Patrick Kluivert is returning to FC Barcelona after signing a contract on Thursday to become the new director of youth football until June 2021. The agreement was formalised at the club offices in the presence of the directors with responsibilities for youth football, Silvio Elías and Xavier Vilajoana.

The Dutchman, now 43 years of age, played for the club from 1998 to 2004, scoring 145 goals in 308 games, making him one the highest goalscorers of all time in a Barça jersey. A Liga winner in 1998/99, Kluivert has gone to work in several roles as a coach and technical secretary, most recently as assistant to his compatriot Clarence Seedorf at the helm of the Cameroon team that went to the African Cup of Nations.

"I am very happy to be back home and looking forward to this new era, with the challenge of keeping Barça among the top teams in the world” he said after putting pen to paper. “I grew up at the Ajax academy, which is very similar to La Masía, and I think I can do a lot for the development of young Barça players.”