Koeman, Cruyff, Neeskens, Kluivert... Barca's Dutch masters
Following Ronald Koeman's return to Barcelona, we look at the best Dutchmen to represent the Catalan club on the pitch and in the dugout.
Ronald Koeman returned to Barcelona to take over as coach on Wednesday, following Quique Setién's sacking. The Dutchman leaves his role as boss of the Netherlands national team, having agreed a two-year deal at Camp Nou.
Setién's dismissal was confirmed after just seven months in charge, as he paid the price for Barça's failure to win LaLiga and their 2-8 Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Koeman, the fifth Dutch coach to manage Barcelona
Koeman becomes Barcelona's fifth Dutch coach, following in the footsteps of Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard.
The former Netherlands boss also turned out for the Blaugranas as a player between 1989 and 1995, securing his place among the club's greatest ever Dutch players. Here, we take a look at those key figures in the club's history.
Johan Cruyff
It is impossible to start this list in any other way than with the legendary Cruyff, a man so synonymous with Barcelona. Cruyff joined from Ajax - Koeman's former club - winning LaLiga and the Copa del Rey during a five-year spell at the club. The graceful forward would return to Camp Nou as coach, winning four LaLiga titles, a Copa, a European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Cup with his "Total Football" style in a golden era for the club.
Johan Neeskens
A player whose grace and artistry made him so adored by fans, Johan Neeskens' career trajectory took a very similar path to Cruyff's. While trophies may not have arrived with such regularity as they did at Ajax – just one LaLiga and one Copa trophy in five years – Neeskens is considered one of the best Dutch midfielders of all time, reaching the World Cup final in 1974 and 1978.
Ronald Koeman
Renowned for his composure on the ball, the new boss was a class act as a player, capable of operating in defence or midfield. After leaving Ajax in 1986, Koeman arrived at Barça from PSV three years later to play for Cruyff and was a lynchpin of the team that accumulated so much silverware. He will now get the opportunity to add to that haul from the dugout at Camp Nou.
Patrick Kluivert
Described by former coach and compatriot Van Gaal as the "perfect striker", Patrick Kluivert certainly lived up to such a billing at Camp Nou. The powerful striker enjoyed a prolific six-year spell at Barça. His only major honour during that time was the 1998-99 LaLiga title, but Kluivert remains a popular figure among the club's fanbase and is now their academy director.
Frank de Boer
An uncompromising and classy defender, Frank de Boer arrived at Barcelona in January 1999 having previously won the Champions League as part of the legendary 1994-95 Ajax team that also included fellow Barça alumni Michael Reiziger, Edgar Davids, Marc Overmars, Winston Bogarde, Kluivert and twin brother Ronald and was coached by Van Gaal – the man who then brought him to Catalunya. He made 112 appearances for his country and featured just shy of 150 times in LaLiga for Barça, who he won a league title with.
Frank Rijkaard
Rijkaard was the Blaugrana's most recent Dutch coach until Koeman's appointment. As a player, the defender starred alongside Koeman in Netherlands' 1988 European Championship success, but he came to Barça having struggled in his early coaching roles. Rijkaard had an immediate impact upon his arrival in 2003, turning the team into title contenders and then winning LaLiga in 2004-05 and 2005-06. The second title triumph coincided with Champions League glory, too, just their second European Cup at the time.