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Legendary player and coach admitted to being one of those who urged to buy former AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović.
In the newspaper "El Periodico," where he has his section, Johan Cruyff looked back on 2010 and did not hesitate to take blame for the unsuccessful purchase of "Barça."
"Txiki Begiristain, Josep Guardiola, and I convinced then-president Joan Laporta to buy Ibrahimović and sell Samuel Eto'o. The team was preparing for a new season and needed changes. Pep and Txiki decided to exchange Eto'o for Ibrahimović. I agreed with them. Together we convinced Laporta not to spare money for this purchase," the Dutchman said.
"Later Guardiola realized that Ibrahimović would not make Barça a better team. Laporta became the target of criticism for no reason. We are to blame for the Swedish signing - me, Txiki, and Pep. It was our mistake. In the summer, there was a need for changes again, and the next target was David Villa. We had to hurry because the World Cup was approaching, and the striker's price could rise even more," Cruyff revealed the behind-the-scenes of this summer's club.
According to the Dutchman, it became known that the club would suffer financially due to the Swede's transfer, but there was no turning back, and everything was decided to be sacrificed for the sake of the club's sporting interests: "Ibrahimović was doomed the moment it became clear that David Villa was coming to Barcelona."
"We see the consequences of this decision now. We took a step back to take two steps forward," Cruyff concluded.
