team managers in the space of a week, with Sarina Wiegman confirming she will end her role as the manager of the women’s side to take charge of England, albeit in September next year.
Koeman also follows in a long list of hugely successful Dutch managers at Barcelona, chief among them Cruyff, principally credited for having changed the club. He was followed by Van Gaal (two spells: 1997-2000 and 2002-03) and Frank Rijkaard (2003-08). All but two of their European trophies have come under Dutch management.
It is also no strange coincidence perhaps that Barcelona have leant towards Dutch managers in times of crises. Cruyff was appointed at perhaps the club’s lowest moment, after a player mutiny against the president left the backroom reeling. Van Gaal came in at another period of crisis, where Cruyff’s departure because of differences with the board left a huge void of leadership on the pitch. Van Gaal’s regimented methods never quite won over the Blaugrana faithful, and he left first because of a lack of European success, and the second time after Barcelona’s worst league finish in decades.
If anything Barcelona will hope Koeman’s appointment will be more like that of Rijkaard (asking for him to emulate Cruyff is bordering on blasphemy), under whom the club rediscovered their roots, their academy system and signed geniuses like Ronaldinho, also winning the Champions League in 2005-06.
Koeman comes in amidst a deep crisis at the club, with their on field disasters mirroring those off it. Presidential elections have been postponed to next year and the incumbent Bartomeu is ruled out of contention. There is talk of how the candidate best placed to take charge -- Victor Font -- has already decided on the coach of his choice -- Xavi Hernandez -- and will relieve Koeman regardless of results.
It is rare to say this on the day a club announces a new coach -- one who will not take charge of a training session for a few weeks and may not manage to sign too many players of his own volition -- but Koeman is, basically, a seat warmer. Till the prodigal son returns home.
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