09.04.2010 10:37

Cruyff: "This is a very great honour”

Sandra Sarmiento

Johan Cruyff was made honorary president of FC Barcelona this week and has outlined his thoughts on his new role and one how he sees the club.

In an extensive interview with Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat the former Blaugrana player and coach revealed his views on his position, the Joan Laporta era, the current season and the expectations at Camp Nou.

What does it mean to become honorary president of the club?
“It is a very great honour. An honour to mark my whole career.”

When did they propose the idea to you?
“We have talked about it for some time, maybe a couple of years now, but it has only been a serious issue in the last two or three weeks.”

When it was put forward what did you think? Did you have any doubts about accepting?
“Anything that is as special as this one must take time to consider it. It is a title of distinction and one has to think about it. To be the honorary president is like seal of approval about the way that one has done things, but maybe you could change. But I am true to myself, I have always said what I think and I am always ready to help. Therefore, as they wanted me to have this then I had no problem at all."

You changed the mentality of the fans from your time as a player in the 1970's and then the Dream Team. How did you do this?
"I arrived in Barcelona during the Franco era. Since then the new generations have learned things differently, they have a different way of thinking without that pressure. Therefore, the Catalan youngsters knew how to work hard and alongside players such as Laudrup or Koeman, who were brought up in a different way and led by example, they had the possibility to start a new era with a new mentality."

Guardiola has said that you were his ideological father and Joan Laporta has said you were the founder of the current way of playing. Do you feel responsible for the team's current success under Guardiola?
"Not responsible. The success is all his. But there are some important things to consider like how someone is, how they played. The coach of Barça is the face of the club. If that person is intelligent, educated and knows how to train the youngsters then that is why he will be a fantastic success. It is like Rijkaard. He was a gentleman and he started the club on the path to more and more success."

Guardiola and Rijkaard have modernised the playing manual, but Guardiola always says that systems are only a starting point.
"you always have to be flexible and not have any fixed ideas. The system is not so important. You need to have capable, technically good players to understand how things should be done. With Romario, during my time as coach, you played one system, but when Laudrup played there it was a different system. But both were central strikers. It is all about distances and how far apart the players are. It will never be a risky thing because if you have possession of the ball then there is no problem."

Messi has played in a more central role in recent games, so does that mean the system has changed?
"That is not important because one must always try to surprise the opposition. How do you do that? It is something that must be looked at and then see that the right changes are made. You must also have the players that can do that. If Messi starts on the right and then plays in the middle has the system changed? No. The only thing that the player has done is to seek an advantage. Messi is going through a lot right now. He is finding out what suits him and what does not. If you have an intelligent team, a coach that sees things and a few players that can change positions and move things around then that is perfect."

You have said that Guardiola is the face of Barça. What about Laporta?
“It was unthinkable that a sportsman or a football player like me could become honorary president. They are two different worlds. Under Laporta they are becoming more and more united. I think that players like myself, who have so much experience, can help the club in an organisational way. For over ten years I have run a company dedicated to this. My question is which of the future candidates will come to my office? Only to find out how it is done and to know how to run a big club like Barça. A bit of experience is never bad, but nobody has come yet.”
Laporta started a new era. A different way of running the club. The Elefant Blau group were new people and I, who was always with them, was his idol. He has done many things and is more open and has done things differently like the coach. I have lived in many countries and know how the world of sport and marketing operates. Laporta placed a lot of faith in me. You have to see everything that he has done. Including the deal with UNICEF on the shirts. Before the club had a unique shirt with no company logo on it and that has remained the same. It is this type of thing that has made the club even greater. With what Rijkaard and Pep have done an institution has been created and the football is admired around the world. I, like always, have preferred to work in the shadows and if anyone has asked for my help then I have been there to give it. Nobody has ever had to do what I say, but they can consider what I say and then take a decision.”

Is Laporta the best president in the history of the club?
“He has changed the club. Everyone who works makes the odd mistake. But if you look at how the club was in 2003 then you can see how he has changed it from top to bottom. There are things that I may not have agreed with and things that have not gone as he would have liked. There have been disagreements within the board and I do not know why. I have only helped in certain areas, like marketing and with the Fundació.”

Barça is now renowned for one style of play and have one way of doing things. That is unchangeable. Will future coaches have to maintain this?
“It depends who it is. You can buy new players, whoever you want, but it will depend on the style of play and whether the fans like it. At the start of Laporta’s reign there was a lot of talk about which coach would take ovedr and I told them that I would appoint Rijkaard. People pointed out that he had no track record. But if we wanted to start a new era at Barça we need people with the right culture, who can think and are intelligent and Rijkaard was the ideal person to lead the club forward in 2003. Then with Pep it was the same. When he coached Barça B he made some important decisions and now as head coach he has taken some important decisions.”

Guardiola stated that he would stay for another year at Barça recently. Can you see him staying for many years?
“Pep has said that he wants to stay, which is logical. It is his city and his club. The only reason that he could leave is that if the new people that come in do not allow him to do things like he wants. For that reason he has not signed and has handled things well. He will not work here if he does not like it and by that he feels that there has to be good organization. What has worked well for the past five years does not necessarily guarantee that it will work well in the future. One must constantly look at how the club is run. Pep knows that everything is fine at the moment, but there are presidential elections coming up and who knows what will happen. One should also remember that Laporta has never interfered in any coaching decisions. He has placed all his confidence in Txiki [Begiristain] and in Pep and has talked to me about how things are going. If you look at the rest of Spain all the other presidents are involved in every area. Pep does have his doubts about who the next board will be.”

Do you have doubts that Guardiola will be the coach next season?
“I have no doubts if everything goes how he wants it to and he remains in control. I think that the organization regarding the coaching side should be how Pep wants it. Maybe under Rijkaard it was not always like that. Nobody knows this club like Guardiola. On the sporting front he has things just how he wants and he should be given that responsibility and be left to organize everything how he wants. Not like the board wants.”

Do you see yourself always being the honorary president of Barça?
“What a question. It has only been two days. I have many important awards like the Creu de sant Jordi … My links with Catalunya are clear. I believe I have been honoured like this not just because of my playing career and also my coaching career but also because I have tried to help the club in any way possible. I am delighted with this.”

I asked that question because your appointment raised some discussion. Were you surprised?
“Nothing surprises me. Millions of people know me around the world. If ten per cent of those are not happy with me then there are still millions of others who are. We will see if this was the right choice or not and whether people talk for the sake of it. There are many members of this club who are not Catalan and come from all over the place. The club wants to open itself up, but there are still many that would like it to be a closed shop. Some people are against Joan Laporta and some are against me. But this week, for example, the Conde de Godó and the head of La Vanguardia congratulated me. This shows that those that are high up are happy.”

What are people relating your appointment to the elections?
“I have no idea. Laporta has thought about this for a couple of years, but it was the change in the club Statutes that a president could only serve two terms that changed things. Maybe some people think it is an electoral question because people are cynical like that. I saw no relation between Joan Laporta, myself and the elections because he will not be participating.”

People have said that a decision like this should have been made at the general assembly. Do you agree?
“If I am truthful then I am not a great one for regulations. And what is more, I do not go by them.”

You said in El Periódico that you will not involve yourself in signings as honorary president. But will you give advice if asked?
“Like always. Many people ask my opinion. I am calm about my position. I have always said what I think and what others say does not worry me. I am here to help when I am needed. With players I have not had to much because Txiki has done such a great job. But every now and then if there is a doubt then they know they can call me.”

What will be your first job as honorary president?
“My life will continue as normal. It is an honour to promote Barça around the world. What is more important though is that people understand that sportsmen can take up a roll as important as this that is higher than he has had. In football that is currently not seen as the done thing. Now we have Michel Platini as the head of UEFA, but in nearly every other club there is nobody. That is what we have to work on. We should look after these figures because they are icons.”