Barcelona Appoint Ronald Koeman New Coach To Build Team Around Messi

Barely two days after the Catalan giants sacked their former coach Quiqe Setien, the club has appointed former Barcelona midfielder, Ronald Koeman as new coach.

Barcelona president Joseph Mario Bartomeu told the club’s television channel of Koeman’s imminent appointment on Tuesday.

Advertisement

“Koeman will be Barca’s coach next season.”

Bartomeu had also disclosed that club captain Lionel Messi would be central to the new “project” at the club.

Koeman, 57 who is on a two-year deal, was in charge of the Netherlands since 2018, and now replaces Quique Setien who was sacked after Barca were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals in a 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich last week.

The new coach was full of gratitude to his former employers in Netherlands and feels special about his new job

Advertisement

“It was an honour to be the national coach of Netherlands. For the past two-and-a half-years I have done everything I can to achieve successes with “Oranje”. I look back with pride on what we have achieved together in that period. The Dutch national team has a bright future, I am convinced of that. Everyone knows that Barcelona is my dream club. It feels very special to me to be able to become a coach there.”

Koeman was a club legend in Barcelona as he was part of Johan Cruff’s team who scored the goal that secured the club’s first ever European cup in 1992.

He has also worked as an assistant manager to Louis Van Gaal in Barcelona in 1998 to 2000.

Leave a comment

Advertisement