Marc Overmars had to leave Ajax through the back door and marked by scandals. The former player and until weeks ago sports director was accused of alleged sexual harassment of several colleagues from the Dutch club. This left the post vacant and the whole of the capital of the Netherlands moves in search of a successor.
The favourite, according to Telegraaf, is included in the organization chart of FC Barcelona. This is Jordi Cruyff. As this newspaper explains, the Amsterdam team has already contacted the now member of the technical secretariat led by Mateu Alemany.
The son of the legend of Ajax and Barcelona would have listened with interest and would not have said no to the proposal of the Dutch capital as a whole to direct the sports section, thus leaving the door open to new conversations so that his departure could bear fruit.
Currently, Jordi Cruyff has a contract until the end of June at Barcelona. Right now, Cruyff is a fundamental part of the sports management, working hand in hand with Alemany and also with coach Xavi Hernández, being key in the latest reinforcements such as Adama Traoré, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres. This was signed by Barcelona this summer (he arrived on August 1) as an advisor to the presidency in the sports area. The president’s idea, as already published by AS, is for Cruyff to mark the sports lines following the idea that Johan Cruyff, his father, ‘installed’ in Barcelona and that brought so many successes to the Blaugrana club.
Between the office and the bench after hanging up his boots
After going through the academies of Ajax and Barcelona, playing in the first team culé, Manchester United, Celta de Vigo, Alavés, Espanyol, De Volewjickers, Metalurg and hanging up his boots at the club from La Valletta (Malta) adding more 300 games as a professional, Jordi Cruyff became a student of football passing through different positions between the bench and the office.
At De Volewijckers he had his first experience on the bench as a player coach, at Valletta he endured the entire campaign as Tom Caanen’s second in addition to playing and, after retiring from football as a player, he had his first experience in sports management offices Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he has also served on the bench. His resume in the technical area continued with Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic of the Chinese Super League, the Ecuadorian national team and Shenzhen FC, also of the Chinese First Division, where he finished his stage in July 2021 before return to the Camp Nou, where it all began on September 4, 1994 against Sporting de Gijón.