Jordi Cruijff

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Jordi
Personal information
Date of birth February 9 1974
Place of birth    Amsterdam, Netherlands
Playing position Forward/Midfielder
Club information
Current club Metalurh Donetsk
Youth clubs
1981-1988
1988-1992		 Flag of Netherlands Ajax
Flag of Spain FC Barcelona C
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1992-1995
1994-1996
1996-1998
1999-1999
1999-2000
2000-2003
2003-2004
2006-present		 Flag of Spain FC Barcelona B
Flag of Spain FC Barcelona
Flag of England Manchester United
Flag of Spain Celta de Vigo loan
Flag of England Manchester United
Flag of Spain Deportivo Alavés
Flag of Spain RCD Espanyol
Flag of Ukraine Metalurh Donetsk		 51 (16)
41 (11)
26 (4)
8 (1)
8 (3)
94 (7)
30 (3)
? (?)   
National team2
1995-2004
1996-present		 Flag of Catalonia Catalonia
Flag of Netherlands Netherlands		 9 (2)
9 (1)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of December 27 2006.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of December 27 2006.
* Appearances (Goals)

Jordi Cruijff (born February 9, 1974 in Amsterdam, Netherlands), also referred to as Jordi Cruyff or just Jordi , is a Dutch/Catalan footballer who currently plays for Metalurh Donetsk. He has previously played for Ajax, FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Celta de Vigo, Deportivo Alavés and RCD Espanyol. As an international he has played for both the Catalan XI and the Netherlands. He is the son of Johan Cruijff.

Contents

[edit] Life and work

[edit] Early Life

Although born in Amsterdam, Jordi spent his early life in Catalonia where his father was playing for FC Barcelona. He was allegedly named after Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia. Despite the Catalan language being banned by the Franco regime, his father insisted on registering the Catalan version of the name rather than the Spanish version Jorge. In 1981 the Cruijff family returned to the Netherlands. His father introduced Jordi to football from an early age, taking him to watch Ajax Amsterdam and encouraging him to join the Ajax youth training scheme at the age of seven. In 1988 when Jordi was fourteen, Johan Cruijff returned to FC Barcelona as manager and, Cruijff junior followed him.

[edit] FC Barcelona

In 1992 Jordi made his debut for FC Barcelona B in the Segunda División. Two years later he made his debut for the senior team during a pre-season tour in the Netherlands, scoring hat-tricks against FC Groningen and De Graafschap. On September 4 1994 his father gave him his Primera Division debut in a 2-1 defeat away to Sporting Gijón. On November 2 he played against Manchester United in the Champions League and Jordi set up the first goal for Hristo Stoichkov as FC Barcelona won 4-0.

However despite a positive start, Jordi’s time at FC Barcelona effectively came to an end when his father was sacked by Josep Lluís Nuñez. On May 19 1996 he played his last game for the club against Celta de Vigo at Camp Nou. Jordi inspired Barça to comeback from 2-0 down to eventually win 3-2.

[edit] Manchester United

In August 1996 Jordi signed for Manchester United for a fee of £1.4 million. He made debut on August 17 in a 3-0 win over Wimbledon, the opening fixture of the 1996/97 season. He then scored on his next two appearances, helping United to 2-2 draws against Everton and Blackburn Rovers. Despite missing much of the second half of the season due to a knee injury, he returned towards the end to help United clinch the Premiership title. An ankle injury in 1998 limited the amount of appearances he made and saw him lose his place in the team. In January 1999 he went on loan to Celta de Vigo and as a result missed out on Manchester United completing the treble. Jordi rejoined United for the 1999/2000 season and helped them win the Premiership once again. However he failed to establish himself as a first team regular and played his final game for the club on May 14 2000.

[edit] Return to Spain

On leaving United, Jordi returned to Spain and signed for Deportivo Alavés. While at Alavés he helped them reach the UEFA Cup final in 2001, playing his part in an epic final against Liverpool. Despite being 2-0 and then 3-1 down, Alavés embarked on a spirited comeback and Jordi’s goal in the 88th minute took the game to 4-4. However an own goal in extra time saw Liverpool lift the cup. Jordi continued to play for Alavés until the they were relegated at the end of the 2002-03 season. The following season he returned to Barcelona and joined RCD Espanyol.

[edit] International Career

Jordi has played as an international for both the Catalan XI and the Netherlands. He scored on his debut for the Catalan XI in a 5-2 win over FC Barcelona at the Nou Estadi on June 25 1995. He also scored in a 5-0 win over Lithuania on December 22 2000 at Camp Nou. Altogether, Jordi has played 9 times for the Catalan XI, including two games against Brazil in 2002 and 2004.

His performances for FC Barcelona also persuaded Guus Hiddink to include him in the Netherlands team for Euro 96. Jordi subsequently made his debut for the Netherlands in a 2-0 defeat in a friendly against Germany on April 4 1996. During Euro 96, in a 2-0 win against Switzerland on June 13 at Villa Park, he scored his only goal for the Netherlands.

[edit] Honours

FC Barcelona

Manchester United

Deportivo Alavés

[edit] Sources

  • Barça: A People’s Passion (1998), Jimmy Burns. [1]

[edit] External Links

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