Ex-Barça: Ruud Hesp to Dutch national team

The Dutch football association KNVB has officially announced that former Barcelona goalkeeper Ruud Hesp (42) will act for the next two years as goalkeeping coach under future Dutch national team coach Bert Van Marwijk, who will succeed current manager Marco Van Basten after the Euro 2008 and will have to qualify the team for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Hesp is the goalkeeping coach of the Dutch national team since August of the year 2006. He currently combines this function with his job as FC Groningen goalkeeping coach.

Ruud Hesp came to Barcelona on a free transfer from Dutch club Roda JC in the summer of 1997. Three years later, the goalkeeper left for Dutch club Fortuna Sittard. Under manager Louis van Gaal, Hesp was most of the time the first choice goalkeeper. With Barcelona, Ruud Hesp won two Spanish league titles in 1998 and 1999, one Copa del Rey in 1998 and a European Super Cup against Champions League winner Borussia Dortmund in 1997.

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