Xavi brings his Madrid rival and former Wydad coach into his staff in the Netherlands

A surprise

They once traded blows in the fire of El Clasico, Xavi Hernandez in Barcelona blue and red, Ruud van Nistelrooy in the white of Real Madrid. Now they will stand shoulder to shoulder. The Spanish coach has kept the Dutchman on his new coaching staff with the Netherlands national team.

Nigel de Jong, director of football at the Dutch federation, explained that Xavi has begun forming his backroom team ahead of leading the national side in the Nations League. The aim, he stressed, is to combine existing experience with fresh ideas and give the coach and players the best possible support during international breaks.

Van Nistelrooy earned his place. He brings coaching experience from PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and Leicester City, joined the Netherlands staff last February and was part of the group that travelled with the side to the 2026 World Cup.

Xavi also brought back Adil Ramzi, the former Netherlands under-19 coach, to tap into his knowledge of Dutch football and its young players, plus his previous work with the youth setups at Paris Saint-Germain and Wydad of Morocco.

For the goalkeeping role, Xavi turned to Patrick Lodewijks, who worked with the national team before leaving in January 2023. Ivan Torres will once again handle physical preparation.

Rounding out the group are Oscar, Xavi's brother, and Sergio Alegre, both of whom have worked with him before alongside Torres. The Spanish coach has surrounded himself with people he knows and trusts.

De Jong confirmed that the make-up of the staff was designed to blend local expertise with those who already understand Xavi and his methods. Van Nistelrooy and Lodewijks bring deep knowledge of Dutch football, Ramzi knows the new generation of players, and Oscar, Sergio and Ivan know Xavi's way of working inside out.