The Netherlands and Barcelona legend Xavi Hernández actually agreed a few days ago, but they didn’t want to take the spotlight away from football legend and former national team manager Louis van Gaal who turned 75 years old.

Xavi Hernández confirmed as new Netherlands boss – ready for the 2030 World Cup! 🇳🇱🔥

This is as surprising as it could be. You could give me 100 attempts, doubt I would land in the Netherlands as Xavi Hernández’s new job. – I actually think I would mention a three, four Norwegian team before the Netherlands.

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Xavi has so far only been the manager of teams he has played for, for a lifetime he was Barcelona’s second biggest star and at the very end of his playing career he was Al-Sadd.

Football legend Xavi Hernández takes over as the Netherlands’ new national team manager!

The Dutch Football Association confirmed this on Wednesday evening. The 46-year-old Catalan has signed a contract that runs until the World Cup in the summer of 2030 – a clear signal that the Orange are committed to the long term.

Xavi takes over from Ronald Koeman, who had to resign after the Netherlands’ dramatic penalty shootout loss to Morocco in the World Cup round of 16 in June. Now one of the greatest midfielders in football history will try to lead the Oranje to new heights.

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An unparalleled midfield general

Xavi Hernández hardly needs any introduction. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time – and formed a legendary trio with Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets in Barcelona and Spain’s midfield for a number of years. Together, they dominated both La Liga, the Champions League and national team football with a style of play that changed football forever.

Now he will transfer that football philosophy to the Dutch national team.

First job since Barcelona exit

The Netherlands assignment will be Xavi’s first coaching job since he led Barcelona from 2021 to 2024. During his tenure at Camp Nou, he won La Liga and the Supercopa de España, but was sacked after a poor end to the season.

Now he gets the chance to revive his career at national team level – with a Netherlands that has ambitions to blend into the world top again.

Ready for the World Cup finals in 2030

The contract extends over the entire World Cup cycle until 2030 – a championship that will be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. For Xavi, it will be extra special to lead the Netherlands into a World Cup on home soil for Spain – but this time on the opponent’s bench.

The Netherlands have not won a major championship since the 1988 European Championship. Now they hope that Xavi can be the man who finally breaks the curse.

“This is a dream job,” Xavi is expected to say in a statement.

Netherlands fans can rejoice – perhaps football’s greatest brain is ready to make its mark on the Oranje! 🧠⚽🇳🇱