Jordi Cruyff
Encyclopedia
Johan Jordi Cruijff anglicised as Jordi Cruyff is a Dutch former footballer and currently AEK Larnaca
's Director of Football. He played from 1992 through to 2010, his clubs including Barcelona
and Manchester United
. He gained nine caps for the Netherlands national football team
, playing in the 1996 European Championships. Cruyff is the son of Dutch former player and manager Johan Cruijff.
Jordi played mainly as an attacking midfielder, though he could also appear as a second striker. In his later years, notably with Metalurh Donetsk
, he also played as a centre back. After starting his career with Barcelona (under his father's management) and playing for the Netherlands aged 22, Cruyff's career stalled whilst at Manchester United, as he appeared just 36 times in the league over four years due largely to injuries. His most successful period was arguably with Deportivo Alavés
, whom he led to the 2001 UEFA Cup Final
. He also played for Celta Vigo
, Espanyol
and finished his playing career with Valletta
in the Maltese Premier League
.
, Cruyff spent his early life in Spain where his father was playing for Barcelona
. In 1981, the Cruyff family returned to the Netherlands, where the player was introduced by his father in Ajax's youth ranks at the age of seven, after having watched several matches. In 1988, when Cruyff was fourteen, he followed his father back to Barcelona, as the latter had been appointed Barcelona's head coach.
in the Segunda División
, and two years later joined the senior team during a pre-season tour in the Netherlands, where he scored hat-trick
s against Groningen and De Graafschap
. On 4 September 1994, his father gave him his top flight
debut in, a 2–1 defeat at Sporting Gijón
. On 2 November, he played against Manchester United
in the Champions League, and Cruyff set up the first goal for Hristo Stoichkov
, as Barcelona won 4–0.
Despite a positive start, Cruyff's time at Barcelona effectively came to an end when his father was sacked by Josep Lluís Núñez
. On 19 May 1996, he played his last game for the club against Celta Vigo
, at the Camp Nou
.
, the opening fixture of the 1996–97 season, in a game noted for David Beckham
's goal from his own half. Cruyff then scored on his next two appearances, helping to 2–2 draws against Everton
and Blackburn Rovers
.
He was a regular in the first team until the end of November, when he suffered a knee injury. Late 1996 was a difficult time for the Reds, who surrendered the last unbeaten start in the Premier League when they were crushed 5-0 by fellow title challengers Newcastle United
on 20 October. Over the next two weeks, they were beaten 6-3 at Southampton
, lost their unbeaten home record in Europe to Turkish
champions Fenerbahçe in a Champions League group game, suffered their first home league defeat in two years when they lost 2-1 to Chelsea
at Old Trafford
, suffered a further home defeat in Europe to Juventus, and were then dumped out of the Football League Cup
by Leicester City
. By March, however, he was back in the side and United's season was firmly back on track. They had been top of the league since late January and had qualified for the European Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 28 years, where they beat FC Porto 4-0 on aggregate. Although they lost to Borussia Dortmund
in the semi-finals, United won their fourth league title in five seasons. Although he remained at the club for another three seasons and United won four trophies during that time, the 1996-97 Premier League was the only winner's medal that Cruyff collected at United.
An ankle injury further jeopardised his first team chances in 1997-98
, as he played just five league games and failed to score. He played five times in the league and scored twice the following season
before a loan deal with Celta Vigo took him back to Spain in January 1999. He scored twice in eight games for the Spaniards before return to United, who had completed the treble of the Premier League title, FA Cup
and European Cup during his absence.
In 1999-2000
, despite the arrival of Quinton Fortune as another understudy for Ryan Giggs
on the left wing, Cruyff played eight times in the league for United and came just two games short of a title winner's medal as they were crowned Premier League champions for the sixth time in eight seasons. He was also on the scoresheet three times. On the first occasion, he scored a second half equaliser against Wimbledon
at Old Trafford on 18 September 1999 and set the course for an unbeaten home run in the league that season. On 26 February 2000, United travelled to Selhurst Park
for the return game against Wimbledon and Cruyff's 30th minute goal contributed towards a 2-2 draw - a result which earned United a point and helped ensure they would lose just three league games (then a Premier League record) all season. His final goal for United came on 29 April 2000 when he scored a late winner against doomed Watford
in a 3-2 victory at Vicarage Road
. His final appearance came on the final day of the season, 14 May 2000, as a Teddy Sheringham
winner gave United a 1-0 away win over Aston Villa
and ensured that they finished champions by a margin of 18 points - which a decade on has yet to be surprassed in the Premier League.
Cruyff's contract expired on 30 June 2000 and he returned to Spain on a free transfer to Alaves. In four years he played a total of 54 games for United and scored eight goals.
. With the Basque
, he reached the 2001 UEFA Cup Final
, against Liverpool
: despite being 2–0 and then 3–1 down, Alavés embarked on a spirited comeback and Cruyff's goal in the 89th minute tied the game at 4–4. An own goal
in extra time saw Liverpool lift the cup.
Cruyff continued to play for Alavés until the club was relegated at the end of 2002–03. The following season he joined Espanyol
, being played regularly in his only season. From 2004 to 2006, he was semi-retired after a serious knee injury, keeping fit with Barcelona B and playing in some veteran matches. Cruyff spent the 2007–08 season playing with Metalurh Donetsk
, where he played mainly as a centre back. At the same time, he entered the fashion business, helping develop the Cruyff clothing brand.
In mid-2009, Cruyff signed a three-year deal as assistant-manager of Maltese
side Valletta
, aiding first coach Ton Caanen, while also being a player in his first season. He made his debut on 26 July 2009, in a 3-0 win in the Europa League 2009–10 first qualifying round against Keflavík
. His league appearance came on 21 August 2008, in a 3–1 win over Birkirkara
. He scored his first goal on 29 August 2009 in a 6–0 win against Floriana. Valletta won the MFA Trophy in Cruyff's first season beating Qormi 2-1, although Cruyff did not play in the final as he was not fully fit.
as Director of Football. He signed Ton Caanen as head coach, and the pair worked to establish the team as a new football powerhouse in Cyprus.
Cruyff's performances for Barcelona persuaded coach Guus Hiddink
to include him in the Netherlands
team for Euro 96; he made his debut for the national side in a 2–0 defeat against Germany
, on a 24 April 1996 friendly.
Cruyff scored his only goal for the Netherlands during the final stages, on 13 June, in a 2–0 win against Switzerland
at Villa Park, and was one of six Dutch footballers to be selected for the Dutch national team while never having played in the Eredivisie
, the other capped players being Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
, Rob Reekers
, Willi Lippens
, Wim Hofkens
and Jeffrey Bruma
.
Cruyff also played for Catalonia
, scoring on his debut, a 5–2 win over Barcelona at the Nou Estadi de Tarragona, on 25 June 1995. He also scored for Catalonia in a 5–0 win over Lithuania
on 22 December 2000, at the Camp Nou. In all, Cruyff played nine times for the side, including two defeats against Brazil
in 2002 and 2004.
|1993–94||rowspan="3"|Barcelona
||rowspan="3"|La Liga
||0||0||0||-colspan="2"|0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1994–95||28||9||3||0||5||0||36||9
|-
|1995–96||13||2||1||0||4||0||18||2
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="4"|Manchester United
||rowspan="4"|FA Premier League||16||3||0||0||4||0||22||3
|-
|1997–98||5||0||1||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|1998–99||5||2||0||0||3||0||11||2
|-
|1999–2000||8||3||0||0||4||0||17||3
|-
|1998–99
|||→ Celta Vigo
(loan)|||La Liga
||8||2||1||0||0||0||9||2
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="3"|Deportivo Alavés
||rowspan="3"|La Liga
||35||3||-||-||10||4||45||7
|-
|2001–02||33||4||0||0||-||-||33||4
|-
|2002–03||26||1||3||0||3||0||32||1
|-
|2003–04|||Espanyol
|||La Liga
||30||3||-||-||-||-||30||3
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Metalurg Donetsk||rowspan="2"|Ukrainian Premier League
||13||0||-||-||-||-||13||0
|-
||2007–08||15||0||-||-||-||-||15||0
|-
|2009–10|||Valletta
|||Maltese Premier League
||17||10||-||-||4||0||21||10
173||24||-||-||-||-||173||24
34||8||-||-||-||-||34||8
28||0||-||-||-||-||28||0
21||10||-||-||4||0||25||10
256||42||-||-||-||-||260||42
Manchester United
AEK Larnaca
AEK Larnaca FC |Kition]] Athletic Union") is a Cypriot Sports club, based in the port of Larnaca. The club was formed in 1994 after a merger of two Larnaca clubs: EPA Larnaca and Pezoporikos. The club has football section, basketball sections for men AEK Larnaca B.C...
's Director of Football. He played from 1992 through to 2010, his clubs including Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. He gained nine caps for the Netherlands national football team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, playing in the 1996 European Championships. Cruyff is the son of Dutch former player and manager Johan Cruijff.
Jordi played mainly as an attacking midfielder, though he could also appear as a second striker. In his later years, notably with Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. The club currently plays in the Ukrainian Premier League.- Pre-history :...
, he also played as a centre back. After starting his career with Barcelona (under his father's management) and playing for the Netherlands aged 22, Cruyff's career stalled whilst at Manchester United, as he appeared just 36 times in the league over four years due largely to injuries. His most successful period was arguably with Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
, whom he led to the 2001 UEFA Cup Final
2001 UEFA Cup Final
The 2001 UEFA Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Alavés of Spain on 16 May 2001 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2000–01 edition of Europe's secondary cup competition, the UEFA Cup. Liverpool were...
. He also played for Celta Vigo
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
, Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
and finished his playing career with Valletta
Valletta F.C.
Valletta Football Club is a Maltese football club based in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Valletta F.C. has the strongest support on the island...
in the Maltese Premier League
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...
.
Early life
Although born in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Cruyff spent his early life in Spain where his father was playing for Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. In 1981, the Cruyff family returned to the Netherlands, where the player was introduced by his father in Ajax's youth ranks at the age of seven, after having watched several matches. In 1988, when Cruyff was fourteen, he followed his father back to Barcelona, as the latter had been appointed Barcelona's head coach.
Barcelona
In 1992, Cruyff made his debut for Barcelona BFC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
in the Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, and two years later joined the senior team during a pre-season tour in the Netherlands, where he scored hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
s against Groningen and De Graafschap
De Graafschap
De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000...
. On 4 September 1994, his father gave him his top flight
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
debut in, a 2–1 defeat at Sporting Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
. On 2 November, he played against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the Champions League, and Cruyff set up the first goal for Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov , sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. Nicknamed The Dagger , The Dog , The Modern Left...
, as Barcelona won 4–0.
Despite a positive start, Cruyff's time at Barcelona effectively came to an end when his father was sacked by Josep Lluís Núñez
Josep Lluís Nuñez
Josep Lluís Núñez i Clemente was president of FC Barcelona between 1978 and 2000. Núñez also owns the Núñez i Navarro construction company and Núñez i Navarro Hotels chain. He was elected club president on 1 July 1978 despite having no previous connection with the club...
. On 19 May 1996, he played his last game for the club against Celta Vigo
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
, at the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
.
Manchester United
In August 1996, Cruyff signed with Manchester United for a fee of £1.4 million on a four-year contract. He made his club debut on 17 August, in a 3–0 win over WimbledonWimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, the opening fixture of the 1996–97 season, in a game noted for David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
's goal from his own half. Cruyff then scored on his next two appearances, helping to 2–2 draws against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
He was a regular in the first team until the end of November, when he suffered a knee injury. Late 1996 was a difficult time for the Reds, who surrendered the last unbeaten start in the Premier League when they were crushed 5-0 by fellow title challengers Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
on 20 October. Over the next two weeks, they were beaten 6-3 at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, lost their unbeaten home record in Europe to Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
champions Fenerbahçe in a Champions League group game, suffered their first home league defeat in two years when they lost 2-1 to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, suffered a further home defeat in Europe to Juventus, and were then dumped out of the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
by Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. By March, however, he was back in the side and United's season was firmly back on track. They had been top of the league since late January and had qualified for the European Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 28 years, where they beat FC Porto 4-0 on aggregate. Although they lost to Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
in the semi-finals, United won their fourth league title in five seasons. Although he remained at the club for another three seasons and United won four trophies during that time, the 1996-97 Premier League was the only winner's medal that Cruyff collected at United.
An ankle injury further jeopardised his first team chances in 1997-98
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
, as he played just five league games and failed to score. He played five times in the league and scored twice the following season
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
before a loan deal with Celta Vigo took him back to Spain in January 1999. He scored twice in eight games for the Spaniards before return to United, who had completed the treble of the Premier League title, FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and European Cup during his absence.
In 1999-2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
, despite the arrival of Quinton Fortune as another understudy for Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
on the left wing, Cruyff played eight times in the league for United and came just two games short of a title winner's medal as they were crowned Premier League champions for the sixth time in eight seasons. He was also on the scoresheet three times. On the first occasion, he scored a second half equaliser against Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
at Old Trafford on 18 September 1999 and set the course for an unbeaten home run in the league that season. On 26 February 2000, United travelled to Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
for the return game against Wimbledon and Cruyff's 30th minute goal contributed towards a 2-2 draw - a result which earned United a point and helped ensure they would lose just three league games (then a Premier League record) all season. His final goal for United came on 29 April 2000 when he scored a late winner against doomed Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in a 3-2 victory at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
. His final appearance came on the final day of the season, 14 May 2000, as a Teddy Sheringham
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester...
winner gave United a 1-0 away win over Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and ensured that they finished champions by a margin of 18 points - which a decade on has yet to be surprassed in the Premier League.
Cruyff's contract expired on 30 June 2000 and he returned to Spain on a free transfer to Alaves. In four years he played a total of 54 games for United and scored eight goals.
Later years
On leaving United, Cruyff moved once again to Spain, and signed with Deportivo AlavésDeportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
. With the Basque
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, he reached the 2001 UEFA Cup Final
2001 UEFA Cup Final
The 2001 UEFA Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Alavés of Spain on 16 May 2001 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2000–01 edition of Europe's secondary cup competition, the UEFA Cup. Liverpool were...
, against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
: despite being 2–0 and then 3–1 down, Alavés embarked on a spirited comeback and Cruyff's goal in the 89th minute tied the game at 4–4. An own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
in extra time saw Liverpool lift the cup.
Cruyff continued to play for Alavés until the club was relegated at the end of 2002–03. The following season he joined Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
, being played regularly in his only season. From 2004 to 2006, he was semi-retired after a serious knee injury, keeping fit with Barcelona B and playing in some veteran matches. Cruyff spent the 2007–08 season playing with Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. The club currently plays in the Ukrainian Premier League.- Pre-history :...
, where he played mainly as a centre back. At the same time, he entered the fashion business, helping develop the Cruyff clothing brand.
In mid-2009, Cruyff signed a three-year deal as assistant-manager of Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
side Valletta
Valletta F.C.
Valletta Football Club is a Maltese football club based in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Valletta F.C. has the strongest support on the island...
, aiding first coach Ton Caanen, while also being a player in his first season. He made his debut on 26 July 2009, in a 3-0 win in the Europa League 2009–10 first qualifying round against Keflavík
Keflavík Football Club
Keflavík Football Club is an Icelandic football team, commonly known as Keflavík. It is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF , based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. They play at Nettó-völlur in Keflavík.-Competition history:Keflavík have played in the Icelandic football league since 1956...
. His league appearance came on 21 August 2008, in a 3–1 win over Birkirkara
Birkirkara F.C.
Birkirkara Football Club is a Maltese football club from the town of Birkirkara, the largest town on the island of Malta. In the 2009–2010 season, they were the Maltese champions. The club currently plays in the Maltese Premier League and have been league winners on three occasions...
. He scored his first goal on 29 August 2009 in a 6–0 win against Floriana. Valletta won the MFA Trophy in Cruyff's first season beating Qormi 2-1, although Cruyff did not play in the final as he was not fully fit.
After retirement
In 2010, Cruyff announced his retirement from professional football and joined AEK LarnacaAEK Larnaca
AEK Larnaca FC |Kition]] Athletic Union") is a Cypriot Sports club, based in the port of Larnaca. The club was formed in 1994 after a merger of two Larnaca clubs: EPA Larnaca and Pezoporikos. The club has football section, basketball sections for men AEK Larnaca B.C...
as Director of Football. He signed Ton Caanen as head coach, and the pair worked to establish the team as a new football powerhouse in Cyprus.
International career
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
to include him in the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
team for Euro 96; he made his debut for the national side in a 2–0 defeat against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, on a 24 April 1996 friendly.
Cruyff scored his only goal for the Netherlands during the final stages, on 13 June, in a 2–0 win against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
at Villa Park, and was one of six Dutch footballers to be selected for the Dutch national team while never having played in the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
, the other capped players being Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jerrel Hasselbaink usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team. He scored more than 200 career goals...
, Rob Reekers
Rob Reekers
Robert "Rob" Reekers is a retired Dutch football player who played in the Netherlands for FC Twente and in Germany for ASC Schöppingen, VfL Bochum and FC Gütersloh. He earned four caps for the Dutch national side between 1988 and 1989...
, Willi Lippens
Willi Lippens
Willi Lippens is a former Dutch football player. He is nicknamed "Ente" due to his waddling....
, Wim Hofkens
Wim Hofkens
Wim Hofkens is a former Dutch football player who played 5 games for the Dutch national side.Hofkens is one of only six Dutch football players to be selected for the Dutch national team while never having played in the Dutch Eredivisie...
and Jeffrey Bruma
Jeffrey Bruma
Jeffrey Kevin van Homoet Bruma , commonly known as Jeffrey Bruma, is a Dutch association football player who plays for Chelsea as a centre back. He is currently on a one-year loan deal at Hamburger SV. His older brother, Marciano, is also a football player. His cousin Kyle Ebecilio plays for Arsenal...
.
Cruyff also played for Catalonia
Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team is the official football team of Catalonia. It is organized by the Catalonia Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecció Catalana, Selecció de Barcelona and the Catalan XI...
, scoring on his debut, a 5–2 win over Barcelona at the Nou Estadi de Tarragona, on 25 June 1995. He also scored for Catalonia in a 5–0 win over Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
on 22 December 2000, at the Camp Nou. In all, Cruyff played nine times for the side, including two defeats against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in 2002 and 2004.
Statistics
|-|1993–94||rowspan="3"|Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
||rowspan="3"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||0||0||0||-colspan="2"|0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1994–95||28||9||3||0||5||0||36||9
|-
|1995–96||13||2||1||0||4||0||18||2
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="4"|Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
||rowspan="4"|FA Premier League||16||3||0||0||4||0||22||3
|-
|1997–98||5||0||1||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|1998–99||5||2||0||0||3||0||11||2
|-
|1999–2000||8||3||0||0||4||0||17||3
|-
|1998–99
La Liga 1998-99
1998-99 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alavés* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* CF Extremadura* RCD Mallorca* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid...
|||→ Celta Vigo
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
(loan)|||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||8||2||1||0||0||0||9||2
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="3"|Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
||rowspan="3"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||35||3||-||-||10||4||45||7
|-
|2001–02||33||4||0||0||-||-||33||4
|-
|2002–03||26||1||3||0||3||0||32||1
|-
|2003–04|||Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
|||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||30||3||-||-||-||-||30||3
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Metalurg Donetsk||rowspan="2"|Ukrainian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
||13||0||-||-||-||-||13||0
|-
||2007–08||15||0||-||-||-||-||15||0
|-
|2009–10|||Valletta
Valletta F.C.
Valletta Football Club is a Maltese football club based in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Valletta F.C. has the strongest support on the island...
|||Maltese Premier League
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...
||17||10||-||-||4||0||21||10
173||24||-||-||-||-||173||24
34||8||-||-||-||-||34||8
28||0||-||-||-||-||28||0
21||10||-||-||4||0||25||10
256||42||-||-||-||-||260||42
Honours
Barcelona- Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 19941994 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1994 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match played on 27 August and 30 August 1994. It was contested by Barcelona, who won the 1993–94 Spanish League, and Real Zaragoza, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1993–94. Barcelona won 6–5 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
Manchester United
- FA Premier League: 1996–97
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19991999 Intercontinental CupThe 1999 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 30 November 1999 between Manchester United, winners of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, and Palmeiras, winners of the 1999 Copa Libertadores... - Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 19961996 FA Charity ShieldThe 1996 FA Charity Shield was the 74th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions...
, 19971997 FA Charity ShieldThe 1997 FA Charity Shield was the 75th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 3 August 1997 at Wembley Stadium and contested by Manchester United, who had won the 1996–97 FA...