Barcelona Officially Opens Johan Cruyff Stadium

Barcelona officially opened the new Johan Cruyff Stadium, which will host games for Barca B and their women’s teams, with a fitting Under-19 friendly clash between the Spanish giants and Dutch power Ajax.

The new 6,000-seater stadium – located at the club’s training ground in the suburbs of the city – pays tribute to the legendary Cruyff, who played for the Blaugrana between 1973 and 1978 before coaching them between 1988 and 1996.

Cruyff died in 2016 and is widely credited with laying the foundations for the unprecedented success the club has enjoyed over the past 15 years.

Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets were among the Barca stars in attendance at the opening, which saw the two clubs Cruyff is widely associated with facing off at the youth level.

Club captain Messi, along with Busquets, Pique and Sergi Roberto, stood in the centre circle prior to Tuesday’s match as Cruyff’s son, Jordi, took a ceremonial kickoff to officially open the stadium.