Johan Cruyff would be a Manchester City fan, says son Jordi

  • Published
Media caption,

Johan Cruyff: 'An icon of the Netherlands'

Johan Cruyff would be a Manchester City fan "if he can still watch football", says his son and former Manchester United midfielder Jordi Cruyff.

Former Ajax and Barcelona player and coach Cruyff died in March aged 68.

City boss Pep Guardiola also says he would not be the manager he is without playing under Cruyff at Barcelona.

"He always had a big admiration for English football. He loved that, so he really liked the opportunity when I was at United for four years," said Jordi.

He added that his father was a fan of Guardiola's former Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams.

"If he can still watch football he's probably a big Manchester City fan," the 42-year-old Dutchman said at the launch of book about his father in London.

Guardiola, meanwhile, said he was 16 when he first met Cruyff at Barcelona and has tried to adopt some of his principles, including a high-pressing game.

The Spaniard also thinks about his former mentor following defeats, such as on the train back to Manchester after City's 2-0 loss to Tottenham on Sunday.

"My view on the game, how managers decide how they want to play football. For my eyes is a little bit his eyes," he told BBC World Service Sport.

"Every coach has his own personality, but the view, the philosophy and the idea to see how you want your team to play is quite similar.

"Sometimes when I have doubts, he comes. In that moment, I don't know why, he comes and you have to do what you believe."

Around the BBC

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.