Xavi Hernández returns to the bench: the Netherlands' Plan C after his Barcelona exit
Xavi Hernández will return this Thursday to take charge of a bench 851 days after his last match as Barcelona’s coach, at the helm of the Netherlands national team in the Johan Cruyff Arena against Germany.
The Return to the Bench
His last appearance as Barcelona’s manager was on May 26, 2024, with a 2-1 victory over Sevilla. On January 27 he had announced his departure after the loss to Villarreal, and in April Joan Laporta tried to persuade him to stay, but the contract was terminated on May 24 when the president told him he would not fulfill the remaining year.
“We wanted to continue, but those are decisions the club makes,” Xavi admitted in his farewell, noting that he left Barça with a league title and a Super Cup, but without the stability he was looking for.
The KNVB’s Plan C
After his departure, Ajax, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Milan showed interest, followed by offers from Saudi Arabia, Germany and Russia, all turned down because the season had already started and he prioritized resting and being close to his family in Barcelona.
The South Korea and Morocco national teams also contacted him, but he felt the 2026 World Cup was too close to overhaul those sides. Moreover, he was looking for conditions to build a complete project, something he found in the Netherlands.
The Dutch elimination by Morocco at the World Cup triggered Ronald Koeman’s departure and opened a process in which Xavi was not the first choice; the KNVB had considered Pep Guardiola, but the Catalan preferred to take a sabbatical. After Arne Slot turned down the offer, the so‑called Plan C was activated.
Michael Reiziger, Nigel de Jong and Clarence Seedorf took part in the talks, and after three weeks of contacts the agreement was sealed in Marbella, with Xavi in charge until the 2030 World Cup.
In his presentation in Zeist, he said: “I don’t mind whether I’m the third choice or the tenth choice. I am honoured to be the Netherlands coach.” He turned the question into a joke, noting that taking the job after Guardiola and Slot put him “at least, on the podium”.
His link to Dutch football goes back to the academy reshaped by Johan Cruyff, his debut under Louis van Gaal and his stint on Frank Rijkaard’s bench. Later he organized Guardiola’s team, the ultimate expression of a school based on ball possession and positional play.
“I have many connections with this country. My feeling is that I’m going to the university of football, from which I learned a lot during my career as a player and coach,” he proclaimed during the presentation.
With this appointment, Xavi Hernández will be the first foreigner to lead the Oranje since the Austrian Ernst Happel in 1978, cementing his identification with the Dutch football tradition.