Southampton’s new First Team Manager has plenty of pedigree, but here are the things you probably don’t know about Ronald Koeman.
Koeman is a vastly respected figure in the game both as a player and a manger, and we’ve found some additional insight on the new man at St Mary’s:
- After taking the reins at previous club Feyenoord in 2011, Koeman became the first to both play and manage the ‘big three’ after earlier spells with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven.
- The 51-year-old will already be very familiar with one of his new crop, having brought José Fonte to Portuguese side Benfica when in charge of the side in January 2006.
- The Dutchman was named the Rinus Michels Coach of the Year for the 2011/2012 season – voted for by fellow Eredivisie managers – after guiding Feyenoord a second-placed finish in the league that year.
- As a PSV player in the 1987/88 campaign, Koeman won every footballing competition he participated in as he collected winners medals in the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup and European Cup before being crowned a European champion on the international stage with Holland. The former defender was also named Dutch Footballer of the Year for his performances while amassing his haul of honours.
- A gifted set-piece taker, to this day Koeman still holds La Liga’s record for successful consecutive penalty conversions with a tally of 25.
- Ronald hails from a talented footballing family and shares similarity with brother Erwin and late father Martin, due to the trio all having represented their nation at senior level and club side FC Groningen.
- Koeman currently holds the record as the top-scoring defender in world football with a stunning 239 club career goals from his time with Groningen, Ajax, PSV, Barcelona and Feyenoord that stretched over a 17-season period.
- With a keen eye for goal from a young age, the-then 19-year-old centre-back was joint-top scorer at Groningen in just the second campaign of his senior career after he netted 15 times alongside striker Peter Houtman.
- Upon his move to Spain, he was a next door neighbor of his boss at Barcelona, Johan Cruyff.
- While in Catalonia, Barca fans affectionately named Koeman ‘Floquet de Neu’ after the albino gorilla in Barcelona’s zoo.
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