Nigel de Jong, the football director of the Dutch Football Association, spoke during the press conference announcing Xavi Hernández as the new head coach of the Netherlands national team, revealing that he was not the first choice to succeed Ronald Koeman.
Koeman left his position as head coach of the Netherlands national team after the squad was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers by the Moroccan national team, with Xavi subsequently taking over the role.
Xavi Hernández, the former player and coach of FC Barcelona, was officially presented on Tuesday as the head coach of the Netherlands national team until 2030.
Nigel de Jong revealed that the Dutch Football Association held discussions with Pep Guardiola, the former manager of English club Manchester City, before speaking with Xavi.
In statements published by the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo," he said: "We made a decision regarding the list of candidates after the World Cup. There were four candidates, and talks began, though not all at the same time."
He added: "The first contact was with Pep Guardiola, but he wanted to take a break. Then Arne Slot (the former Liverpool manager) emerged as a strong candidate, but he indicated that he felt more suited to a managerial role at a club."
He continued: "After that, we focused our attention on Xavi Hernández, who is sitting beside me as the national team coach. At the same time, we also considered Michael John Reiziger as a candidate."
He noted: "We spoke with Xavi on several occasions, and our conversations were friendly. We concluded that we should take the next step with him. He considers himself a son of Dutch football, as he embraces the football culture of the Netherlands."
