Barjuan becomes Barcelona interim coach after Koeman was sacked following Barca’s 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, their fourth defeat in six games
By Uzor Odigbo
FC Barcelona have named their B’side coach Sergi Barjuan as interim manager following the departure of Ronald Koeman, the La Liga club said in a statement on Thursday.
Koeman was sacked after Barca’s 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, their fourth defeat in six games in all competitions.
“Barjuan shall be taking provisional charge of the technical management of the senior squad. His interim position as first-team head coach shall end as soon as the club has hired a full-time head coach to replace the dismissed Ronald Koeman,” the club said in a statement.
Former midfielder Xavi, who enjoyed a stellar 17-year career at the club, is widely being reported to take over on a permanent basis. The Spaniard is currently the head coach of Qatari side Al Sadd.
Barca are ninth in the La Liga standings with 15 points from 10 games
Barjuan was born on December 28, 1971.
Barjuan, known simply as Sergi, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left-back.
Shortly after having been promoted into Barcelona’s main squad, Barjuan made his debut for Spain on 9 February 1994, in a friendly game with Poland in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in which he scored his only goal for the national team.
He went on to represent the nation at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 1996, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, for a total of 56 caps.
After his retirement from football, Barjuan took a career in coaching.
Until his appointment as interim manager, Barjuan was the head coach of Barcelona B team.
Best known for his Barcelona stint, Barjuan played for the first team for nine seasons and made a major contribution to the winning of nine major titles.
Having reached the Spain national team shortly after making his professional club debut, he appeared in two World Cups and as many European Championships.
In 2009, Barjuan embarked on a managerial career
