Johan Cruyff: The Architect of Barcelona’s Legacy
It was the 1992 European Cup (now Champions League) final at Wembley Stadium, London. The showdown was between Spain’s Barcelona and Italy’s Sampdoria. From today’s perspective, it’s easy to assume Barcelona was the favorite. But avid football historians know that Barcelona of 1992 wasn’t the powerhouse it is today.
For both teams, the match was of utmost importance. While Barcelona had won their domestic league, they had never been crowned European champions. They had reached the final only twice before, the last time being in 1986. On the other hand, Sampdoria had just won the Serie A title in the previous season and didn’t want to miss the chance to claim their first European title. The game remained goalless during regulation time.
On the sidelines, a man was pacing nervously, a lollipop in his mouth. While smoking on the bench is not unusual, or even chewing gum to ease the tension, a grown man sucking on a lollipop seemed odd. But the tension didn’t last long. In the 112th minute, Ronald Koeman scored the goal that broke Sampdoria’s defenses, and Barcelona held on for the remaining eight minutes.
When the final whistle blew, the man tossed his lollipop into the air and joined the team’s celebrations like a child. And why not? His team had just become the new champions of Europe.
That man was Johan Cruyff. Once a chain smoker, he had to quit after a 1991 medical examination revealed lung cancer. To distract himself from nicotine cravings, he resorted to lollipops, even during matches.
The Dutchman not only led Barcelona to European glory but also revolutionized the club’s history as a coach. However, the beginning was far from smooth. At that time, Barcelona was not an exceptional team. When Cruyff took charge, the club had only 10 league titles to their name compared to Real Madrid’s 24. Even Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, with 8 titles each, were not far behind.
Cruyff took a long-term approach. The team had finished sixth in the league the previous season, but in his first year, he brought them up to second. After seven years, they won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
The following season, Barcelona slipped to second in the league, 11 points behind Real Madrid, but they beat Real 2-0 to win the Copa del Rey. Then began the era of “Cruyff Show.”
From 1990-91 to 1993-94, Barcelona won four consecutive league titles, their “Dream Team” playing a truly unbelievable style of football. Between 1989 and 1994, Cruyff’s Barcelona enjoyed a magical five seasons, winning four league titles, one European Cup, one Copa del Rey, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, and one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. However, they also lost a Champions League final to AC Milan as heavy favorites.
Cruyff’s 11 trophies made him Barcelona’s most successful coach at the time, a record later surpassed by his disciple Pep Guardiola with 15 trophies. But limiting Cruyff’s legacy to trophies would be an understatement. He instilled a hunger for success within Barcelona. The benefits of La Masia Academy, initiated under his guidance, are still evident today. Guardiola’s famous “tiki-taka” was merely a modern adaptation of Cruyff’s tactics. Sadly, Cruyff was sacked after two trophy-less seasons with Barcelona.
Later, Cruyff managed the Catalonia national team for a while, defeating Argentina 4-2 in a friendly in his debut match. His team also beat Honduras 4-0, drew 0-0 with Tunisia, and tied 1-1 with Nigeria. His tenure with Ajax and a potential role as coach of the Netherlands were also noteworthy, with Ajax winning the Cup Winners’ Cup under his guidance in 1987.
In 2016, Gabriele Marcotti, an English-Italian sports journalist, said: “You can divide Barcelona’s history into BCE (Before Cruyff Era) and CE (Cruyff Era). Twenty years after his coaching tenure, his influence is still deeply rooted in Barcelona.”
When Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona was at its peak in 2011, German legend Jürgen Klinsmann remarked: “This Barcelona wasn’t born in the last two years. It was born under Cruyff in the early 1990s. The results we see today are 20 years in the making, and everyone should respect that.”
Despite holding no official position, Cruyff had an immeasurable influence on Barcelona, as highlighted by former club president Joan Laporta. In a 2017 interview, Laporta said: “I chose Rijkaard and Guardiola for Barcelona because Cruyff recommended them. Anyone who becomes Barcelona’s coach must follow in Cruyff’s footsteps.”
If the above stories make you think Cruyff was an extraordinary coach, you are right. But if you think he was only a coach, you’re mistaken. In the history of the Champions League, only seven people have won the title as both a player and a coach, and Cruyff is one of them.
As a player, Cruyff’s impact was no less significant. He joined Barcelona in 1973, breaking the transfer fee record. The club had last won La Liga in 1960 and was in disarray. In his debut season, Cruyff led them to the league title, ending a 14-year drought. More astonishingly, he orchestrated a 5-0 win against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
After that match, a reporter for the New York Times wrote: “In 90 minutes, Cruyff boosted the Catalans’ confidence more than their politicians could in years.”
Discussing Cruyff as a player would make this write-up excessively long, so let’s save that for another time. To conclude, here’s a quote from Graham Hunter’s 2011 book, Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World:
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“Even if Barcelona’s 175,000 members stood in line night after night to honor him, massaged his tired feet, prepared his meals, and escorted him to bed, even if they gave him half their wages, they still couldn’t repay the debt they owe Cruyff. Without him, Lionel Messi at 13 would have had to return home disappointed, and players like Andrés Iniesta wouldn’t have had their chance. Cruyff is the most important figure in football history.”
By: Shawal Hossain / @Itadorinotyuji
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Reuters