Ronald Koeman

At 61 years old, Ronald Koeman has this physical status:

Ronald Koeman (born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch former footballer who has been assistant to the Netherlands national team since 2018.

He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the uncle of former Dutch international Martin Koeman.

Koeman, a well-rounded player on the field, was able to be deployed both as a defender and as a midfielder, and he played a sweeper a lot.

Koeman, who was known for his long-range passing, as well as his shooting precision and power from distance, especially on free kicks, was one of the top scoring defenders in world football; he was also a top scoring defender; Dennis Bergkamp was one of the Netherlands national team's top scoring defenders.

Koeman won UEFA Euro 1988 and 1994 FIFA World Cups, captaining the Netherlands team at the time. Born in Zaandam, Koeman started his career at FC Groningen before moving to Ajax, the Netherlands' most successful club, where he captured the national Eredivise Trophy in 1984-85.

He then joined Ajax's PSV, winning three straight Ethical titles (1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89), and the European Cup in 1988.

Ronald Koeman is one of five European players to win a Treble with their club and a cup with their national team in the same year.

Hans van Breukelen, Berry van Aerle, Gerald Van Gelden, and Wim Kieft are the other four players.

In 1989, Koeman moved to Barcelona and became a member of Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team," winning La Liga for the fourth time in a row, as well as the European Cup, where he scored the winning goal against Sampdoria in 1992. Koeman has won three Economies titles, twice with Ajax (2001–02 and 2003–04), and once with PSV (2006–07).

He is the only one to have played for and managed the "Big Three" of Dutch football: Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord.

Abroad, he spent time in Portugal with Benfica and Spain, assisting Los Che in the 2007–08 Copa del Rey, and with Southampton and Everton in the 2010s.

Personal life

He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the uncle of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Erwin, Oman's head coach, was the first set of brothers to head two separate national teams at the same time.

He is married to Bartina Koeman. Ronald Koeman Jr., the son of SC Telstar in the Eerste Divisie, is a professional goalkeeper.

Koeman is an ambassador for the anti-smoking movement, which also supports Kick it With Help. He said that the cancer diagnoses of his wife and his colleague Johan Cruyff motivated him to join the campaign.

Koeman was filmed for a three-part docuseries called Força Koeman during his move from Barcelona as a manager to Barcelona in 2020. From 17 February 2021 to "videoland," the series can be seen on Dutch streaming service "videoland."

After winning the 1988 European Cup Final against Portuguese football club SL Benfica, Koeman said he had been visiting Algarve since 1988. In 2004, he bought a 1,000 sq ft) house in Vale do Lobo and built a 2,000,000 euro house for him.

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Club career

Koeman started his professional career at Groningen, making his debut in the Economy at the age of 17 years and 183 days. After Piet Wildschut and Bert de Voogt, he became the third-youngest player in the club's history. The young defender was called up by the Netherlands national team and moved to Ajax, the Ecurian champions. The Amsterdam team recovered the championship in 1984-85 after losing their title in Koeman's first season with the club. Johan Cruyff took over as Ajax's head coach after scoring 120 goals in 34 Elementia games and winning the KNVB Cup, De Godenzonen finished second in the league, behind rivals PSV Eindhoven.

Koeman was one of the 1986-born Koeman who travelled to PSV Eindhoven to compete for Hans Kraay's champions. Kraay resigned and was replaced by Guus Hiddink under the direction of whom PSV beat league leaders Ajax in the final weeks of the season to defend their league championship. Koeman's first season with Hiddink and PSV as the team's first and first European Cup against Benfica in Stuttgart, 1988-1989. PSV had previously won the KNVB Cup in 1988 and 1989, earning their first appearances in the doubles and doubles respectively. Koeman scored 51 goals in 98 league appearances, with more than 50 in his three seasons at PSV, averaging more than one goal every two games. He had his best scoring season of his club career in 1987–88, scoring 21 goals in the league.

In 1989, Koeman rejoined his former Ajax coach Johan Cruyff in Barcelona, where he became a member of Barcelona's infamous "Dream Team." Barcelona won the Copa del Rey in the final against Real Madrid 2–0. Koeman, alongside players like Hristo Stoichkov, Romário, Pep Guardiola, and Michael Laudrup, helped the club win La Liga for the fourth year in a row from 1991 to 1994. For the first time in history, he scored the only goal of the 1992 European Cup Final with a free kick from the edge of the 18-yard box against Sampdoria at Wembley Stadium. With this, he became the first player to score in two consecutive finals of different European competitions after scoring Barcelona's consolation goal against Manchester United in 1991's European Cup Winners' Cup Final.

Koeman was known for his left-footed free kicks and deadball skills, and he had a tony of goals for the team. In the thrilling 5–0 victory over Real Madrid in 1994, he scored one of his best La Liga goals, with his bending free kick generating the scoreline 2–0. Koeman was a top scorer in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, in which Barcelona was defeated 0–4 by A.C. Milan in the final.

Tintin was one of his nicknames while playing for Barcelona, as a result of his physical appearance with Hergé's fictional character, and Floquet de Neu were two of the Barcelona Zoo's most popular albino gorillas.

In 1995, Koeman left Spain to return to the Netherlands after six years and more than 200 appearances at Barcelona. He became one of the few players to represent all of Dutch football's "Big Three" in joining Feyenoord. Koeman spent two seasons in Rotterdam, captaining Feyenoord to third- and second place finishes in the Economy respectively.

Koeman retired with 193 league goals from 533 games (ahead of Daniel Passarella, who scored 182 goals in 556 games) during his career, more than any other defender in the history of football.

International career

In a 3–0 friendly loss to Sweden in Utrecht in April 1983, Koeman made his Netherlands national team debut. Erwin's first appearance in Oranje was also on display. In a 3–0 victory over Iceland at Groningen's Oosterpark Stadion in September of the same year, Ronald's first international goal came in September.

Koeman's debut in West Germany came at a crucial point, with the Netherlands failing to qualify for UEFA Euro 1984 and 1986 FIFA World Cup. After this match, Koeman provocatively wiped his backside with the shirt of Olaf Thon. The Netherlands defeated the Soviet Union 2–0 at Olympiastadion in the final to lift the country's only major international trophy. After winning the treble with PSV, Koeman's remarkable 1988 was concluded. In UEFA's Team of the Tournament, Koeman and his central defensive partner Frank Rijkaard were selected.

Koeman continued to represent his country in 1990 and 1994 World Cups, as well as Euro 1992, and earned 78 caps for the Netherlands, scoring 14 goals.

Managerial career

Koeman, who reserving as a player after his time with Feyenoord, joined Guus Hiddink's Dutch international coaching staff during the 1998 World Cup, as well as Johan Neeskens and Frank Rijkaard. He was named assistant coach of Barcelona after the tournament, and in 2000, he was given his first managerial job as the head coach of Vitesse, where he led the team to a UEFA Cup spot in his first season.

In 2001, Koeman was appointed as the head of Ajax. In 2001–2002, he won a domestic double. Despite winning the Economy in 2003-04, Ajax had fallen eight points behind rivals PSV. Koeman resigned the following day after being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Auxerre, 3–2 on aggregate, causing him to resign on February 25, 2005.

Following Giovanni Trattoni's departure in June 2005, Koeman took up the vacant position at Portuguese champions Benfica. He won the 2005 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira against Vitória de Setbal with a single goal by Nuno Gomes on August 13. The team finished in third place in the Primeira Liga (behind Porto and Sporting CP) and was beaten out of Taça de Portugal in the quarter-finals by Vitória de Guimares, placing third in third place. PSV's PSV's PSV's response made it possible for the manager to leave one year before the end of his deal. Benfica reached the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, defeating Manchester United in the first game of the season and Liverpool before losing to Barcelona on an aggregate score of 0–2.

Koeman served as the head coach of PSV during the 2006–07 season as the successor to Guus Hiddink. PSV controlled the first season half, retaining PSV's AZ Alkmaar and Ajax at a respectable distance, and PSV appeared to be on a collision course, with PSV seemingly destined to be the champions again. However, PSV suffered in the second half of the season, as well as injuries of players Jefferson Farfán, Alex, and Ibrahim Afellay, who only got 19 out of 39 possible points. Alkmaar and Ajax regained control, finishing close for a close finish, with all three teams tied at 72 points on the last game day. In their last game, Alkmaar faced struggling Excelsior, but did not win, so they did not win. Ajax participated at Willem II but failed to score enough goals; PSV eventually triumphed, defeating Vitesse 5–1 and thereby becoming Ejax champions, just one goal ahead of Ajax.

For the second straight season, he led a team to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, this time defeating another English club in the shape of Arsenal in the first knockout stage by an aggregate score of 2–1, before losing 4–0 on aggregate to eventual runners-up Liverpool in the quarterfinals.

After the dismissal of Quique Sánchez Flores, Koeman decided to be Valencia's new coach on October 31, 2007, beginning on November 5th, 2007. He won the 2007–08 Copa del Rey in Valencia, a tournament he previously won as a Barcelona player. This was Valencia's first Copa del Rey since 1999. Valencia's remaining season will be disappointing: the team will finish 15th in the league, just two points above the relegation zone, as well as finishing last in the Champions League standings. For Koeman's time with Valencia, a 1–5 loss would be the last straw. He was fired the next day, on April 21, 2008.

After Louis van Gaal, who won the 2008–09 Economies with Alkmaar, joined Bayern Munich, Koeman was appointed as the manager of AZ Alkmaar. After losing 7 of the first 16 games in the Dutch league, Alkmaar announced on December 5th that Koeman no longer was in charge of the club.

On July 21, 2011, Koeman was appointed Feyenoord's manager, signing a one-year deal with the Dutch club as a replacement for outgoing coach Mario Been. Koeman became the first individual to serve as both player and head coach at all three clubs of Dutch football's so-called "traditional big three" – Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, and Feyenoord. In addition, he has performed this as both a player and a boss. It was announced that his employment had been extended at the start of 2012. In February 2014, Koeman revealed that he would leave Feyenoord at the end of the 2013-14 season to pursue other aspirations.

Koeman was named as the replacement for Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino in June 2014, completing a three-year contract with the club. Erwin's brother was promoted to assistant manager.

Koeman's first six Premier League games as boss of Southampton, resulting in him winning four games, a draw, and a loss, propelling Southampton to second place in the league standings and culminating in Koeman being named Premier League Manager of the Month for September. Southampton gained all three of their matches, including a first victory over Manchester United in 1988, and Koeman was named Manager of the Month for the third time in January 2015. He led Southampton to a seventh-place finish at the end of the season.

Koeman claimed his third Premier League manager of the Month for January 2016, raising his highest ever Premier League finish, 63, and qualifying for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.

On June 14, 2016, Koeman was appointed as the boss of Everton, extending to three years. His brother was recalled as his aide once more. Koeman led Everton to Europa League qualifying in his first season.

Koeman had the most money in Everton's history to invest on new players prior to the 2017-18 season. An estimated £150 million was spent on new players, but Koeman confessed that he did not buy a center forward to replace Romelu Lukaku, the previous season's top scorer who had been sold to Manchester United. Following a 2–5 home loss against Arsenal the previous day, Koeman was fired by the club on October 23, 2017, when his team fell into the relegation zone. Later, Koeman expressed his suspicion that the failure to sign Olivier Giroud in the summer transfer window resulted in his dismissal.

On February 6, 2018, Koeman was named in charge of the Netherlands national football team on a four-and-a-year contract, beginning with and including the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Dick Advocaat resigned after struggling to direct the Netherlands to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

After losing by 0–1 to Portugal in the final on June 9, the Netherlands came runners-up in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League.

Koeman left the national team to become Barcelona's manager on August 19, 2020. Netherlands qualified for a final tournament, UEFA Euro 2020, for the first time since the 2014 FIFA World Cup, after losing out on the UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Koeman, Barcelona's new boss, was announced on August 19, 2020, on a two-year deal until June 2022. Quique Setién had been barred from the role following a humiliating 8–2 loss to Bayern Munich in the quarter finals of the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League. He took over after Quique Setién was thrown from office. Barcelona defeated Villarreal 4–0 at the Camp Nou in La Liga in his first competitive game in charge. After losing 1–0 away to Getafe on October 17, Koeman suffered his first loss as Barcelona's boss. He lost the first Clásico of the season to arch rivals Real Madrid by a 3–1 scoreline on October 24th. The loss was followed by a 1–1 draw against Alavés, resulting in Barcelona equaling their lowest tally since the first six games in La Liga (not as many as in 2002-03 season).

Koeman managed Barcelona for the first time in a cup final on January 17, 2021, losing 3–2 to Athletic Bilbao after extra time in the final of the 2020–21 Supercopa de Espaa at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville. Barcelona defeated Real Betis 3–2 on Tuesday, bringing their sixth straight away win in La Liga since winning 3–2 over Luis Enrique's record in the 2015-16 season. Barcelona was disqualified from the Champions League on March 11 after losing 2–5 on aggregate after failing to turn around a 1–4 loss at home. Barcelona's 19-game unbeaten run in La Liga came to an end on April 10 after losing 2–1 away from home in the second Clásico of the season. Barça defeated Athletic Bilbao 4–0 in the 2021 Copa del Rey Final on April 17, getting revenge for the Supercopa loss three months earlier at the same venue three months before. Barcelona had a golden opportunity to climb to the top of La Liga on April 29th but failed to capitalize after losing out to Granada away 2–1 despite taking the lead. Barcelona's title charge came to an end after winning only two of their last five matches and then finishing third in the league table. Following the close of the season, club president Joan Laporta said that Koeman was not his first choice and was looking for a manager, but that Koeman would remain in charge for another season on June 3rd.

Barcelona opened the 2021–22 season with a 4–2 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga. However, they had a disappointing run of games in their next ten matches, including three wins, three draws, and 3 losses, as well as a 2–0 loss to Atletico Madrid in La Liga's first round. Following Barça's 2–1 loss at Real Madrid at home, Koeman became the first boss since Patrick O'Connell in 1936 to lose three consecutive Clásicos. Following the team's 1–0 home loss to Rayo Vallecano, Koeman was relieved of his duties as coach on October 28th. Xavi was proclaimed as his replacement a week later.

Following Louis van Gaal's second retirement, Koeman was announced on April 6th, 2022, as the Netherlands national team's boss; he would return to his position as the Netherlands national team's manager.

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