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Ronald Koeman: 'Never Say Never' When Asked About Barcelona Manager's Job
December 6, 2019
Ronald Koeman has said he would not rule out managing Barcelona in the future, but he added he was "uncomfortable" talking about the prospect given he is already in a job.
The 56-year-old is manager of the Netherlands national team. He succeeded Dick Advocaat in 2018 and has a contract until the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup:
Barca, meanwhile, have Ernesto Valverde at the helm, a man who has overseen back-to-back league title victories in his two campaigns in charge.
Despite his successes, though, Valverde has never been entirely comfortable in his post, not least due to consecutive humiliating exits in the UEFA Champions League to Roma and Liverpool:
Koeman has often been touted as a potential successor for the Spaniard should he be sacked by Barca.
Per Marca (h/t Colin Millar of Football Espana), when asked about the possibility of taking the Barcelona job, Koeman said:
"I have two more years of contract with the national team and I don't like to talk about Barca. It's uncomfortable for many reasons, now I have a job and it's not fair to talk about this. If that opportunity comes then it comes and if it doesn't come, it doesn't come. There are more important things in life, but never say never."
Koeman fits the mould of recent Barcelona managers.
Like Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, Luis Enrique and Valverde, he is a former Barcelona player.
He also has a strong Ajax connection like Frank Rijkaard, Louis van Gaal, and most significantly, Johan Cruyff.
Koeman has revived the Dutch national team since he took over as manager.
Advocaat resigned after failing to lead the Netherlands to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Koeman has since guided his side to the final of the UEFA Nations League out of a group that also included France and Germany, and he's overseen qualification to UEFA Euro 2020.