5 greatest Barcelona managers of all time

#1 Johan Cruyff (1988-1996)

Probably no person has had more of an impact at a single club than Johan Cruyff at Barcelona. A legend and a fan favourite as a player, Johan Cruyff arguably is remembered more for his role as the manager of the Barcelona ‘dream team’ which dominated world football in the early 1990s.

The impact he had, could probably be best summarised by Gabriel Marcotti’s quote about Cruyff:

“You can separate Barça's history into BCE (Before Cruyff Era) and CE (Cruyff Era). And, yes, Barça are still, nearly 20 years after he coached his final game for the club, still very much in the Cruyff Era.”

As manager of the Catalan giants for close to a decade, he helped create one of the greatest dynasties in world football both in terms of trophies and playing style. When the legendary Dutchman took over as manager in 1988, the club were in debt and in a situation of crisis. However, Cruyff in the space of six years with his man management and leadership skills transformed the club and made it into a true La Liga and European Superpower.

Famous author Jonathan Wilson remarked:

“He [Cruyff] was a beautiful, brilliant and inspirational player and that alone would have placed him firmly in the pantheon, but what he did as a coach is unparalleled. When he took over Barcelona in 1988, they had won two league titles in 28 years. Crisis had followed crisis. In the 27 years since, they have won 13 league titles and five Champions Leagues... All with the football of Cruyff.”

Winner of 11 trophies which included Barcelona’s first Champions League triumph, Cruyff’s work at La Masia and with the first team has contributed greatly to Barcelona's dominance in the recent era.