The story of Johan Cruyff and Barcelona's legendary 1990s 'Dream Team'

Johan Cruyffs unique achievements as both a player and coach at Barcelona made him one of the most influential figures in the history of LaLiga thanks to his revolutionary ideas on the game and his strength of personality in driving through that changeIncredible as it may seem today Barca had not won a LaLiga title for 13 years when he first arrived at the Camp Nou as a player with the 197374 season having already started The blaugrana had started the campaign in rotten form and found themselves in the relegation zone But the former Ajax attacker quickly galvanised the side and they romped to the LaLiga title by ten pointsAfter five seasons in Catalonia he moved to the North American Soccer League NASL first with the Los Angeles Aztecs and then with the Washington Diplomats before returning to LaLiga with Levante But the lure of the Camp Nou was always too much for Cruyff to resist and he returned as coach in 1990 Barcelona once again found themselves on a downer having won just one LaLiga title in the almost two decades since Cruyffrsquos debut season and with Real Madridrsquos legendary Quinta del Buitre team ndash featuring the likes of Emilio Butraguentildeo Michel and Hugo Sanchez ndash having won five league titles in a rowThe Dutchman got to work and quickly rebuilt the team mixing homegrown talent Pep Guardiola and Guillermo Amor with established Spain internationals Andoni Zubizarreta and Txiki Begiristain and international talents Ronaldo Koeman Michael Laudrup and Hristo StoichkovThe newlook side went top of the table on week two and remained there all year finishing ten points ahead of secondplaced Atletico de Madrid to claim the 199091 LaLiga trophyThe following three campaigns were each more dramatic than the next with the title race going down to the wire each time Real Madrid led the standings going into the final day of 199192 and 199293 but amazingly slipped up both times against a Tenerife team coached by former Blancos centreforward Jorge Valdano Cruyffrsquos Barca held their nerve each year to move in front to finish the line and take the trophyBut the 199394 season finale was perhaps the most dramatic of them all RC Deportivo only needing to match Barcarsquos result vs Sevilla in their own home match against Valencia to seal their firstever LaLiga title having led the table for months With Barcelona winning 52 against Sevilla as stoppage time approached Depor were tied at 00 only for a penalty to be awarded a penalty in addedon time Deporrsquos regular penalty taker that season Bebeto had missed a few leading up the game and had asked to be relieved from duties With his replacement Donato off the pitch already the responsibility fell to centreback Miroslav Djukichellip and he missed handing Barcelona a fourth consecutive LaLiga title in the most dramatic fashion imaginable1992 also saw Cruyffrsquos Barca side really earn their lsquoDream Teamrsquo nickname by winning the clubrsquos longawaited first European Cup title with Koemanrsquos famous freekick goal in extratime beating Sampdoria in the final at Wembley and putting to rest the bad memories of their defeat to Steaua Bucharest in Seville six years beforeThat fourinarow spell was the most successful in Barca history for trophies won but also the most influential in terms of philosophy and style of play Cruyffrsquos Ajaxinfluenced ideas were implanted in the Catalan capital as he taught a special style of passing football to the team and instigated a true winning mentality around the clubAfter retiring as a coach in 1996 Cruyff remained around the Camp Nou and often advised directors and coaches on big decisions Each of the clubrsquos other Champions Leaguewinning coaches ndash Frank Rijkaard Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique ndash have a direct and meaningful link back to the Dutch master ldquoCruyff built a cathedral hererdquo Guardiola said ldquoWe just had to maintain itrdquoWorld football went into mourning on March 24th 2016 when Cruyff passed away at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer His name is still remembered with reverence at Barcelona and around La Liga todayCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news