Once a talented defender for Ajax, PSV and Barcelona, Koeman has since become one of the most recognisable coaches in world soccer and is the current manager of Barcelona.

A Dutch treble

After humble beginnings at Groningen as a teenager, it took Koeman just three years to earn himself a move to the Netherlands' most successful club, Ajax.

At Ajax, Koeman nailed down a starting spot and helped the side to the 1984/85 Eredivisie title. In the following season, the iconic Johan Cruyff took charge of the side, a player Koeman later referred to as "the game's greatest ever player".

However, domestic success wasn't the peak of Koeman's PSV career. In the 1987/98 season, PSV not only managed to also win the KNVB Cup, but also won their only European Cup to date, after beating Benfica.

Rejoining Cruyff at Barcelona

After his success in his native Netherlands, Koeman rejoined former manager Johann Cruyff at Barcelona in 1989.

Alongside players such as Romario, Michael Laudrup and fellow manager Pep Guardiola, Koeman formed part of Cruyff's 'dream team' that went on to dominate in Spain during the 1990s.

Becoming Ajax manager

Bouncing back from disappointment with Benfica, PSV and Valencia

Now in charge of the team he defeated in the 1988 European Cup, Koeman managed to win the Portuguese Super Cup, and helped the side to the Champions League quarter finals, beating Manchester United on their way.

At PSV, Koeman again only stayed one season at the helm, but managed to win the league with his former side, as well as reach the Champions League quarter finals again, this time beating Arsenal before losing to eventual winners Liverpool.

Ronald Koeman's Premier League years with Southampton and Everton

After Mauricio Pochettino left for Tottenham Hotspur, Koeman replaced him at Southampton in 2014, and decided to appoint his brother Erwin as his assistant.

As a result of his success, Koeman was highly sought after, and was snapped up in 2016 by Everton who had finished a disappointing 11th.

However, Everton striker Romelu Lukaku - who had scored 25 goals in 2016/17 - made a £75million switch to Manchester United, leaving Koeman without his talisman up top.

The Dutch boss was backed by Everton's owners, and was handed a hefty £150million budget for 2017/18, but Koeman himself admitted at the end of the window that he failed to replace the big Belgian, after a failed move for Olivier Giroud.

International duties with the Netherlands

After his dismissal at Everton, Koeman took charge of his native Netherlands side, who had recently missed out on both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.

However, before the tournament rolled around, Koeman left his role in 2020 to take charge of FC Barcelona. He was replaced by Frank De Boer, but Louis van Gaal now leads the squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Koeman's troubles with Barcelona

Barcelona had recently suffered an embarrassing exit from the Champions League, following an 8-2 drubbing from Bayern Munich.

A disastrous start which saw the Catalonian side register their lowest number of points from the opening six games (8) wasn't the return Koeman was dreaming of, but a string of good results helped him turn it around and finish 3rd.

Despite disappointment in La Liga, Koeman did manage to win the 2020/21 Copa Del Rey after beating Athletic Bilbao, but Barcelona struggled again in Europe, losing 5-2 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain.

A chaotic summer followed, which included club legend Lionel Messi leaving the club for PSG amid financial difficulties and controversy surrounding the board.

But, Messi isn't the simplest player to replace, and despite bringing in the likes of Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero in the summer, Koeman's side struggled at the start of the new campaign.

Personal life

Net worth