Monday, November 2, 2009

Cruyff will coach Catalonia team

Johan Cruyff
Cruyff won the European Cup as Barcelona coach in 1992

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff has agreed to become coach of the Catalonia team.

The 62-year-old will be officially unveiled on 9 November as the new manager of the Spanish region, who play friendlies against international teams.

Cruyff has not coached since leaving his post at Barcelona in 1996, although he is an adviser at the Nou Camp.

Many of Barcelona's Champions League winning players represent Catalonia, who are not permitted to play in official competitions by Fifa and Uefa.

Cruyff, one of the finest footballers of all time, played for Barcelona in the 1970s and managed the club from 1988-1996, putting together the 'Dream Team' that won four league titles in a row and the European Cup in 1992.

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He still lives in Barcelona and is thought to be a close adviser of Barca president Joan Laporta.

In a stellar playing career, Cruyff was named European Footballer of the Year three times, a record he shares with Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.

He inspired Ajax to eight league titles and three European Cup triumphs and Cruyff is also considered to be one of the pioneers of 'Total Football', a style of play that became synonymous with the Ajax and Netherlands teams he played for.

He is perhaps best remembered for his performances at the 1974 World Cup when he captained a brilliant Dutch team to the final, where they lost 2-1 to West Germany, and performed the Cruyff turn for the first time to a global audience.

Catalonia have played six games in the last three years, the last a 2-1 victory over Colombia at the Nou Camp in December 2008.

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