Michael Reiziger will be the new national coach of the Dutch Juniors from next season, the KNVB reports via the official channels. The fifty-year-old coach will be on the bench at Ajax as an assistant coach for the last time this Sunday at the away match against FC Twente. The former footballer previously announced that he wants to go somewhere for his chance as head coach. With the national coachship at the Dutch Juniors, where Reiziger signed up to and including the European Championship in 2025, he quickly found a new job.
Traveler is happy with his next step. “I am happy and honored to be given this opportunity. It is a great opportunity to work with the greatest football talents in our country. Of course I have worked a lot with young football players, so that experience fits perfectly. Ultimately, of course, it is about performance, so we will do everything we can to be successful. I look forward to getting started.”
Nigel de Jong, the director of top football at the KNVB, is satisfied with Reiziger’s arrival. “It is a good thing that a former top player like Michael will use his knowledge and experience for the Dutch Juniors. He knows football, knows what a top sports mentality entails and is a respected name at home and abroad. With his background as a trainer of Jong Ajax, he naturally has experience with the top talents, and he has shown that he can get the best out of it.”
The Dutch Juniors will play the European Championship in Georgia and Romania next month. Erwin van de Looi says goodbye after that final tournament. During his career, Reiziger played for Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona and PSV, among others, and won the Champions League, World Cup, the Eredivisie four times and LaLiga twice. Between 1994 and 2004, the former defender played 72 times for the Dutch national team.