Jordi Cruyff says he does not understand why he did not get a 1999 Champions League winner’s medal

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Manchester United’s clash with Barcelona is a special one for the La Liga club’s sporting director Jordi Cruyff.

Cruyff joined Manchester United in 1996 from the Spanish side, as part of a spending spree that summer which saw the club sign Karel Poborksy, Raimond van der Gouw, Ronny Johnsen and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

From that quintet, Johnsen and Solskjaer played key roles in the Champions League win in 1999, with Van der Gouw on the bench.

Cruyff had a front row seat, watching at the Nou Camp, but he was not part of the squad after requesting to go out on loan.

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Cruyff believes he deserved Champions League medal

In an interview with Sunday World, Jordi Cruyff says he is a little frustrated he did not receive a Champions League medal.

The Dutchman played in three group stage matches in the first half of the campaign, including in the picture above as Manchester United beat Brondby 6-2.

By late January, Cruyff had become frustrated with a lack of starts and pushed for a loan move to Spanish side Celta Vigo, having only made 11 appearances so far that season in all competitions.

He did not receive a medal after United’s famous 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the final, a decision he disagrees with, having played a part in helping the team to get there.

Cruyff said: “I didn’t get a medal. I never understood why because I played more than some others who did get a medal, so that’s life.”

He admitted it was a tough decision to leave United in the January, commenting: “To be honest, you could smell it: it was going to be a historic season. You could feel it. The energy was there, the destiny, the Gods, whatever. And I knew it when I left.”

Cruyff did play for Manchester United in the Champions League the following season in 1999/2000, before eventually leaving to join Alaves.

Now the sporting director of Barcelona, Cruyff is looking forward to being reunited with his former team. He said this week he wants Barcelona to match Manchester United’s intensity in order to succeed.