Barcelona will name their reserve team’s stadium after former club player and manager Johan Cruyff. The team made the decision as a way to commemorate the Dutch legend.
It has been one year since the untimely passing of one of football’s greatest players, Johan Cruyff. In showing their appreciation for the contribution Cruyff made at Barcelona, the club’s board announced plans to name one of their stadiums after the former player. The stadium in question will be the one that is generally used by players in Barcelona’s youth system. President Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed the news regarding the change of name.
Cruyff is generally regarded as a player who helped radically transform the football game. After achieving success at Ajax, the Dutchman joined Barcelona in 1973. He played for the club until 1978 and won La Liga and the Spanish Cup. Cruyff was also head coach in one of Barcelona’s most succesful periods, from 1988 to 1996.
“The future stadium at the Ciutat Esportiva will be named after Johan Cruyff,” Bartomeu said.
“The club will also promote the creation of a commemorative statue in honour of Cruyff, which will be placed in the future Camp Nou.”
Apart from the stadium’s name and the statue, Barcelona will also set up an exhibition dedicated to him. The club’s board plan to dedicate a large part of the club’s museum to Cruyff’s memory. Johan’s son, Jordy Cruyff, will contribute to the museum exhibition by donating a jersey worn by his father and the 1974 Ballon d’Or trophy won by him.
Johan Cruyff won 13 trophies at Barcelona as a player and as a manager.Perhaps his biggest success as a manager was winning the European Cup in 1992. This was Barcelona’s first such trophy. The Dutch legend passed away last year at the age of 68.
Thank you @JohanCruyff, we learned to dream with you pic.twitter.com/e7U9Kcq7wE
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 25, 2017
Cruyff is perhaps best known as the greatest contributor to “Total Football” tactic of manager Rinus Michels. This strategy had the players sharing defensive and offensive duties regardless of their position. Using this tactic the Netherlands and Ajax came to dominate European football in the early 1970’s. Johan Cruyff is often included on polls of football’s greatest all-time players with the likes of Pele, Maradona or Eusebio.
