Remembering Johan Cruyff’s iconic Barcelona Dream Team
More than two decades after his departure from Barcelona and some years after his passing, Johan Cruyff’s impact in football is still felt to this very day.
Cruyff remains one of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game and arguably the finest footballing mind the sport has seen, his ideologies and ideas still ingrained into the fabric of the modern Barcelona.
Cruyff’s playing career saw him star as the inspiration of an iconic Ajax side in the 1970s, winning three consecutive European Cups with the Dutch outfit as Rinus Michels’ ‘Total Football’ conquered the continent.
It would be that philosophy that Cruyff incorporated into his own managerial style, the principles learnt under Michels evident as the Dutchman compiled a side at Barcelona that would become forever known as the ‘Dream Team’. Cruyff had spent five years of his playing career with Barcelona after moving to Catalonia in a world-record deal, inspiring the Spanish side to a first league title in 14 years during his debut season to win the Ballon d’Or, his third coronation as European Footballer of the Year.
By the time of his return to the club as manager in 1988, Barcelona were again struggling to compete with the behemoth that is Real Madrid, the capital club winning five consecutive Spanish league titles between 1986 and 1990.
Barcelona, by contrast, had won just one in the 14 years that preceded Cruyff’s arrival as manager.
The former favou...
source:
thefootballfaithful-arsenal
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http://thefootballfaithful.com/tag/arsenal/
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