"Spanish revolution started with Johan Cruyff"

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Spain will be Holland's opponent in the final of the World Cup on Sunday in Johannesburg, South Africa. Feyenoord-defender Dani Fernández looks ahead to that big decider in Soccer City.

"Spanish footballers used to be dribblers," says Fernandez. "They still have those qualities, but they now prefer the one-touch-football, the linkup. That's the influence of Barcelona. The heart of the Spanish team is formed by Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi."

"I grew up with them, I trained and played with them. Iniesta is one of my best friends. The fact that they play now the way they play isn't just a question of talent, but also of education. We were kids when Johan Cruyff was coach of Barcelona. He didn't just let the first team play very offensively, but he reorganized the entire youth academy."

"We started training differently, a lot of position plays, we learned to think offensively and all teams played a 3-4-3. Besides that Cruyff instigated a mentality change: the team came first, not the individual. That mentality has spread to the national team. The core is of Barcelona, but players like Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso of Real Madrid, and Joan Capdevila of Villarreal, add balance."

"Up front we have two fantastic finishers with Fernando Torres and David Villa. And no one thinks of himself as the big star. This Spanish team is an ideal mix, but the football is of Barcelona stock and indirectly Johan Cruyff has laid down the basis for it. One could say our revolution started with Cruyff. Even Lionel Messi has benefited from it. He is the best player in the world, but he always thinks in the interest of the team. You can see he has been educated by Barcelona."