The decision to appoint Spaniard Xavi Hernandez as the new manager of the Netherlands still comes as a surprise to many.
No one saw it coming. After leaving Barcelona, few expected the Spaniard's next move to be a national team, let alone the Netherlands. Yet Xavi returns to succeed Ronald Koeman, exactly as he did at Barcelona in 2021.
Louis van Gaal, the former Barcelona manager who took charge of the Netherlands across three separate spells, had preferred another coach over Xavi, according to his friend, the singer Dries Roelvink.
Sport newspaper published Roelvink's remarks, in which he said: "Louis van Gaal told me again yesterday, and in detail, that he does not consider Xavi a bad choice by the Dutch federation, but that he personally would have preferred Peter Bosz."
Van Gaal himself had emerged as one of the leading candidates to return to the Dutch hot seat. Arne Slot, Erik ten Hag and Peter Bosz were also in the pool.
Two decades on from coaching Xavi at Barcelona, the 75-year-old did not hesitate to congratulate him. "Congratulations, Xavi. Good luck, my friend," he said.
A big task and a huge challenge now await Xavi. In a short statement following his appointment, he said: "I consider taking up the position of manager of the Netherlands a great honour. And as someone who was formed at Barcelona's academy, greatly influenced, among others, by Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, I feel a special bond with Dutch football."
Xavi mentioned Van Gaal in his first remarks as national team manager. "It could be said that I am, to some extent, a son of Dutch football," he said.
He added: "Other great managers also played an important role in shaping me as a player and as a coach, chief among them Louis van Gaal, with whom I first appeared at Barcelona, and Frank Rijkaard."