Cruyff named honorary Barcelona president

Former Holland and Barcelona great Johan Cruyff was on Friday named honorary president of the Spanish and European champions, a club spokesman said.

The appointment, which “carries no executive responsibilities”, was approved by Barcelona chairman Joan Laporta, said the spokesman, Joan Oliver.

“The board considered that Cruyff meets all the requirements, both as a player and coach and as an inspirational person and the founder of a model that has led to successes in recent years,” he said.

Cruyff, 62, a three-time European Footballer of the Year, started his career as a teenager at Ajax before going on to enjoy huge success with Barca, whom he then coached to the 1992 European Cup and four straight league titles between 1991 and 1994.

Last November, he took over as coach of the Catalonia regional team in Spain.