MADRID, June 3 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona has thanked the Chinese Super League (CSL) side Shenzhen FC, for their role in helping Jordi Cruyff return to the club.
The son of iconic former Barca coach Johan Cruyff, who is responsible for developing the passing game that still typifies the club's style of play, returns to Barca in a "strategic role" in the club's technical direction 25 years after he left the first team to sign for Manchester United.
Cruyff had been working as first team coach at Shenzhen FC since 2020 and the CSL side allowed him to sever his contract to return to the Camp Nou.
"His arrival has been possible thanks to the collaboration of the Chinese team, Shenzhen FC, whom he joined as coach in 2020, the Kaisa group and the president of the Chinese team, Kwok Ying Shing."
"All played a decisive role in facilitating his departure to FC Barcelona, despite still having a contract in force, and we will therefore be happy to seek future possibilities of collaboration," explained the Barca website.
Cruyff added his thanks to those of the club saying he was "very grateful to Shenzhen."
"They welcomed me from the moment I arrived and they will be one of the strongest clubs in China. We had just started the league and only played four games, but they understood my dreams. I said Barca were the only club in the world I would have left them for and if anyone else had called me, I would have stayed," he explained.
Since retiring from playing Jordi Cruyff has had a moderately successful career, working as technical director at AEK Larnaca and Maccabi Tel Aviv, before then working as first team coach at Maccabi Tel Aviv and Shenzhen FC. Enditem