The Catalan club FC Barcelona fired coach Ronald Koeman after off his duties as the team's first coach after a One-nil defeat against Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish Laliga.

In a statement, Barca said, "FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach. The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano."

"Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva," the club added in the statement.

FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his contribution to the club and wishes him the best of luck in his professional career, according to a statement.

The Catalan club is ninth on the LaLiga table scoring 15 out of 10 games, while is in third place in the Champion's league table after suffering a three-nil defeat against FC Bayern Munich and also against Benfica. They just have three points from their three matches.

Barcelona is a five-time European champion, and this was the first time in the club's history that they failed to score in their first two European games.

Former president Josep Maria Bartomeu re-signed Koeman, who spent six years as a player with Barcelona, in August 2020.

New leader Joan Laporta, on the other hand, made it obvious that the Dutchman was not his choice.

The pair had a strained relationship, with Koeman issuing a statement last month pleading for more time to rebuild after losing Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann in the transfer window.

That request, however, was not granted, and the club will now look for a successor for the 58-year-old.

According to local media, former player Xavi Hernandez, who currently coaches Al Sadd in Qatar, and Belgium coach Roberto Martinez are the frontrunners for the position.