Xavi Hernández was formally unveiled as the new head coach of the Netherlands on Tuesday, and the first thing the Spaniard wanted to talk about was not tactics but the order in which the KNVB had actually offered him the job.
Asked at his opening press conference at the federation's Zeist campus how it felt to be the Dutch federation's third choice behind Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot, Xavi didn't flinch. "It's not a bad position, after Guardiola and after Slot," he said, according to reports from the presentation. "Third position. At least we are on the podium. I don't care."
The remark, delivered with a grin, summed up the mood of a low-key but historic unveiling: the KNVB went shopping for a superstar name, struck out twice, and still ended up with a Champions League and treble-winning former Barcelona captain running its national team.
Guardiola, currently on a sabbatical after leaving Manchester City, was the board's first target, while Arne Slot, who left Feyenoord for Liverpool, opted to stay in club football. Erik ten Hag was also approached and passed, before the federation turned to Xavi, who had been out of work since leaving Barcelona.
The appointment, confirmed on August 12 and formally presented in Zeist this week, makes Xavi the first foreign coach of the Dutch men's team since Austria's Ernst Happel guided the Oranje to the 1978 World Cup final — a detail the KNVB has leaned into as it sells the hire to a sceptical Dutch public.
Xavi replaces Ronald Koeman, who stepped down after the Netherlands' round-of-32 exit to Morocco at this summer's World Cup. His contract runs through the 2030 World Cup, giving him a rare long runway to rebuild a squad that flattered to deceive in North America.
He will not be working alone. Patrick Kluivert is joining the technical staff as an assistant, while Ruud van Nistelrooy stays on in his existing coaching role — a blend of continuity and fresh Dutch football royalty around the new boss.
On style, Xavi promised the dominant, possession-heavy football he preached at Barcelona, floating both a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 as his starting points and describing taking charge of Oranje as like "entering the university of football," a nod to the Dutch tradition he now inherits.
For all the jokes about finishing third in an unofficial casting contest, Xavi was unambiguous about what the job means to him personally, calling the appointment an honour and insisting there was no bitterness in accepting a role that two bigger names had already turned down.
