5 legends who unexpectedly played for smaller clubs

#2 Johan Cruyff - Levante UD

Johan Cruyff played for two Spanish clubs in red and blue.

If someone asks who has contributed the most to the evolution of modern football, the answer would 9 times out of 10 be the great Dutchman, Johan Cruyff.

The Dutch legend is widely regarded as the pioneer of total football during his times at Ajax and also with the Dutch national team. The total football revolution by Cruyff helped Ajax win 3 consecutive European Cups from 1971 to 1973, and also helped Netherlands reach 2 World Cup finals during the 1970s.

Cruyff then went on to join FC Barcelona from Ajax where he spent 5 seasons and won one La Liga and one Copa Del Rey trophy.

Cruyff later spent 3 seasons in the USA with Los Angeles Aztecs and Washington Diplomats. In a bizarre move in 1981, Cruyff decided to come back to Spain but with the second division side Levante UD.

But his spell in Levante wasn't as fruitful as it was with his other clubs. There were constant disagreement with the Levante board and Cruyff also had to battle many injuries during his time with the Granotas.

Johan Cruyff only managed to play 10 games for Levante in the Segunda Division, scoring 2 goals. Having failed to secure promotion with the club, the contract negotiations fell through and Cruyff moved back to his beloved Ajax, having stayed at Levante for a mere 8 months.