{"id":38169,"date":"2026-08-15T09:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T09:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/38169\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T09:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T09:18:11","slug":"xavi-simons-heartfelt-post-for-his-namesake-and-new-netherlands-coach-what-are-the-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/38169\/","title":{"rendered":"Xavi Simons’ heartfelt post for his namesake and new Netherlands coach: \u201cWhat are the odds…\u201c"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“What are the odds?”<\/p>\n

“What are the odds that you spend the first five days of your life without a name?”<\/p>\n

“Your mother then watches FC Barcelona play, sees Xavi Hernandez on the screen, and decides: ‘Xavi. That’s the name.'”<\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1\ud83e\udd79 Xavi Simons: “What are the odds? What are the odds that you spend the first five days of your life without a name?” <\/p>\n

“Your mother then watches FC Barcelona play, sees Xavi Hern\u00e1ndez on the screen, and decides: ‘Xavi. That’s the name.’… And what are the odds that 23 years\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/2ae7TUzl3F<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) August 14, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

“And what are the odds that 23 years later, the man who inspired your name becomes the Head Coach of your national team?”<\/p>\n

“Some things in football you just can’t write.”<\/p>\n

“Welcome to Oranje, coach Xavi Hernandez.”<\/p>\n

“Looking forward to this new chapter together,” Simons wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

\"Xavi<\/a><\/p>\n

However, the name isn’t the only bond between the two Xavis. There’s also Barca.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n