Koeman to replace Van Gaal as Netherlands head coach after World Cup

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ronald Koeman will succeed Louis van Gaal as Netherlands manager after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Dutch football association (KNVB) announced on Wednesday.

The 59-year-old, who will take over as the team's coach for a second time in 2023, has inked a three-year deal, the KNVB said in a statement.

"I am looking forward to the new collaboration. A little over a year and a half ago I did not leave the Dutch national team out of dissatisfaction," Koeman said in a statement. "My stay felt good, the results were good and the click with the internationals was good. We will soon continue on that path. That is certain for me."

Koeman was one of the most important football players of his generation, appearing as a defender for Dutch clubs Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, and Barcelona.

He won a European Champion Clubs Cup and a UEFA Super Cup triumph with Barcelona, and another European Champion Clubs Cup with the PSV.

The Dutch legend clinched the 1988 European Championship, largely known as the UEFA EURO 88, with the Netherlands, the country's only major title.

He started his managing career as an assistant coach with the Netherlands in 1997 and worked as a manager for the national team from February 2018 till mid-2020,

Koeman served for many European clubs, including Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Valencia, Southampton, Everton, and Barcelona.

Van Gaal, 70, who started his third stint as Holland's coach in August 2021, told Dutch TV on Sunday he is receiving treatment for prostate cancer.