Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona legacy will last forever

Johan Cruyff arrived in Barcelona from the Netherlands in 1973. He spent five seasons with F.C. Barcelona, scoring goals at a rate slightly better than one every third game (86 in 231 appearances). He contributed to a league title in 1973-74 and a Copa del Rey win in 1977-78. These are all truths. Also true is that nowhere is a relationship between player and club less suited to numerical summation.

It’s by coldly laying out Cruyff’s on-pitch CV with Barcelona that the sheer magnitude of his impact on the club becomes clearer. Granted, it is a bit disingenuous to omit the fact that Cruyff arrived in Catalunya as the reigning Ballon d’Or winner from 1973, and would go on to capture the award…