Bartina Koeman, the wife of former Netherlands and Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman, has died aged 65, according to a report that says she had lived with breast cancer for more than a decade.

The account frames the news both as a family bereavement and as the end of a long, publicly discussed illness. Koeman announced her death in a statement naming her as “my beautiful wife, our dearest mom and grandma,” and giving the dates “30 January 1961 – 15 September 2026.”¹

Bartina Koeman had first been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and later said the disease had returned. In 2024, before her husband led the Netherlands at the European Championship, she described why she wanted to speak openly: “I hope I might be able to help other women with a similar type of cancer.” She said treatment had included surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and that metastasis was later found in her spine.¹

The report portrays her as encouraging of her husband’s work despite her illness. “I so hope that Ronald will be rewarded for his hard work,” she said at the time, adding that she hoped the Netherlands would become European champions.¹

Tributes followed from clubs and national football bodies. Barcelona offered condolences to Koeman and his family, while the Netherlands team said it wished him, their children, grandchildren and other relatives strength and support. The couple had three children: Tim, Ronald Jr and Debbie.¹