Breaking news, the coach who made Messi's debut could be returning to Barcelona

Last Sunday, after the 5-3 defeat against Villarreal, Xavi Hernandez announced that he will step down as Barcelona's coach after the end of the 2023/24 season. He considered this to be the most appropriate decision, considering the harsh criticism he has received for the team's poor performances and disappointing results in recent weeks.

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As a result, newspapers, TV shows and social media were flooded with news, rumors and speculations about the next coach of the Catalan side. The first to be targeted were Barca Atletic's Rafael Marquez and Bologna's Thiago Motta, two young managers who were former Barcelona players and teammates of sporting director Deco. But their lack of experience made the fans unhappy with them and now they do not seem likely options.

Other names have been mentioned, but most of them are currently working at other clubs. This is the case of Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Enrique, Germany National Team's Julian Nagelsmann and Bayern Munich's Thomas Tuchel. Jurgen Klopp was also rumored to be one of the favorites, considering that he will be leaving Liverpool this summer, but will most likely take a break of at least a year.

With this scenario, now an unexpected option has emerged: Frank Rijkaard. The former Dutch midfielder was coach of Barcelona between 2003 and 2008. He was very successful there, winning La Liga twice and the Champions League once (2006). It was in that period that Lionel Messi made his debut as a professional player and began to show all his talent, helped by stars such as Ronaldinho, Deco, Carles Puyol and Samuel Eto'o.

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What is he doing?

According to Marca, Joan Laporta called Frank Rijkaard to convince him to become Barcelona's new coach. But that will not be an easy task, as reports indicate that he has no intention of coaching again. After his departure from the Catalan side, he coached Galatasaray and the Saudi Arabian national team, but since 2013 he has not returned to work in anything related to soccer. In fact, in recent years he has been focusing on his restaurant Dengh, located in Utrecht.