After retiring from a legendary playing career, Johan Cruyff began an equally legendary leadership career in 1985 when he patched up the differences with Ajax to take charge of his former club.
But the Dutch champion is most revered for his time in Barcelona from 1988 and 1996, another of his previous clubs where his legacy as a player and coach remains enormous to this day.
It was a time that produced Barça’s iconic “Dream Team”, winning four La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey Cup Winners’ Cup and the club’s first ever European Cup. They were also heavy favorites to win the 1994 Champions League, only to lose to AC Milan in a famous final.
Here’s a look at Cruyff’s best Barcelona XI.
BRAZIL V HOLLAND | Chris Cole / GettyImages
Andoni Zubizarreta – Cruyff inherited a team that included Zubizarreta when he returned to Catalonia in 1988. By that time, the Spaniard was already an established international player and would play virtually all matches for Barcelona until Cruyff considered himself a surplus to the 1994 requirements. He played in all three big European finals in Cruyff’s time.
Albert Ferrer – A product of Barcelona’s youth set that Cruyff was so passionate about, Ferrer appeared as a first team player in 1990 at just 20 years old. Two years later, he helped Barcelona win the European Cup for the first time, two weeks before his 22nd birthday. Ferrer won nine trophies during his six years under Cruyff.
Ronald Koeman – The Dutch sweeper, a champion of free kicks and penalties, famously scored the only goal in the 1992 European Cup final when Cruyff’s “Dream Team” beat Sampdoria. Cruyff had previously coached Koeman at Ajax and took him to Barcelona in 1989, where he enjoyed six incredible seasons and established himself as one of the best players in the world. Koeman now occupies Barcelona’s hot seat himself.
Miguel Angel Nadal – The Mallorca-born defender was an unused substitute in the European Cup final in 1992 but continued to be an important part of Barcelona’s side that continued to dominate Spanish football in the early 1990s. He won a total of three La Liga titles with Cruyff in total.
Sergi Barjuan – Vänsterbacken won two of his three career La Liga titles with Barcelona after Cruyff’s departure in 1996. But just like Ferrer, Sergi was also a product of the club’s own youth ranks and became a first team regularly under Cruyff’s leadership in 1993. By the time he left in 2002, he had played close 400 matches for the club and over 50 times for Spain.
Michael Laudrup | Shaun Botterill / GettyImages
Jose Mari Bakero – When he joined Barcelona in 1988 and left in 1996, Bakero’s Camp Nou career coincided perfectly with Cruyff’s time as manager. The midfielder was a crucial part of the domestic dominance that “Dream Team” enjoyed and won four consecutive La Liga titles from. He was also a European Cup winner in 1992 and a Champions League finalist in 1994.
Pep Guardiola – “I knew nothing about football before I knew Cruyff,” said Guardiola’s words in 2016, explaining in an interview with The Guardian how profound the legendary Dutch champion has had on his life and career. Legend dictates Cruyff transformed a teenage Guardiola from an edge to a central midfielder in his first week as coach in 1988.
Michael Laudrup – He famously missed Denmark’s triumph at Euro ’92, but Laudrup was without a doubt one of the best players in the world in the early 1990s. He was revered for his skill and enjoyed the single best season of his illustrious career when Barcelona completed a La Liga and European Cup double in the 1991/92 campaign.
Romario At Barca | Chris Cole / GettyImages
Txiki Begiristain – Barcelona signed Begiristain, Bakero and Luis Lopez Rekarte all from Real Sociedad in the summer of 1988 to coincide with Cruyff’s arrival as coach. Despite being an unused replacement in the 1992 European Cup final, Begiristain was part of all the successes of the Dream Team era.
Romario – The 1994 World Cup winner spent a little more than a year in Barcelona but undoubtedly enjoyed the best season of his career at the Camp Nou. Romario scored 30 La Liga goals in 1993/94, his best ever in a single national league campaign, and played in the Champions League final before later winning the World Cup with Brazil that summer.
Hristo Stoichkov – Stoichkov offered to Barcelona in 1990 and offered consistent goals when the Catalans dominated La Liga for four straight years and was named European Champion in 1992. He was twice second on FIFA’s world players in 1992 and 1994, but he won the Ballon d’Or in 1994 after he also won the World Cup gold boot.
