Johan Cruyff is a legendary footballer known throughout the world for his aggressive and intelligent style of play. Although he was successful in his early years, it is when he joined FC Barcelona in 1973 that his star really started to shine.
Cruyff began his career in his home country of the Netherlands, playing for AFC Ajax. There he led the team to many victories and memorable performances, but was eventually sold to FC Barcelona for a hefty sum. Cruyff wasted no time winning over Barcelona fans, telling the press that he chose Barcelona over rivals Real Madrid because he didn’t want to play for a team associated with former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. He even named his son Jordi, a traditional Catalan name (the region of Spain in which Barcelona is located).
Cruyff’s years at FC Barcelona were truly memorable and made him an icon. In his first year with the team, he helped them win La Liga for the first time in fourteen years (beating Real Madrid on their own ground) and was also named European Footballer of the Year. It was during this time that he also scored one of his most memorable goals, called “The Phantom Goal” or “Le pero d’impossible de Cruyff” (Cruyff’s Impossible Goal). In a match against Atletico Madrid, the ball had already cleared the far post and was at neck height when Cruyff leaped into the air, turning to face the goal and kicked the ball into the goal with his right heel. . . This move, among others, propelled him to godlike status in the eyes of football fans.
Cruyff then spent many years away from FC Barcelona as player and manager, until he finally returned to the club as manager in 1988. When he returned to Barcelona, Cruyff brought the so-called “Dream Team” with him. This elite squad was made up of the Spaniards Jon Andoni Goikoetxea, Jose Mari Bakero, Josep Guardiola, Txiki Beguiristain, along with the international stars the Romanian Gheorghe Hagi, the Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov, the Danish Michael Laudrup, the Brazilian Romario and the Dutch Ronald Koeman.
Under Cruyff’s stewardship, the Dream Team won four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994. They won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1989 and the European Cup in 1992 at Wembley Stadium with a famous free kick courtesy of Ronald Koeman. . In 1990, the Dream Team won a Copa del Rey, the European Super Cup in 1992 and three Spanish Super Cups.
Cruyff remains FC Barcelona’s most successful manager to date, with eleven trophies to his name. He also has the distinction of being the club’s longest-serving manager. He continues to be an adviser to the president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, whom he openly supported during the elections. To this day, he continues to be revered by FC Barcelona fans, who call him “El Salvador” (El Salvador) for his successful career as a player and manager at the club.