After a two-year hiatus, 46-year-old Xavi has been officially appointed as the head coach of the Netherlands national team, signing a four-year contract, with his debut match set to face Klopp.

On August 13, Beijing time, the Royal Dutch Football Association officially announced that the 46-year-old Spanish legend Xavi has been appointed as the new head coach of the Netherlands men's national football team. Xavi has agreed to a four-year contract with the KNVB, valid until the 2030 World Cup.

At this summer's World Cup, after finishing top of their group, the Dutch team was eliminated in the round of 16 via a penalty shootout loss to Morocco. Failing to reach the last 16, head coach Ronald Koeman resigned on July 1. After more than a month of searching, the KNVB ultimately chose Xavi to succeed Koeman.

As a legendary star of the Spanish men's national team, Xavi began his coaching career in 2019 with Al Sadd in Qatar. On November 6, 2021, Xavi became the head coach of Barcelona, leading the team for two and a half years in 141 matches, helping them win the 2022-23 La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup.

In June 2024, Barcelona and Xavi parted ways. Since then, Xavi has been at home without a job. This marks his return to coaching after a two-year break. Xavi's first match as Netherlands head coach will be against Germany in the first round of the UEFA Nations League on September 25, with the German side led by Jürgen Klopp.

With Xavi's appointment, the Netherlands national team is coached by a foreign manager for the first time in 48 years. The last non-Dutch coach to lead the Dutch team was Ernst Happel. This Austrian coach left after the Netherlands lost to Argentina in the 1978 World Cup final.