Jordi Cruyff Explained

Jordi Cruyff
Full Name:Johan Jordi Cruijff[1]
Birth Date:9 February 1974[2]
Birth Place:Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height:1.85 m
Position:Attacking midfielder
Youthyears1:1981–1988
Youthclubs1:Ajax
Youthyears2:1988–1992
Youthclubs2:Barcelona
Years1:1992–1994
Clubs1:Barcelona B
Caps1:47
Goals1:14
Years2:1994–1996
Clubs2:Barcelona
Caps2:41
Goals2:11
Years3:1996–2000
Clubs3:Manchester United
Caps3:34
Goals3:8
Years4:1999
Clubs4:Celta Vigo (loan)
Caps4:8
Goals4:2
Years5:2000–2003
Clubs5:Alavés
Caps5:94
Goals5:8
Years6:2003–2004
Clubs6:Espanyol
Caps6:30
Goals6:3
Years8:2006–2008
Clubs8:Metalurh Donetsk
Caps8:28
Goals8:0
Years9:2009–2010
Clubs9:Valletta
Caps9:17
Goals9:10
Totalcaps:299
Totalgoals:56
Nationalyears1:1996
Nationalteam1:Netherlands
Nationalcaps1:9
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalyears2:1995–2004
Nationalteam2:Catalonia
Nationalcaps2:9
Nationalgoals2:2
Manageryears1:2009–2010
Managerclubs1:Valletta (player-assistant manager)
Manageryears2:2010–2012
Managerclubs2:AEK Larnaca (sports director)
Manageryears3:2012–2017
Managerclubs3:Maccabi Tel Aviv (sports director)
Manageryears4:2017–2018
Managerclubs4:Maccabi Tel Aviv
Manageryears5:2018–2019
Managerclubs5:Chongqing Dangdai Lifan
Manageryears6:2020
Managerclubs6:Ecuador
Manageryears7:2020–2021
Managerclubs7:Shenzhen
Manageryears8:2021–2023
Managerclubs8:Barcelona (sporting director)

Johan Jordi Cruijff (anglicised to Cruyff; born 9 February 1974) is a Dutch-Spanish professional football manager and former player and sporting director of professional football at FC Barcelona.

He is the son of footballer Johan Cruyff. He played from 1992 through to 2010, including periods with Barcelona and Manchester United. He earned nine caps for the Netherlands national team, playing at UEFA Euro 1996, and he won the Premier League title in 1997 while at Manchester United.[3]

Cruyff played mainly as an attacking midfielder, although he could also perform 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 and playing for the Netherlands aged 22, Cruyff's career stalled while at Manchester United, as he appeared just 36 times in the league over four years largely because of injuries. His most successful period was arguably with Alavés, which he helped reach the 2001 UEFA Cup Final. He also played for Celta Vigo, Espanyol and finished his playing career with Valletta in the Maltese Premier League.

Under his stewardship as Maccabi Tel Aviv's sporting director, the club regained its dominance in Israeli football. The team won consecutive league titles from 2012 to 2015, as well as regularly qualifying for the Europa League and Champions League.[4]

Club career

Barcelona

In 1992, Cruyff made his debut for Barcelona B in the Segunda División, becoming the team's top scorer alongside Óscar. Two years later, Cruyff was promoted to the senior team during a pre-season tour in the Netherlands, where he scored hat-tricks against Groningen and De Graafschap. On 4 September 1994, he made his top flight debut in a 2–1 defeat at Sporting Gijón. On 2 November, he played against Manchester United in the Champions League, setting up the first goal for Hristo Stoichkov, as Barcelona won 4–0.

That season, Barcelona finished fourth in La Liga and Cruyff was one of the team's top scorers alongside Stoichkov and Koeman, despite not being a regular starter. Cruyff scored the goal that guaranteed Barcelona played in Europe the following season.

Despite a positive start to the following campaign, Barcelona finished third, and were runners up in the Copa del Rey. On 19 May 1996, he played his last game for the club against Celta Vigo, at the Camp Nou.

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 debut on 11 August in a 4–0 win over Newcastle United in the 1996 FA Charity Shield, and then played in a 3–0 win over Wimbledon, the opening league fixture of the 1996–97 FA Premier League. Cruyff then scored on his next two appearances, helping the team to 2–2 draws against Everton and Blackburn Rovers.

He was a regular in the first team until the end of November 1996, when he suffered another knee injury. Cruyff's spell at Manchester United was marked by injuries, but he played three games in the group stage of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. He played eleven times and scored twice in 1998–99 season, before a loan deal with Celta Vigo took him back to Spain in January 1999, and thus denying him the chance to win the treble achieved by the club in May 1999. He scored twice in eight games for the Spaniards before returning for United.

Cruyff's contract expired on 30 June 2000. In four years, he had played a total of 57 games for United and scored eight goals.[5] [6]

Return to La Liga

After an initial agreement with Harry Redknapp's West Ham United fell through, Cruyff returned to Spain on a free transfer to Alavés. With the Basque club, 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.[7]

The following season, he joined Espanyol,[8] being played regularly in his only season. Cruyff decided against extending his contract with Espanyol and voluntarily left that summer.

Later career

He then trained with Bolton Wanderers, coached by Sam Allardyce, but failed a medical test. After he temporarily retired in 2004, Cruyff made a return to professional football in 2006, playing two seasons at the Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk,[9] 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 a player-cum-assistant-manager of Maltese side Valletta, assisting first team coach Ton Caanen,[10] a role he admitted he did not take to.[11] He made his debut on 26 July 2009, in a 3–0 win in the Europa League 2009–10 first qualifying round against Icelandic side Keflavík. His first 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.

Despite mostly playing as a defensive player in the latter stages of his career, Cruyff took on a more attacking role with Valletta.[12]

International career

Cruyff was approached to play at under-21 level by both Spain and the Netherlands. He was unsure which country to represent, and in 1996 he declined the possibility to join the Spanish team for the Olympic Games; meanwhile, his performances for Barcelona persuaded coach Guus Hiddink to include him in the Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 1996. He made his debut for the national side in a 2–0 friendly defeat against Germany on 24 April 1996. He scored his only goal for the Netherlands during a 2–0 win against Switzerland at Villa Park on 13 June,[13] and was one of five Dutch footballers to be selected for the Dutch national team while never having played in the Eredivisie.[14]

Career as sports director

AEK Larnaca

In 2010, Cruyff announced his retirement from professional football and joined AEK Larnaca as director of football on a three-year deal.[15] [16] He appointed Ton Caanen as head coach, and the pair worked to establish the team as a new football powerhouse in Cyprus. In his first season, the team finished fourth, and qualified for the Europa League. In his second season, AEK Larnaca qualified for the group stage of the Europa League, after beating Rosenborg in the play-offs.

The participation of the team in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League was historic for both the club and for Cypriot football, as the club became the first Cypriot team to secure qualification to the Europa League (preceded by Anorthosis and APOEL in the group stages of the Champions League). The team finished fifth that season in the domestic league.

Maccabi Tel Aviv

In April 2012, Cruyff was appointed by Mitchell Goldhar, owner of Maccabi Tel Aviv, as the sports director of the club,[17] paying compensation to AEK Larnaca.[18] [19] His initial work included signing Óscar, then head coach of Barcelona Juvenil A, as the new head coach.

Cruyff's arrival finally put an end to Maccabi Tel Aviv's bad fortunes in the league, as they won their first championship in ten years. Under Cruyff's and Garcia's stewardship, Maccabi dominated the league and claimed the title by thirteen points ahead of their nearest rival. The team finished the season as the league's highest scorers, with 78, whilst only conceding 30 - the fewest in the league.

The 2013–14 season saw a change in the club's coach position, when Cruyff appointed the Portuguese coach, Paulo Sousa to replace Garcia, after the Spanish coach was signed by English Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion. During this period, many players left the club whilst several others were recruited.

The team continued its success in the league competition by claiming another league title by a margin of 16 points. The club also enjoyed success in the Europa League as they advanced to the round of 32 following a difficult group stage, where they beat Bordeaux (twice) and Eintracht Frankfurt before eventually exiting the competition following a loss to Basel.

The 2014–15 season was characterized by a difficult start. Operation Protective Edge meant that the qualifying games to the UEFA Champions League were held away from Israel, leading Maccabi to be ousted from both the Champions League and the Europa League. There was also a change in club manager following Paulo Sousa's appointment at FC Basel. Oscar Garcia briefly returned but left before the beginning of the season when Cruyff appointed Pako Ayestarán, former assistant to Rafael Benítez at Liverpool. Maccabi Tel Aviv became the first Israeli team to win all three local trophies: the Israeli Premier League, the Israel State Cup and the Toto Cup.

In April 2015, Cruyff renewed his contract for a further two years despite interest from English Championship and Bundesliga sides.

In the 2015–16 season, Cruyff appointed Slaviša Jokanović as head coach after the Serbian had promoted Watford to the Premier League. The team qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stages for the first time in 11 years, playing against Chelsea, Porto and Dynamo Kyiv in Group G, before exiting the competition. Cruyff appointed Vitesse's Peter Bosz[20] after Jokanovic signed as the new Fulham's head coach at the end of December.[21]

Managerial career

In his first full season as head coach in the 2017–18 season, Cruyff led Maccabi Tel Aviv to Toto Cup glory, oversaw a second-place league finish and secured European qualification for a sixth successive year since he joined the club in 2012. At the start of that campaign, he successfully guided the team through four qualifying rounds to reach the UEFA Europa League group stage. At the end of the season, he announced his intention to leave the club to begin new experiences.[22]

On 8 August 2018, Cruyff was appointed as the manager of Chinese Super League side Chongqing Dangdai Lifan.[23] In 2019, he led the club to their best start in Super League history but decided to not renew his contract, and left the club at the end of the season.[24]

On 3 January 2020, Cruyff reached an agreement to become manager of the Ecuador national side.[25] On 23 July 2020, Cruyff resigned from his position. This came after several major leadership changes in the Ecuadorian Football Federation. Ecuador did not play any matches or hold any training camps in his time as head coach, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 14 August 2020, Cruyff was appointed as the manager of Chinese Super League club Shenzhen.[26]

On 2 June 2021, Barcelona announced his appointment to the role of sporting advisor.[27] [28] [29]

Career statistics

Club

Club[30] SeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona1993–94La Liga00000000
1994–95La Liga289205010369
1995–96La Liga1321040182
Total41113090105411
Manchester United1996–97Premier League16300104010223
1997–98Premier League501010001080
1998–99Premier League5200203010112
1999–2000Premier League8300104040173
Total348105011070588
Celta Vigo (loan)1998–99La Liga82100092
Alavés2000–01La Liga35300104457
2001–02La Liga33400334
2002–03La Liga2613030321
Total9483013411012
Espanyol2003–04La Liga30300303
Metalurh Donetsk2006–07Vyshcha Liha13030160
2007–08Vyshcha Liha15021171
Total28051331
Valletta2009–10Maltese Premier League171010402210
Career total25242141503748031647

International

Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cruyff goal.

No.!scope="col"
DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
113 June 1996Villa Park, Birmingham, United Kingdom1–02–0UEFA Euro 1996

Managerial statistics

TeamNatFromToRecord
GWDLWin %
Maccabi Tel Aviv (caretaker) 5 January 201710 February 2017
Maccabi Tel Aviv1 July 201730 June 2018
Chongqing Dangdai Lifan8 August 201814 December 2019
Ecuador13 January 202023 July 2020
Shenzhen6 September 20204 June 2021
Total

Honours

Player

Barcelona

1994[32]

Manchester United

1996–97[2]

1996,[33] 1997[34]

Manager

Maccabi Tel Aviv

2017–18[35]

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jordi Cruyff: Profile . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL . 29 October 2021.
  2. Web site: Jordi Cruyff: Overview . Premier League . 7 April 2021.
  3. Web site: Jordi Cruyff Profile, News & Stats Premier League. 18 August 2021. premierleague.com.
  4. Web site: Tweedale . Ali . 22 March 2021 . Go for it . 18 January 2023 . The Coaches' Voice .
  5. Web site: Jordi Cruyff - Manchester United FC - Football-Heroes.net . Sporting-heroes.net . 11 October 2011.
  6. Web site: Jonathan . McCleery . Jordi Cruyff: Manchester United Profile . Dnausers.d-n-a.net . 9 February 1974 . 11 October 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20120710214944/http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/dnetmQXk/playerpages/JordiCruyffMAIN.htm . 10 July 2012 .
  7. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2003/06/24/vrije-transfer-voor-jordi-bij-alaves-7644050-a753335 Vrije transfer voor Jordi bij Alaves
  8. https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/artikel-detail?name=cruijff-door-keuring-en-tekent-bij-espanyol&type=nieuws&category=& Cruijff door keuring en tekent bij Espanyol
  9. https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/jordi-cruijff-langer-bij-metalurg-donetsk 'Jordi Cruijff langer bij Metalurg Donetsk'
  10. https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/caanen-en-cruijff-gaan-maltezer-topclub-leiden.htm?channel=phone Caanen en Cruijff gaan Maltezer topclub leiden
  11. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/23/jordi-cruyff-maccabi-tel-aviv-chelsea Jordi Cruyff: Because of my name I’m not a guy who can make mistakes
  12. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/malta-a-pleasant-experience-says-in-form-cruyff.296347 Malta a pleasant experience, says in-form Cruyff
  13. https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=4003 Intl career stats
  14. http://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/debuut-tim-krul-bij-az-eindigt-in-nederlaag-tegen-psv~a4458305/ Debuut Tim Krul bij AZ eindigt in nederlaag tegen PSV
  15. timesofmalta.com, Cruyff to hang up boots at end of season
  16. Web site: AEK Larnaca . Aek-larnaca.epik.com . 11 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110811044934/http://aek-larnaca.epik.com/ . 11 August 2011 .
  17. http://www.nu.nl/voetbal/2786407/jordi-cruijff-wordt-technisch-directeur-bij-maccabi-tel-aviv.html Jordi Cruijff wordt technisch directeur bij Maccabi Tel Aviv
  18. News: Jordi Cruyff signed an agreement with Maccabi Tel Aviv: It's a special club . ONE . he . Lior . Timor . 13 April 2012 . 13 April 2012 .
  19. News: Jordi Cruyff joins Maccabi Tel Aviv . Maccabi Tel Aviv FC . 13 April 2012 . 13 April 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120417211856/http://www.maccabi-tlv.co.il/News.asp?id=1883&lang=en . 17 April 2012 .
  20. Web site: Vitesse coach Peter Bosz heads for Tel Aviv. Dutch News. 4 January 2016. 25 April 2020.
  21. Web site: Slavisa Jokanovic: Fulham appoint Serb as new head coach . BBC Sport. 27 December 2015. 25 April 2020.
  22. Web site: 27 March 2018 . Jordi Cruyff pone fin a seis años de éxito en el Maccabi Tel Aviv . 18 January 2023 . Marca.com . es.
  23. News: http://sports.sina.com.cn/china/j/2018-08-08/doc-ihhkuskt7580814.shtml. zh:重庆官方宣布新帅上任 克鲁伊夫之子执掌斯威教鞭. Sina. zh. 8 August 2018. 8 August 2018.
  24. Web site: 斯威官宣小克鲁伊夫不再执教 双方就续约未达一致. 14 December 2019. Sina. zh. 16 December 2019.
  25. Web site: Aldunate . Ramiro . Official: Jordi Cruyff becomes Ecuador's new head coach . Marca. Madrid . 3 January 2020 . 3 January 2020.
  26. Web site: 深足官方宣布小克鲁伊夫出任球队主帅. Sina Sports. 14 August 2020. 14 August 2020. zh.
  27. Web site: Jordi Cruyff to join the football area of the Club as of August 1 . fcbarcelona.com . 3 September 2021 . 3 June 2021 .
  28. Web site: FC Barcelona - La Liga - Official: Jordi Cruyff joins Laporta's staff . Marca.com . 3 June 2021 . 3 June 2021 .
  29. Web site: Jordi Cruyff: I would never replace Koeman, it would be ugly and I have principles . Marca.com . 10 July 2021 . 14 July 2021 .
  30. Web site: Jordi Cruijff Profile. Voetbal International. 26 September 2009. nl.
  31. Web site: National football team player Jordi Cruyff. EU Football Info.
  32. Web site: Supercopa / Spanish Super Cup 1994.
  33. Web site: Manchester United v Newcastle United, 11 August 1996 . 11v11.com . AFS Enterprises . 7 April 2021.
  34. News: Charity remains at home . The Irish Times . Dublin . 4 August 1997 . 7 April 2021.
  35. Web site: גביע הטוטו ליגת העל מחזור 3. Israel Football. 14 December 2017. 2 June 2021. he.
  36. Book: Barca: A People's Passion. 0747545545. Burns. Jimmy. 2000.