No footballer has ever had a greater impact on a club than Johan Cruyff did on Barcelona—so much so that the years before his arrival were humorously referred to as “BC” (Before Cruyff).
Johan Cruyff was the captain of the Netherlands at the 1974 World Cup, at the peak of his career, leading the “Tulips” to the final. At Ajax, he won seven league titles, but most importantly three European Cups between 1971 and 1973.
Cruyff’s career at Ajax ran in parallel with that of coach Rinus Michels, as they implemented the philosophy of Total Football. He was a player who disliked rigid rules on the pitch—a free spirit both on and off it. When he made his debut for the Spanish club in a 4–0 win over Granada in October 1973, Barcelona had not won the league title for 14 seasons, nor could they be compared to Real Madrid in terms of European success.
He could have chosen to join Real Madrid—Ajax even tried to transfer him there—but he rebelled and insisted on signing for the Catalans.
Thanks to that gesture, he became an idol even before setting foot at the Camp Nou. In his very first season with Cruyff, Barcelona were crowned champions, thanks to his 16 goals.
A natural goalscorer and a brilliant provider, Cruyff also invented his famous move known as the “Cruyff Turn.” As a coach, he was a dictator off the pitch, but on it he told his players: “Do whatever you want.”
Cruyff is the architect of the “Dream Team,” the nickname Barcelona earned in 1992, the year he delivered the club’s first European Cup trophy at Wembley. His insistence on playing with three forwards in a 4-3-3 system, featuring an intelligent number 4 positioned in front of the centre-backs to act as the brain of the team, is a concept that is still successfully applied today.
Luis Enrique is not a “Cruyffist,” but Messi, Suárez, Neymar, and the role of Busquets are the greatest tribute Barcelona continue to pay to their former coach every time they take the field.
Cruyff’s number 4 was Pep Guardiola, and he—like Van Gaal, Rijkaard, and Vilanova—won trophies by playing the Cruyff style.
Cruyff’s speech before the 1992 final remains the club’s first unwritten commandment: “Salid y disfrutad” (“Go out and enjoy yourselves”), he told his players. And they have continued to do so ever since…
The magical Johan Cruyff took his last breath on March 24, 2016, passing away at the age of 68.
