Xavi Hernández was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon as the new head coach of the Netherlands national team. One thing stood out immediately at his first press conference in the role: according to many viewers, the Spaniard speaks excellent English, with quick comparisons to Ajax coach Míchel Sánchez.
De Telegraaf journalist Jeroen Kapteijns spotted the difference too. "The new head coach Xavi Hernández expresses himself in English many times better than Ajax coach Míchel, in any case. That is certainly a big plus in communication," he wrote on X.
One viewer also felt Xavi had little trouble with the language: "The journalists are struggling more with their English than Xavi is."
His demeanour made an instant impression as well. "Xavi definitely has an aura about him straight away, that's good to see," William-James wrote on X.
Starting his press conference, Xavi stressed his connection with the Netherlands. "As you know, I have a lot of connection with this country. My feeling today is that I am going to the university of football. During my career as a player and as a coach, I have learned a lot," said the Catalan.
He then made clear how much faith he has in the current Netherlands generation. "Personally, I believe very strongly in this generation. As you know, we have a lot of talents, but the most important thing for me is to create a team, a group and a big family, so that we can compete well."
There was no doubt either about his preferred style of play. "From a footballing point of view, we want to be a very brave team, dominate the match and take the initiative with the ball. At the same time, our goal is to show everyone a team with passion, desire and ambition. That is very important to me as a coach."