After almost six weeks without a head coach, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has finally found Ronald Koeman’s successor and the new Netherlands boss in Xavi Hernandez.
Several names were in the mix – Arne Slot, Erik ten Hag, Pep Guardiola, Michael Reiziger, Louis van Gaal, Roberto Martinez – but in the end, the KNVB settled on the former Barcelona midfielder and manager.
It remains to be seen whether it was a good or a bad choice, but if you ask one particular Netherlands international, it was nothing short of fate.
Xavi Simons – guess who he was named after – dedicated a heartfelt welcome post to the new Oranje head coach, and it struck a chord with many.
“What are the odds?”
“What are the odds that you spend the first five days of your life without a name?”
“Your mother then watches FC Barcelona play, sees Xavi Hernandez on the screen, and decides: ‘Xavi. That’s the name.'”
🇳🇱🥹 Xavi Simons: “What are the odds? What are the odds that you spend the first five days of your life without a name?”
“Your mother then watches FC Barcelona play, sees Xavi Hernández on the screen, and decides: ‘Xavi. That’s the name.’… And what are the odds that 23 years… pic.twitter.com/2ae7TUzl3F
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) August 14, 2026
“And what are the odds that 23 years later, the man who inspired your name becomes the Head Coach of your national team?”
“Some things in football you just can’t write.”
“Welcome to Oranje, coach Xavi Hernandez.”
“Looking forward to this new chapter together,” Simons wrote on social media.
However, the name isn’t the only bond between the two Xavis. There’s also Barca.
Like the Spaniard, the Dutchman also came through the famous La Masia. However, unlike Hernandez, who went on to become the Catalans’ first-team player, captain, and legend, Simons’ spell at Camp Nou ended during his academy days, when he joined Paris Saint-Germain’s youth ranks at 16, after nine years with Barca.