Ronald Koeman · Biography

Ronald Koeman was born on 21 March 1963 in Zaandam, in the province of North Holland, and made his professional debut with FC Groningen. He is the son of Martin Koeman, who also played for the Netherlands, and the younger brother of Erwin Koeman, another Dutch international. He played as a centre-back and sweeper, although many of his goals came when he was used in midfield. He took free kicks and penalties. As a player he won the European Cup with PSV and with FC Barcelona. As a coach he worked in the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and England, and he had two spells in charge of the Dutch national team.

Groningen and Ajax

He made his Eredivisie debut for Groningen aged 17 years and 183 days in a 2-0 win over NEC. Between 1980 and 1983 he played 98 matches and scored 34 goals, an unusual tally for a defender. In April 1983 he made his senior international debut on the same day as his brother Erwin, in a 3-0 defeat to Sweden. That year he joined Ajax, where he won the 1984-85 Eredivisie and the 1985-86 Dutch Cup. He made 114 appearances and scored 30 goals in three seasons in Amsterdam.

PSV and the 1988 European Cup

He moved to PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 1986. There he won three consecutive league titles in 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1988-89, along with the Dutch Cup in 1988 and 1989. On 25 May 1988 in Stuttgart, PSV beat Benfica in the European Cup final, the first and only time the club has won the competition. That summer Koeman was also part of the Netherlands side that won Euro 1988. He left Eindhoven with 130 appearances and 63 goals.

Six seasons at FC Barcelona

In 1989 he signed for FC Barcelona, who were coached by Johan Cruyff. In his first season he won the 1990 Copa del Rey. He then won four consecutive Spanish league titles, from 1990-91 to 1993-94, plus the Spanish Super Cup in 1991, 1992 and 1994. In the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley, he scored with a free kick in extra time to win the match 1-0, giving the club its first European Cup. The European Super Cup followed later that year. He left in 1995 after 264 appearances and 88 goals.

International career and retirement at Feyenoord

He won 78 caps for the Netherlands and scored 14 goals. As well as winning Euro 1988, he played at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. He returned to the Eredivisie in 1995 to play for Feyenoord. There he made 79 appearances and scored 23 goals in two seasons, then retired in 1997.

Early coaching years: from Vitesse to Valencia

At the 1998 World Cup he worked on Guus Hiddink’s Netherlands staff alongside Johan Neeskens and Frank Rijkaard. He then became an assistant coach at Barcelona. His first job as head coach came at Vitesse in 2000. He moved to Ajax in 2001 and won the league and cup double in 2001-02, the 2002 Dutch Super Cup and the 2003-04 Eredivisie. He resigned on 25 February 2005 after Ajax were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Auxerre. He spent one season at Benfica, winning the 2005 Portuguese Super Cup, and won the 2006-07 Eredivisie with PSV. In November 2007 he took over at Valencia, and on 16 April 2008 he won the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 win over Getafe at the Vicente Calderón. He was sacked five days later. In 2009 he coached AZ from May to December and won the Dutch Super Cup.

Feyenoord, Southampton and Everton

He was appointed Feyenoord coach in July 2011, and the club finished second in the Eredivisie in 2011-12 and 2013-14. In 2014 he moved to the Premier League with Southampton, who finished seventh in 2014-15 and sixth in 2015-16, their best Premier League finish. He joined Everton in June 2016. He was sacked on 23 October 2017, the day after a 5-2 home defeat to Arsenal.

Netherlands coach and return to Barcelona

He was appointed Netherlands coach on 6 February 2018. The team reached the 2019 Nations League final, which they lost 1-0 to Portugal. In August 2020 he left the job to coach Barcelona. On 17 April 2021 he won the Copa del Rey with a 4-0 win over Athletic Club in the final, and he was dismissed in late October that year. He returned as Netherlands coach in January 2023. He led the team to the semi-finals of Euro 2024, where they lost 2-1 to England. At the 2026 World Cup the Netherlands took seven points from the group stage. On 29 June they were knocked out by Morocco in the round of 32, losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Monterrey. The next day, 30 June 2026, Koeman announced that he was stepping down as national coach.