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102-496: The stadium's peak capacity was 22,000 spectators (in 1985). At the time of the demolition, the capacity was 11,224. Clubs that played in the stadium earlier are BRC, GVAV Rapiditas and De Oosterparkers. The best visited game ever was FC Groningen - Servette FC with 19,500 spectators. On 22 December 2005, the last match of FC Groningen in the stadium took place, the KNVB Beker match against FC Volendam . The supporters made

204-487: A scouting system . In 1973–74 , Groningen ranked bottom and were relegated to the Eerste Divisie; during the season, the team lost 9–0 to Ajax , Groningen's record defeat. The club came close to bankruptcy but was saved by Groningen City Council. In 1974–75 , Groningen finished runners-up to NEC Nijmegen because of an inferior goal difference , although Groningen qualified for the play-offs which determined

306-556: A 1–1 draw against Alavés , which resulted in Barcelona equalling their worst tally after the first six games in La Liga (8 points, as few as in the 2002–03 season). In the following weeks, several disappointing occurred and with yet another loss against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona ended up with their worst league start since 1992, having won only 11 points in the first 8 La Liga matches. On 17 January 2021, Koeman managed Barcelona for

408-411: A 1–2 defeat against Manchester United in the 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup Final . Koeman was known for his powerful right-footed free kicks and deadball ability where he scored many vital goals for the team. One of his best strikes in La Liga came in the memorable 5–0 win over Real Madrid in 1994, with his bending free kick making the scoreline 2–0. Koeman was joint-top scorer with eight goals in

510-511: A 4-3-3 formation. On 24 March, he managed his first match during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying which ended in a 4–0 defeat against France with his team trailing by three goals after 21 minutes, an underperformance occurred more than a century after the Dutch loss to Sweden 4–1 on 24 August 1919, with three goals being scored within the first 20 minutes. In the 2024 European championship ,

612-411: A 7–1 home victory against Willem II in the 2010–11 Eredivisie. The club's largest defeat is a 9–0 loss to Ajax in the 1973–74 Eredivisie. The highest transfer fee received by Groningen is the €11 million from Celta de Vigo for Norwegian striker Jørgen Strand Larsen in 2022, while the highest transfer fee paid by the club was for Nigerian midfielder Oluwafemi Ajilore from Midtjylland in 2008; he

714-520: A capacity of around 12,500. In 2003, Groningen started with the building of Euroborg, designed by Wiel Arets . The stadium was opened on 13 January 2006 with a match against Heerenveen, which Groningen won 2–0. It hosted the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final, in which the Netherlands defeated Serbia 4–1. In 2014, Groningen became the first Dutch club to have its own solar power plant; more than 1,000 solar panels were placed on

816-458: A competition to design a crest for the club. The draft of 21-year-old Reint Rozema, a designer at a local printing house, was chosen: an abstract letter "G", referring to Groningen. In 1993, board member and commercial manager Jos Smulders added a Pegasus to the badge to give Groningen a more "dynamic and aggressive" image; in 1996, the Pegasus was removed after criticism from the club's fans and

918-474: A defensive approach led by their method of attack, whether that be a 4–3–3, a 4-2-3-1 or an alternative, and to defend with minimal space between the lines. Describing his coaching style when appointed as manager of Barcelona, he said "I’m a coach who likes his teams to be disciplined and well-organised team. I like to dominate games. The Dutch like attacking football. I like to be direct and have good communication with my players. We hold short meetings but that make

1020-499: A dissatisfying 9th place on the table. A week later, Xavi was announced as his replacement. On 6 April 2022, Koeman was announced as returning to role of manager of the Netherlands national team, and would commence in the role on 1 January 2023 after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, following the third retirement of Louis van Gaal . On 23 January 2023, he was introduced as Dutch national team coach, with an intention to go back to

1122-406: A final tournament, UEFA Euro 2020 , for the first time since the 2014 FIFA World Cup after missing out on the UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 19 August 2020, Koeman was announced as the new manager of Barcelona, on a two-year contract until 30 June 2022. He took over after Quique Setién had been dismissed from the post following a disastrous 8–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in

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1224-428: A green and white kit , the colours of the city's coat of arms. Groningen lost their first league game 1–0 at home against FC Utrecht in front of 13,000 spectators. The team recorded their first league victory on the 10th matchday—a 2–1 win at Vitesse —and finished the 1971–72 Eredivisie season 12th out of 18 sides. The club was still mired in financial difficulties; to cut transfer expenses, Groningen established

1326-408: A one-year contract with the Dutch club as replacement for outgoing trainer Mario Been . Through this appointment, Koeman notably became the first individual ever to serve as both player and head coach at all teams of the so-called "traditional big three" of Dutch football – Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. Moreover, he has completed this in the same order as player and as manager. At the beginning of 2012, it

1428-403: A player with Barcelona. This was Valencia's first Copa del Rey since 1999. The remainder of his tenure at Valencia would prove disappointing: the team would slump to 15th in the league, only two points above the relegation zone, as well as finishing bottom of their Champions League group . A 1–5 defeat by Athletic Bilbao would prove the final straw for Koeman's time with Valencia. He was sacked

1530-547: A seventh-place finish at the end of the season. Koeman won his third Premier League Manager of the Month for January 2016, on the way to Southampton's highest ever Premier League finish, sixth place, highest ever Premier League points total, 63, and qualification for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League . On 14 June 2016, Koeman was confirmed as manager of Everton , signing a three-year contract. His brother

1632-591: A shock 3–0 victory in the return game, winning 4–2 on aggregate . They faced Inter Milan in the second round; Groningen won 2–0 at Oosterparkstadion but lost 5–1 in Italy and were eliminated from the competition. Groningen competed in European competition again on five occasions from 1986 until 1992, reaching the third round in the 1986–87 UEFA Cup and in the 1988–89 UEFA Cup . As a result of their successful spell, Groningen became almost fully professional during

1734-774: A very last trip from the Grote Markt in Groningen with torches and fireworks. The match ended in a 3–0 victory for FC Groningen, and the last goal in the Oosterpark was scored by Glen Salmon . The stadium in Groningen hosted two international matches of the Netherlands national football team in the early 1980s, both won by the home side 3-0. The first one was a qualifying match for 1982 FIFA World Cup on 22 February 1981 against Cyprus with goals scored by Hugo Hovenkamp , Cees Schapendonk and Dick Nanninga ; this match

1836-721: Is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen , Groningen province . Founded in 1971 as the successor of GVAV , Groningen compete in the Eredivisie , the first tier of Dutch football , following promotion from the 2023–24 Eerste Divisie . Groningen played in the Eredivisie during their first three seasons, before the side were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1973–74 as they got into financial difficulties. Groningen were promoted back to

1938-464: Is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Netherlands national team . Koeman scored over 250 goals whilst playing in defence for the majority of his career. Koeman was capable of playing both as a defender and as a midfielder ; he frequently played as a sweeper , although he was equally known for his goalscoring , long-range shooting, and accuracy from free kicks and penalties. Because of his goalscoring, he

2040-501: Is also Barcelona's second-highest scorer from penalties in La Liga, behind Messi once again, with 46 goals from spot kicks, and the highest scoring defender in La Liga from penalties. With 67 goals, he is the second most prolific defender in La Liga history, behind Sergio Ramos . He currently holds the record for 25 consecutive successful penalty conversions in La Liga. Ronald is the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman and

2142-553: Is considered one of the best attacking center backs of all time. Born in Zaandam , Koeman began his career at Groningen before transferring to the Netherlands' most successful club Ajax in 1983, where they won the national Eredivisie title in 1984–85 . He then joined Ajax's rivals PSV in 1986, winning three consecutive Eredivisie titles ( 1986–87 , 1987–88 and 1988–89 ) and the European Cup in 1988 . Ronald Koeman

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2244-480: Is held by Jan van Dijk, who played 537 games between 1975 and 1992. The club's top goal scorer is Peter Houtman, who scored 128 goals in three spells for Groningen. He also holds the club record for the most goals scored in a season, when he netted 31 times in 1977–78. The youngest player to make an appearance for Groningen is Richairo Živković , who was aged 16 years and 88 days on his debut against Heracles Almelo in 2012. The oldest player to make an appearance for

2346-458: Is one of five European players to ever win a treble with their club and a cup with their national team in the same year. The other four players are his teammates Hans van Breukelen , Berry van Aerle , Gerald Vanenburg and Wim Kieft . In 1989, Koeman moved to Barcelona and became part of Johan Cruyff 's "Dream Team", helping the club win La Liga four consecutive seasons (1991 to 1994), and

2448-474: The 1983–84 UEFA Cup , when they defeated Atlético Madrid on aggregate in the first round, but were eliminated by Inter Milan in the following round. Erwin Koeman , Ronald Koeman , Arjen Robben and Virgil van Dijk started their careers at Groningen, while it was Luis Suárez 's first European club. The team's first home ground was Oosterparkstadion ; since 2006, they have played their home games at Euroborg . Groningen's home kit colours are based on

2550-435: The 1991–92 European Cup , where he scored the winning goal of the final against Sampdoria . At international level, Koeman was one of the stars of the Netherlands national team , alongside Marco van Basten , Ruud Gullit , Frank Rijkaard and Dennis Bergkamp . During his career with the Netherlands, Koeman won UEFA Euro 1988 and played at UEFA Euro 1992 , as well as the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups , captaining

2652-614: The 1993–94 UEFA Champions League , in which Barcelona were beaten 0–4 in the final by A.C. Milan at the Olympic Stadium in Athens . His nicknames while playing for Barcelona were Tintin , due to his physical similarity with Hergé 's fictional character, and Floquet de Neu , after the famous albino gorilla in the Barcelona Zoo. After six years and over 200 appearances at Barcelona, Koeman left Spain to return to

2754-472: The 1998 World Cup along with Johan Neeskens and Frank Rijkaard. After the tournament, he was appointed the assistant coach of Barcelona, and in 2000, he was handed his first managerial job as the head coach of Vitesse , where he led the team to a UEFA Cup spot in his only season. Koeman was appointed the manager of Ajax in 2001. He won a domestic double in 2001–02 . Despite regaining the title in 2003–04 , Ajax had fallen eight points behind rivals PSV in

2856-478: The 2007–08 Copa del Rey , and managed Premier League clubs Southampton and Everton in the 2010s. He was the manager of the Netherlands national team between 2018 and 2020, finishing runners-up in the 2019 UEFA Nations League . In August 2020, he was appointed manager of Barcelona, with whom he won the 2020–21 Copa del Rey , but was sacked in October 2021, following a poor start to the new season . In 2023, he

2958-416: The 2022 FIFA World Cup . He replaced Dick Advocaat who resigned after failing to guide the Netherlands to the 2018 FIFA World Cup . On 9 June 2019, the Netherlands finished runners-up in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League after a 0–1 defeat against Portugal in the final . On 19 August 2020, Koeman left the national team to become manager of Barcelona . Under his management, Netherlands qualified for

3060-479: The Champions League in the round of 16 against PSG after failing to turn around a 1–4 loss at home, losing 2–5 on aggregate. On 10 April, Barcelona's 19-game unbeaten run in La Liga came to an end after falling to Real Madrid 2–1 away from home in the second Clásico of the season. On 17 April, Koeman led Barça to a 4–0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the 2021 Copa del Rey Final , gaining revenge for

3162-461: The King of free kicks , and was capable of striking the ball with power from long range free kicks, or curling shots on goal from close range; he was also an accurate penalty kick taker. Regarding his unique run-up and approach to taking free kicks and penalties, Rob Smyth of The Guardian commented in 2009: "We tend to associate Koeman with that particular type of free-kick, where he would lace

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3264-492: The Tax and Customs Administration . Groningen were saddled with debt and again came close to bankruptcy. Despite the financial situation, Groningen recorded their highest-ever league finish in 1990–91 : third place. Managed by Hans Westerhof , Groningen competed for the league title with Ajax and PSV until the latter part of the season, when suspensions and injuries to first-team players saw them drop points. Groningen's Henny Meijer

3366-467: The quarter final of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League . In his first competitive game in charge, Barcelona beat Villarreal 4–0 at the Camp Nou in La Liga . On 17 October, Koeman suffered his first loss as Barcelona manager after a 1–0 away defeat against Getafe . On 24 October, he lost the first Clásico of the season to arch rivals Real Madrid by a 3–1 scoreline. That defeat was followed by

3468-434: The 1930s. The Netherlands national team played two international matches at Oosterparkstadion: against Cyprus in 1981 and in 1983 against Iceland . In 1985, Groningen recorded their largest attendance at the stadium during a 1–1 draw against Feyenoord, when 21,500 spectators attended. The club first expressed an interest in building a new stadium away from Oosterparkstadion in 1996 as it had become outdated and had only

3570-527: The 2023–24 Eerste Divisie and returned to the Eredivisie at the first attempt. Groningen have won the KNVB Cup once, in 2014–15 , and were runners-up in 1988–89 . Groningen achieved their highest league finish in 1990–91 when they ranked third in the Eredivisie, competing for the league title until the latter part of the season. The side have participated in several European competitions ; Groningen's first participation in European competition came during

3672-536: The Champions League group stage and a 2–0 away defeat against title contenders Atletico Madrid in La Liga. On 24 October, following Barça's 2–1 defeat against Real Madrid at home, Koeman became the first manager since Patrick O’Connell in 1936 to lose three consecutive Clásicos. On 28 October, the club announced that Koeman had been relieved of his duties as manager following the team's 1–0 away defeat against Rayo Vallecano , with FC Barcelona sitting at

3774-401: The Eredivisie as champions in 1979–80 with a squad composed mostly of players who were recruited from the club's youth academy, remaining in the top flight for 18 seasons before they dropped to the second tier in 1997–98 . The team won promotion back to the Eredivisie in 1999–2000 , where they remained for 23 seasons before suffering relegation in 2022–23 . Groningen finished as runners-up in

3876-406: The Eredivisie in 1999–2000 following a first-place finish in the promotion play-offs group. During the season, Groningen set several club records: they scored 81 goals, won 10 matches in a row and recorded their largest victory—10–1 against DVS '33 in the KNVB Cup . In December 2000, 16-year-old Arjen Robben made his professional debut under coach Jan van Dijk; Robben, later regarded as one of

3978-494: The Eredivisie. This situation, coupled with Ajax being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Auxerre , 3–2 on aggregate, led Koeman to resign the following day on 25 February 2005. During Koeman's spell at Ajax, a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic started his rise to international fame, and Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart made their debut. In June 2005, Koeman took up the vacant position at Portuguese champions Benfica, following

4080-502: The Netherlands in 1995. In joining Feyenoord , he became one of the few players to represent all of Dutch football's " Big Three ". Koeman spent two seasons in Rotterdam, captaining Feyenoord to third- and second-place finishes in the Eredivisie respectively. Koeman ended his career with 192 league goals from 533 matches (ahead of Daniel Passarella , who netted 182 goals in 556 matches) during his career, more than any other defender in

4182-567: The Netherlands were drawn with France, Poland and Austria in the Group D. The Dutch defeated Poland 2–1 in the first matchday, and against France they had to settle for a 0–0 draw. In their final group match, the Netherlands lost to Austria, conceding three goals and scoring two. The Netherlands finished Group D among the four best third placed teams, thus ensuring qualification to the Round of 16, where they played against Romania and won 3–0. In

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4284-529: The Quarter finals, the Dutch defeated Turkey 2–1, but were eliminated by England in the Semi finals, losing 2–1. This was the first time since 2014 that the Netherlands had made the semi-finals of a major international tournament. A composed player on the ball, Koeman was capable of being deployed both as a defender and as a midfielder, and he frequently played as a sweeper, due to his vision and his ability on

4386-457: The Supercopa defeat at the same venue three months earlier. On 29 April, Barcelona were presented with a golden opportunity to go top of La Liga but failed to capitalize after losing out to Granada away 2–1 despite taking the lead. Barcelona's title charge ended with a disappointment after winning only two of their last five matches and eventually finished third in the league table. Following

4488-410: The anti-smoking campaign Kick it with Help. He said that the cancer diagnoses of his wife and his friend Johan Cruyff motivated him to join the campaign. During the transfer as a manager to Barcelona in 2020, Koeman was filmed for a 3-part docuseries entitled, Força Koeman . The series can be seen on Dutch streaming service "videoland" from 17 February 2021. Koeman stated that he has been visiting

4590-501: The ball in a manner that was paradoxically sledgehammer rather than silk, yet if anything he was more adept at the seductive, shorter-range curler. As with his penalties, when he would charge towards the ball like a man with murder in mind only to tap it gently into the net, part of the skill was in the deception. With Koeman, there was more than one way to skin a defensive wall; as all Englishmen know well, he could flippin' flip one as well." Koeman most commonly organises his teams to have

4692-409: The ball. Regarded as one of the best and most prolific attacking central defenders of all time, due to his eye for goal, Koeman was renowned for his long-range passing , as well as his shooting accuracy and power from distance, especially on free kicks ; he is the top scoring defender in world football, and Barcelona's top scoring defender. A versatile set piece specialist, Koeman was nicknamed

4794-621: The best players of his generation, was soon sold to PSV for a fee of 3.9 million euros . Groningen avoided relegation during their first seasons back in the Eredivisie; under coach Ron Jans , appointed in 2002, Groningen began to return into the top half of the league. In January 2006, Groningen moved from the outdated Oosterparkstadion—the club's first home stadium—to the newly-built Euroborg . The club's average home attendance increased from approximately 12,000 in Oosterparkstadion to around 20,000 in its new stadium. Groningen went

4896-521: The city's coat of arms: green and white. The club is nicknamed "Trots van het Noorden" ( lit.   ' Pride of the North ' ), and has a rivalry with Frisian side Heerenveen , with whom it contests the Derby van het Noorden ( lit.   ' Derby of the North ' ). GVAV , established in 1921, were founder members of the Eredivisie in 1956, the first tier in Dutch football . GVAV were one of

4998-526: The club is goalkeeper Peter van der Vlag , who played his last match aged 37 years and 163 days against NAC Breda in 2015. In 1991, Hennie Meijer won the Dutch Footballer of the Year award, the first and to date only time a Groningen player achieved this. Groningen's largest victory has been a 10–1 win against DVS '33 in the 1999–2000 KNVB Cup . The club's largest win in league football has been

5100-445: The club win La Liga four consecutive seasons years (1991 to 1994). He scored the only goal of the 1992 European Cup Final with a free-kick from the edge of the 18-yard box against Sampdoria at Wembley Stadium to make Barça European champions for the first time in its history. With this, he became the first player to score in two consecutive finals of different European competitions, having scored Barcelona's consolation goal in

5202-400: The club, Koeman managed four wins, a draw and a defeat, propelling Southampton to second place in the league standings and resulting in Koeman being named Premier League Manager of the Month for September. In January 2015, Southampton won all three of their matches, including a first win at Manchester United since 1988, and Koeman was again named Manager of the Month. He led Southampton to

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5304-521: The departure of Giovanni Trapattoni . On 13 August, he won the 2005 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira against Vitória de Setúbal with a single goal by Nuno Gomes . The team finished the Primeira Liga in third place (behind rivals Porto and Sporting CP ) and was knocked out of the Taça de Portugal in the quarter-finals by Vitória de Guimarães . This, along with an offer from PSV, sufficed for

5406-495: The end of the season, club president Joan Laporta admitted that Koeman was not his first choice and was looking for a manager, however on 3 June, he confirmed that Koeman would be staying in charge for another season. Barcelona began the 2021–22 season with a 4–2 home victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga. However, in their next ten matches, they had a disappointing run of games with 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats including consecutive 3–0 losses against Bayern Munich and Benfica in

5508-480: The first 15 league games unbeaten at Euroborg, and the stadium was soon nicknamed "De Groene Hel" ( lit.   ' The Green Hell ' ). Groningen finished the 2005–06 season in fifth place and qualified for the play-offs which determined a place in the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League . Groningen reached the final but were narrowly beaten by Ajax on aggregate, after Ajax scored in

5610-449: The first season half, keeping competitors AZ Alkmaar and Ajax at a reasonable distance, and PSV seemed almost destined to become champions again. PSV, however, suffered in the second half of the season, also because of injuries of players Jefferson Farfán , Alex and Ibrahim Afellay , obtaining only 19 out 39 possible points. Alkmaar and Ajax regained their momentum, making for a close finish, with all three teams tied at 72 points before

5712-425: The first time following a 5th-place finish, meaning that the side would enter the 1983–84 UEFA Cup . Key player Ronald Koeman left the club during the off-season in 1983 and joined Ajax, while his brother Erwin remained at Groningen; both players had made their debut at Groningen. The team's first European game was an away match against Atlético Madrid , losing 2–1 after being 1–0 ahead. Groningen recorded

5814-534: The first time in a cup final, with his side losing 3–2 to Athletic Bilbao after extra time in the final of the 2020–21 Supercopa de España at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville . On 7 February, Koeman led Barcelona to their sixth consecutive away win in La Liga after winning 3–2 against Real Betis , equalling Luis Enrique 's feat achieved in the 2015–16 season . On 11 March, Barcelona were knocked out of

5916-417: The following day, on 21 April 2008. Koeman was appointed manager of AZ Alkmaar on 18 May 2009, after Louis van Gaal , who won the 2008–09 Eredivisie with Alkmaar, joined Bayern Munich . On 5 December 2009, Alkmaar announced that Koeman no longer was in charge of the club, after losing 7 of the first 16 games in the Dutch competition. On 21 July 2011, Koeman was appointed manager of Feyenoord, signing

6018-601: The following seasons, as the team also won the 1987–88 and 1988–89 Eredivisie titles and the club's first, and to date only, European Cup against Benfica in Stuttgart on 25 May 1988. PSV had also won the KNVB Cup in both 1988 and 1989 , making their successes in the two years trebles and doubles respectively. In his three seasons at PSV, Koeman scored 51 goals in 98 league appearances, averaging more than one goal every two matches. During 1987–88 season, he recorded

6120-443: The foundation of a new professional team representing Groningen. Several other local amateur clubs supported Brink's idea, and local businesses and Groningen City Council were willing to remit the debt of Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV. In September 1970, the majority of GVAV's members voted in favour of the plans. GVAV won promotion to the Eredivisie after a one-year absence, and Football Club Groningen were founded on 16 June 1971 as

6222-467: The foundation's shareholders; GVAV's finances remained in a weak position and their future as a professional side was uncertain, as was the prospect of professional football in the city of Groningen, with GVAV the only remaining professional team left. The club remained in the Eredivisie until it was relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1969–70 . In February 1970, Harm Brink, the chairman of amateur club GRC Groningen  [ nl ] , suggested

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6324-512: The four professional teams from the city of Groningen , the others being Be Quick , Velocitas and Oosterparkers  [ nl ] . During the early 1960s, GVAV became mired in financial difficulties. This led to the establishment of "Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV" ( lit.   ' Professional Football Foundation GVAV ' ) in 1963, a triumvirate of GVAV, Groningen City Council and an organisation representing local businesses. The three parties paid 300,000 Dutch guilders each to be

6426-408: The group in bottom place. In 2019, Hans Nijland  [ nl ] —Groningen's CEO since 1996 and the longest-serving director in Dutch professional football—stepped down and was replaced by Excelsior's Wouter Gudde . In 2022–23 , Groningen finished the season in bottom place, winning only 4 times in 34 matches, and were relegated to the Eerste Divisie for the third time. Before the start of

6528-492: The highest scoring season of his club career, with 21 goals scored in the league. In 1989, Koeman re-joined his former Ajax coach Johan Cruyff at Barcelona , where he became a member of the famous " Dream Team ". During his first season at the club, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey , beating Real Madrid 2–0 in the final . Along with players such as Hristo Stoichkov , Romário , Pep Guardiola and Michael Laudrup , Koeman helped

6630-675: The history of football. In April 1983, both Koeman and his brother Erwin debuted for the Netherlands national team in a 3–0 friendly loss to Sweden in Utrecht . Ronald's first international goal came in September of the same year, in a 3–0 victory of Iceland at Groningen 's Oosterpark Stadion . With the Netherlands unable to qualify for UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup , Koeman's tournament debut came at Euro 1988 in West Germany, where Rinus Michels ' team defeated

6732-500: The hosts at the semi-final stage, with Koeman scoring a crucial penalty to equalize and make it 1–1. After this match, Koeman provocatively pretended to wipe his backside with the shirt of Olaf Thon in front of the home supporters. In the final , the Netherlands defeated the Soviet Union 2–0 at Munich 's Olympiastadion to win the nation's only major international trophy. This completed Koeman's extraordinary 1988 after winning

6834-459: The last competition day. Alkmaar played struggling Excelsior in their final match, but did not manage to win. Ajax played at Willem II , but did not score enough goals; it was PSV eventually who triumphed, winning at home 5–1 against Vitesse, and thereby becoming Eredivisie champions, one goal ahead of Ajax. For the second consecutive season he guided a team to the quarter-finals of the Champions League , this time defeating another English club in

6936-470: The last minutes of the second leg; the side qualified instead for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup in which they were eliminated by Partizan Belgrade in the preliminary round. Groningen again qualified for the UEFA Cup preliminary round the following season , but were eliminated by Italian side Fiorentina after a penalty shootout . In 2010, Jans left the club and went to local rivals Heerenveen ; his successor

7038-410: The league behind rivals PSV . In the summer of 1986, Koeman controversially transferred to PSV to play for Hans Kraay 's champions. Towards the end of the 1986–87 season , Kraay resigned and was replaced by Guus Hiddink , under the management of whom PSV overtook league leaders Ajax in the final weeks of the season to defend their league title. Koeman enjoyed further success with Hiddink and PSV in

7140-419: The local press, and the original crest was restored. Groningen's colours have been green and white since the club's foundation, derived from the city's coat of arms. During the first seasons, the team also played several matches in a purple kit. Groningen's jerseys were manufactured by local companies until 1975, when Adidas became the first to have its logo on the club's shirt. The team's first kit sponsor

7242-465: The manager to leave one year before the end of his contract. Under Koeman, Benfica did reach the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League ; eliminating Manchester United in the final game of the group stage and Liverpool in the first knockout stage, before losing to Barcelona on an aggregate score of 0–2, who ended up winning the trophy. In the 2006–07 season, Koeman served as head coach of PSV, as successor to Guus Hiddink. PSV dominated

7344-475: The message clear." Koeman is the top scoring defender in world football, scoring 90 goals in all competitions for Barcelona. An accurate free kick and penalty kick taker, Koeman was nicknamed the King of free kicks throughout his playing career, and is Barcelona's second-highest goalscorer from free kicks, after previous club captain Lionel Messi , with 26 goals from set pieces in all competitions; he

7446-425: The mid-1980s—only Jan van Dijk and Adri van Tiggelen remained semi-professionals. The club also recorded the fourth highest average home attendances in Dutch football—behind Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord —as it attracted more than 10,000 fans for each match. In 1989, Groningen reached their first KNVB Cup final , but lost 4–1 against PSV. During the same year, Groningen chairman Renze de Vries  [ nl ]

7548-461: The promotion play-offs in 1977–78 , despite Peter Houtman scoring a club record 31 goals during the season. Groningen finished runners-up to Excelsior in 1978–79 , but returned to the Eredivisie as champions in the following season under coach Theo Verlangen  [ nl ] , losing only 4 of 36 matches. Most of the squad came from Groningen's youth academy. In the 1982–83 season , Groningen qualified for European competition for

7650-600: The province of Groningen, the team lack rivalries. Until SC Veendam from Groningen province was dissolved in 2013, Groningen contested the Groningse derby  [ nl ] with the club. The sides met only four times in the Eredivisie—in 1986–87 and 1988–89 , with both teams winning once—as Veendam spent most of their existence in the lower divisions. During the 1990s, Groningen contested heated matches with Twente as hooligans of both clubs often clashed. During

7752-607: The provinces of Groningen and Drenthe . During their early years, Groningen, and their predecessor GVAV, also had a decent following in Friesland as they were the only northern team in the Eredivisie, which earned them the nickname "Trots van het Noorden" ( lit.   ' Pride of the North ' ). During the late 1970s, an ultras group known as the Z-side emerged from within Groningen's fanbase. The Z-side and other Groningen ultras groups have had long-standing friendships with

7854-658: The roof of Euroborg to make Groningen "more eco-friendly". Euroborg's current capacity is 22,525, and is nicknamed "De Groene Hel" ( lit.   ' The Green Hell ' ) and "De Groene Kathedraal" ( lit.   ' The Green Cathedral ' ). The stadium consists of four stands: the Tonny van Leeuwen Tribune, the Piet Fransen Tribune, the Koeman Familie Tribune and a stand containing skyboxes . Groningen's supporters are mainly drawn from

7956-476: The same period, a local rivalry between Groningen and Frisian club Heerenveen developed—known as the Derby van het Noorden ( lit.   ' Derby of the North ' )—following Heerenveen's first-ever promotion to the Eredivisie in 1989–90 . Groningen went down to the Eerste Divisie in 1998, and by 2000, they were surpassed in results by Heerenveen. During the 2000s, the rivalry reached its peak and fans of both clubs pulled pranks, such as Groningen fans painting

8058-586: The season, the German Frank Wormuth was appointed coach. He was sacked in November 2022, after which Wormuth labelled the working conditions as "mentally unsafe". Under his successor, Dennis van der Ree , Groningen won only once in 21 matches, and were eliminated from the KNVB Cup at home by amateur club SV Spakenburg . During the season, director of football Mark-Jan Fledderus was sacked, and two board members stepped down. Gudde concluded

8160-415: The second and final team to gain promotion to the Eredivisie. They finished second behind FC Eindhoven and remained in the second tier. In 1975, Groningen established a youth boarding school as the club tried to rebuild the squad with youth players. The side placed eighth in the 1976–77 Eerste Divisie —Groningen's lowest league finish—before they missed promotion to the Eredivisie on goal difference in

8262-466: The second qualifying round. Groningen claimed their first major honour during the season, however, defeating PEC Zwolle 2–0 in the 2015 KNVB Cup final . They became the third Groningen-based team to win a major honour, after Be Quick ( 1919–20 Dutch League Championship ) and Velocitas (1933–34 KNVB Cup). By winning the cup, Groningen qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage. They gained only two points from six matches and finished

8364-401: The shape of Arsenal in the first knockout stage by an aggregate score of 2–1, before losing 4–0 on aggregate to eventual runners-up Liverpool in the quarter-finals. On 31 October 2007, Koeman agreed to be the new coach of Valencia after the sacking of Quique Sánchez Flores , starting on 5 November 2007. With Valencia, he won the 2007–08 Copa del Rey , a tournament he previously won as

8466-431: The side won promotion back to the top flight under Jan van Dijk in 1999–2000. Erwin van de Looi led Groningen to their first major honour: the 2014–15 KNVB Cup . The German Frank Wormuth became the club's first foreign coach when he took the post in 2022. Under Dick Lukkien , Groningen won promotion back to the top flight in 2023–24. The record for the most first team appearances in all competitions for Groningen

8568-549: The squad was unfit, unbalanced, and lacked quality and "personality". Under coach Dick Lukkien , Groningen finished runners-up in the Eerste Divisie the following season and were promoted back to the Eredivisie with a squad composed of many players who were recruited from Groningen's youth academy; the team defeated direct rivals Roda JC 2–0 on the last matchday to take second place from them. Shortly after Groningen were founded in June 1971, Nieuwsblad van het Noorden organised

8670-525: The statue of Heerenveen's Abe Lenstra in green-white colours. The rivalry faded during the mid-2010s as another Frisian club, Cambuur , won promotion to the Eredivisie; Heerenveen regard Cambuur as their main rivals. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Source: Ron Groenewoud

8772-715: The successor of GVAV, who returned to amateur football. During the 1970–71 season, GVAV goalkeeper and Netherlands international Tonny van Leeuwen conceded only seven goals; no goalkeeper conceded fewer during the season, and Van Leeuwen was honoured with an award by the Royal Dutch Football Association in Rotterdam . On his way back home, Van Leeuwen died in a car accident, one day before Groningen's foundation. Groningen played their first match on 17 July 1971, defeating German Regionalliga side TSR Olympia Wilhelmshaven 6–0. Groningen played in

8874-456: The team at the latter. In his managerial career, Koeman has won three Eredivisie titles: twice with Ajax ( 2001–02 and 2003–04 ) and once with PSV ( 2006–07 ). He is the only individual to have both played for and managed the " Big Three " of Dutch football: Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord . Abroad, he had spells in Portugal with Benfica and Spain with Valencia , coaching Los Ché to victory in

8976-574: The treble with PSV. Both Koeman and his central defensive partner Frank Rijkaard were named in UEFA 's Team of the Tournament . Koeman went on to represent his nation at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups , as well as Euro 1992 , and picked up a total of 78 caps for the Netherlands, scoring 14 goals. Having retired as a player after his stint with Feyenoord, Koeman became a member of the Netherlands international coaching staff of Guus Hiddink during

9078-476: The ultras and hooligans of AS Roma , Beerschot and Rot-Weiß Erfurt . The club's fans also have had a long-standing friendship with supporters of Scottish team Hibernian since the 1990s. Several Groningen and Hibernian fans regularly make an overseas journey to visit each other's matches. As Groningen are one of the few professional sides in the Northern Netherlands and the only team from

9180-505: The young defender called up by the Netherlands national team and earn a transfer to Eredivisie champions Ajax . After failing to defend their title in Koeman's first season at the club, the Amsterdam team regained the championship in 1984–85 . The following season saw Johan Cruyff take over as Ajax head coach and, despite scoring 120 goals in 34 Eredivisie matches and winning the KNVB Cup , de Godenzonen could only finish second in

9282-410: The younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman . He is married to Bartina Koeman. Their son, Ronald Koeman Jr. , is a professional goalkeeper for SC Telstar in the Eerste Divisie . When Erwin was appointed as the head coach of Oman in 2019, they became the first set of brothers to take charge of two different national teams at the same time Koeman is an ambassador for

9384-413: Was AGO in 1982. Since then, the club has had a variety of kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors. Until the early 1990s, Groningen used various permutations of green and white on their home kits, when the club adopted a white shirt with two vertical green stripes. Groningen have played their home matches at Euroborg since January 2006, which replaced Oosterparkstadion, the home of GVAV and Groningen since

9486-575: Was again hired as his assistant. In his first season, Koeman led Everton to qualification for the Europa League . Prior to the 2017–18 season, Koeman was given the largest budget in Everton's history to spend on new players. An estimated £150 million was spent on new players, but Koeman admitted that he had not bought a centre forward to replace Romelu Lukaku , the previous season's squad top scorer who had been sold to Manchester United. Koeman

9588-442: Was announced that his contract was extended. In February 2014, Koeman announced that he would leave his position at Feyenoord at the end of the 2013–14 season to pursue other ambitions. In June 2014, Koeman was announced as the replacement for Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino , signing a three-year deal with the club. His brother Erwin was appointed assistant manager. In his first six Premier League games in charge of

9690-2344: Was bought for a fee of €3.3 million. Specific General 1960–61   Ajax (3/20) 1961–62   Sparta (2/3) 1962–63   Willem II (2/2) 1963–64   Fortuna '54 (2/2) 1964–65   Feyenoord (3/13) 1965–66   Sparta (3/3) 1966–67   Ajax (4/20) 1967–68   ADO 1968–69   Feyenoord (4/13) 1969–70   Ajax (5/20) 1970–71   Ajax (6/20) 1971–72   Ajax (7/20) 1972–73   NAC 1973–74   PSV (2/11) 1974–75   FC Den Haag 1975–76   PSV (3/11) 1976–77   FC Twente (1/3) 1977–78   AZ (1/4) 1978–79   Ajax (8/20) 1979–80   Feyenoord (5/13) 1980–81   AZ (2/4) 1981–82   AZ (3/4) 1982–83   Ajax (9/20) 1983–84   Feyenoord (6/13) 1984–85   FC Utrecht (1/3) 1985–86   Ajax (10/20) 1986–87   Ajax (11/20) 1987–88   PSV (4/11) 1988–89   PSV (5/11) 1989–90   PSV (6/11) 1990–91   Feyenoord (7/13) 1991–92   Feyenoord (8/13) 1992–93   Ajax (12/20) 1993–94   Feyenoord (9/13) 1994–95   Feyenoord (10/13) 1995–96   PSV (7/11) 1996–97   Roda JC (1/2) 1997–98   Ajax (13/20) 1998–99   Ajax (14/20) 1999–00   Roda JC (2/2) 2000–01   FC Twente (2/3) 2001–02   Ajax (15/20) 2002–03   FC Utrecht (2/3) 2003–04   FC Utrecht (3/3) 2004–05   PSV (8/11) 2005–06   Ajax (16/20) 2006–07   Ajax (17/20) 2007–08   Feyenoord (11/13) 2008–09   Heerenveen 2009–10   Ajax (18/20) 2010–11   FC Twente (3/3) 2011–12   PSV (9/11) 2012–13   AZ (4/4) 2013–14   PEC Zwolle 2014–15   FC Groningen 2015–16   Feyenoord (12/13) 2016–17   Vitesse 2017–18   Feyenoord (13/13) 2018–19   Ajax (19/20) 2019–20   competition abandoned 2020–21   Ajax (20/20) 2021–22   PSV (10/11) 2022–23   PSV (11/11) Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈroːnɑlt ˈkumɑn] ; born 21 March 1963)

9792-438: Was former Groningen player Pieter Huistra . Under Huistra, the team finished 5th in 2010–11 and reached the European competition play-off final; Groningen turned around a 5–1 deficit against ADO Den Haag but lost after a penalty shootout. In 2013–14 , Groningen won the European competition play-off final under coach Erwin van de Looi and qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League , but were eliminated by Aberdeen in

9894-565: Was found guilty by the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) of embezzlement and the use of dirty money to sign several players between 1984 and 1989. De Vries, Groningen's chairman since 1980, stepped down and spent several days in prison. Several other Eredivisie clubs were also investigated and punished by the FIOD during this period, with Groningen receiving an additional assessment of 700,000 Dutch guilders from

9996-413: Was named Dutch Footballer of the Year after the season ended. Although Groningen recorded a 5th-place finish in 1991–92 and qualified for the 1992–93 UEFA Cup , the team began to slide down the league table; they were eventually relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1997–98 . Groningen had little financial resources left, and made many managerial changes in a search for success. The side returned to

10098-563: Was notable because Hovenkamp and Nanninga were players who were born in the Oosterpark-area of Groningen. The second and the last one was a qualifying match for Euro 1984 on 7 September 1983 against Iceland with goals scored by Ronald Koeman , Ruud Gullit and Peter Houtman . This article about a Dutch sports venue is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . FC Groningen Football Club Groningen ( Dutch pronunciation: [ɛfˈseː ˈɣroːnɪŋə(n)] )

10200-405: Was reappointed as the manager of the Netherlands national team. Koeman started his professional career at Groningen , making his debut at the age of 17 years and 183 days in a 2–0 win over NEC in the Eredivisie . This made him the third-youngest player in the club's history, after Piet Wildschut and Bert de Voogt. Thirty-three goals from ninety appearances in his three seasons at the club saw

10302-425: Was sacked by the club on 23 October 2017, after his side fell into the relegation zone, following a 2–5 home defeat against Arsenal the previous day. Koeman later stated his belief that the failure to sign Olivier Giroud in the summer transfer window contributed to his sacking. On 6 February 2018, Koeman was appointed manager of the Netherlands national team on a four-and-a-half-year contract up to and including

10404-439: Was the club's first coach; he was relegated with Groningen to the Eerste Divisie in 1974 and remained in charge until 1975. Groningen won the Eerste Divisie title in 1979–80 under coach Theo Verlangen  [ nl ] , who also led them to qualification for their first-ever European campaign in 1983. Groningen recorded their best league finish under Hans Westerhof : third in the 1990–91 Eredivisie. After relegation in 1998,

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