Lisbon, Portugal (My Sportsbook) - Former Ajax coach Ronald Koeman was hired Wednesday as the new coach at Portuguese club Benfica, replacing Giovanni Trapattoni. Koeman was brought to Portugal on a two-year deal.

Koeman, a former Dutch international defender, stepped down midseason at Ajax. The move came after the Dutch club was eliminated from the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Benfica won the Portuguese SuperLiga championship to earn a spot in next season's Champions League competition. But Trapattoni, a former coach of the Italian national team, still stepped down with one year left on his deal with the club.

Koeman's playing career included stints with Dutch clubs FC Groningen, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord. But his best years came at Spanish side Barcelona, where he played from 1989-95. The highlight might have been when Koeman scored the only goal in the 1991/92 European Clubs' Cup final to help Barcelona win the championship over Italian side Sampdoria.

The 42-year-old Koeman coached at Ajax from 2001-05. He won two Eredivisie titles with the club and a Dutch Cup. He has also spent some time as an assistant with the Dutch national team and at Barcelona, and led Dutch side Vitesse for one season before being handed the Ajax job.