LALIGA
Former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman claims bias shown towards Real Madrid in LaLiga
In responding to Louis Van Goal’s comments on Lionel Messi and Argentina at the World Cup, the Netherlands coach caused El Clásico controversy.
Netherlands national team manager Ronald Koeman has had his say on comments made by predecessor Louis Van Gaal, who on Tuesday claimed “Argentina’s World Cup win was fixed” and that everything was set up for Lionel Messi to win the tournament. But instead of just wading into that controversial debate, the ex-Barcelona coach opened up another can of worms involving his former club and Real Madrid.
What did Ronald Koeman say about Real Madrid and Barcelona?
“I wouldn’t have said it, but you have to respect Van Gaal’s views. When I lived in Spain, there were times when I had the feeling Real Madrid were favoured over Barcelona, but it’s something that can’t really be proven, so it’s better not to say it”, Koeman claimed, saying it ahead of the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 qualifying match against Greece.
Koeman’s fall from grace at Barça
The 60-year-old had a successful spell as a player in Catalonia between 1989 and 1995, becoming a huge fan favourite. He was part of a team that won four LaLiga titles in a row between 1990 and 1994 and scored the winning goal in the European Cup final against Sampdoria in 1992.
He returned to the club as manager in August 2020 but could only lead Barça to a third-place finish in the league and, despite winning the Copa del Rey in April 2021, was sacked in October that year.