ISLAMABAD : Ronald Koeman said he will “fight to put Barcelona back on top” after he was officially appointed Wednesday as the Spanish club’s new coach on a two-year deal. “It’s a happy day. Everyone knows that Barca was for me. It’s my home. It’s a challenge and it won’t be easy, it will demand the best of me and I like that,” Koeman said at his unveiling at the Camp Nou. “It was a dream and this dream became a reality. We’re going to fight to put Barca back on top.”
The 57-year-old Koeman, who has been in charge of the Netherlands since 2018, replaces Quique Setien, who was sacked after the Catalans were humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday.
He becomes the fifth Dutchman to coach Barcelona after Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff, Louis Van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard.
In his six seasons as a Barca player Koeman made 264 official appearances, scoring 88 goals as he shone in Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’, winning four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991-94.
He also struck the winner in the 1992 European Cup final, the Catalan club’s first ever success in Europe’s top club competition.
