Ajax player points at Van Bommel and gets PSV fans on him: ‘If you’re friends with the national team coach…’

The Xavi era has begun. The KNVB saw the new national team coach on Friday afternoon announce his first squad.

It will certainly not have escaped anyone that Xavi Hernandez made public Friday afternoon his first squad as head coach of the Netherlands national team.

In addition, Xavi has a place in his squad for current PSV players Lutsharel Geertruida and Ruben van Bommel. By doing so, Van Bommel follows in the footsteps of his father Mark after fourteen years. Mark was an Oranje international between 2000 and 2012, with the exception of the period immediately after the 2006 World Cup until the 2008 European Championship due to a difficult relationship with the then national team coach Marco van Basten, and he made a total of 79 appearances for the Netherlands national team.

During the Euro 2012, Mark was captain when the Netherlands, led by Bert van Marwijk, ended disgracefully in Poland and Ukraine with zero points from three matches. However, Ruben's appeal is not received positively by everyone, and in particular in Amsterdam and the surrounding area.

So too on the social media platform X. ''I had Xavi placed a bit higher. Daal has more to look for in Orange than Van Bommel. But then again, if your father is friends with the national team coach, his 2 goals for PSV this season apparently are enough. We'll see you at the end of the season. Then we'll see who was right'', writes an Ajax supporter under the name Klasse Schone.

This post is especially not appreciated by PSV supporters. “Van Bommel at least swings the bat…”, and “Ajax fans are also not exactly objective,” among other things.