Ronald Koeman has resigned as coach of the Netherlands’ men’s football team, less than 24 hours after Oranje were knocked out of the World Cup on penalties.
The 63-year-old said it had been “painful” to watch his side exit the competition in the round of 32 against Morocco, but he took responsibility for the team’s results.
“I am leaving with mixed feelings,” he wrote in a post on Instagram. “Obviously I wanted to close my time with Oranje with a world title. That dream sadly remains unfulfilled. But the overriding feeling is pride.”
Koeman had two spells as national team manager, from 2018 to 2020 and from 2023, spanning 64 matches altogether.
In his first term Oranje enjoyed wins against France and Germany in the Nations League before losing the final to Portugal, but after leading the team to qualification for Euro 2020 Koeman left to become coach of Barcelona.
He returned after being sacked by the Catalan club three years later, but was unable to reproduce the success or the dynamic football of his earlier spell. During his second term the Netherlands failed to beat a country in the top 25 of FIFA’s rankings.
Defensive tactics
He was criticised in the run-up to the World Cup for his defensive tactics and passive style of play, but the team shook off its lethargy in the group stages to score 10 goals against Japan, Sweden and Tunisia.
The last 32 match against a talented Morocco side was a more physical affair, with Koeman adopting a 5-3-2 formation designed contain Morocco’s strikers but that blunted Oranje’s own capacity to score goals or dominate possession.
“Nobody is more disappointed than I am,” Koeman said in his message. “As national team coach I had that responsibility. I felt it and I will always feel it.”
He also dropped a strong hint that he was drawing a line under his managerial career as he listed the clubs he coached in the last 25 years, including the three biggest Dutch clubs Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV, as well as Everton and Southampton.
His wife, Bartina, has been undergoing treatment for secondary breast cancer while Koeman and the team were away at the World Cup.
“The last few years have made me realise that there are more important things than football,” Koeman wrote. “Football has been my life, but you can’t put a price on health.”
Possible successors
The Dutch football association KNVB issued a statement thanking Koeman for his efforts and saying it would aim to appoint a successor before the start of the Nations League campaign in September.
Possible successors include PSV coach Peter Bosz, former Liverpool manager Arne Slot, former Ajax and Manchester Uniter coach Erik ten Hag, and Michael Reiziger, currently in charge of the Dutch national under-21 team.
“Ronald has given everything for the Dutch national team during a period that was challenging for him on a personal level as well,” said director of professional football Marianne van Leeuwen.
“He has always conducted himself with dignity and professionalism and was an outstanding ambassador for the Dutch national team. We are hugely grateful for that.”
