Xavi appointed Netherlands head coach, a Cruyff-inspired fit

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·13 August 2026

Xavi appointed Netherlands head coach, a Cruyff-inspired fit

Xavi has been appointed head coach of the Netherlands, the Dutch federation announced on Wednesday. His football education has long drawn on Dutch ideas, making the move feel a natural one.

The former Barcelona midfielder, aged 46, has been heavily influenced by Johan Cruyff and shaped by several Dutch coaches.

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In that announcement he said he regarded himself, in a way, as a son of Dutch football. The phrase may sound like agency polish, yet it is hardly out of place.

A Catalan by birth, his ideas were refined by Dutch thinking that framed his playing outlook.

Given those roots, his elevation to lead the national side reads as an obvious appointment.

Source: L'Équipe

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