Cruyff’s legacy

by Jordi Punti

Guardiola was born to coach,” said Juan Manuel Lillo, who managed him when he turned out for Dorados de Sinaloa. But Guardiola is far from the only player who learned his trade under Johan Cruyff and later went on to coach a leading team. There are many such examples, some boasting years of experience in the job. The list includes Ronald Koeman, currently in charge of Southampton, Julen Lopetegui (Porto), Albert Ferrer (Cordoba), Michael Laudrup (Lekhwiya, Qatar), Eusebio (Barcelona B) and also Sergi Barjuan and Hristo Stoichkov, although both are currently without a club.

In reality these former players are not only keeping alive the legacy bequeathed by Cruyff. Another Dutchman, Louis van Gaal, nourished and maintained a strictly defined house style during his spell at the Barcelona helm, handing Xavi his debut for example. Against this background, Van Gaal’s arrival at Manchester United following his success with the Netherlands at this summer’s World Cup could lead to a refocusing within European football. But although Manchester United and Bayern ultimately aim for a similar style of play, the good folks at Ajax in Amsterdam, where it all began, know full well that Cruyff and Van Gaal are completely contrasting characters, like two sides of the same coin.

And just to complicate the pan-European story even further, let us not forget that one of Van Gaal’s young assistants in his time as Barcelona coach between 1997 and 2000 was a certain José Mourinho.