From Cruyff to Xavi: Half a century of an iconic style

From Cruyff to Xavi: Half a century of an iconic style

Ever since the Dutchman arrived at the club, the team has played by a unique style, a legacy that the current coach is continuing today

Johan Cruyff and Xavi Hernández are two of the most synonymous names with the Barça kind of football. It's a style that's not just about what, but also about how, and has been the source of constant admiration among football pundits in every corner of the globe - one that combines possession with attack.

We could trace its origin to 1973, the year when Cruyff joined the club from Ajax, and helped the team end an 11-year drought in La Liga. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner (1971, 1973 i 1974) was one of the greatest players ever to grace the club, and his son Jordi, born in 1974, is still associated to the club today.

PHOTO: SEGUÍ / FC BARCELONA
PHOTO: SEGUÍ / FC BARCELONA

Cruyff would never be forgotten, and 10 years after his departure, he'd be back again, this time as coach, having previously been manager at Ajax And he came back to rewrite Barça history even more than he had done as a player.

Cruyff led the club to an unprecedented four consecutive Liga titles and also its first ever European Cup. What became known as the Dream team featured such names as Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov, Guillermo Amor and José Mari Bakero, and people worldwide fell in love with the way they played

Perhaps the finest exponent of the Barça philosophy was midfielder Josep Guardiola, and absolute pearl of a player who understood Cruyff's intentions with sublime perfection. And following in the footsteps of his mentor, he too would become the first team manager in 2008, leading the club into its most glorious era yet, winning 14 major titles in his four years, and introducing the world to such astonishing talents as Puyol, Piqué, Iniesta and Messi.

But perhaps the player from that era who most symbolised the Barça passing game was Xavi Hernández,and what feels like history repeating for the third time, he is now the coach at FC Barcelona, where following a few years of disappointments, he has brought a positive vibe back to Spotify Camp Nou as the team once again starts to reproduce the kind of magic we saw before under Cruyff and Guardiola.

Cruyff's number 14

Johan Cruyff wore the number 9 in his time at FC Barcelona, back in the days when the league insisted that players should always be numbered 1-11. But he has always been most associated the number 14 that he wore for Ajax and also for the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup.

As a coach, he had the peculiar custom of getting debutants to wear the number 14 on their backs, as was the case with Miquel Àngel Nadal, Òscar Garcia, Ernesto Valverde and also his own son Jordi Cruyff.

It was not until the 1995/96 that permanent shirt numbers became a thing in Spain, and the first player to be assigned the number 14? Jordi Cruyff, of course.

So, today Wednesday 14, at 14.14 by the 24 hour clock, the new 'Barça Cruyff’ collection is being launched, which includes a series of garments inspired by the great Dutchman's style.

Força Barça
Força Barça

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