There aren't too many players who join Manchester United and live to regret it, but Jordi Cruyff must have rued his decision to leave Barcelona and move to Old Trafford in 1996. Cruyff had graduated from Barca's youth academy in 1992 and played for the Catalan's B team before making his senior debut in 1994, scoring 11 times in 41 appearances. But he left for United two years later and it never worked out. Despite being a first-team regular under Sir Alex Ferguson in his debut season, the attacking midfielder would make only 18 appearances for the Red Devils over the next three seasons, and played so few games that he didn't even qualify for a Premier League winners' medal in 19992000. When his nightmare spell at the Theatre of Dreams was all said and done, he'd managed just the eight goals. Injury was largely to blame for his dismal time in Manchester, though the arrival of Quinton Fortune as another understudy for Ryan Giggs on the left wing in 1999 also limited his playing opportunities. Cruyf was loaned to Celta Vigo and sold to Alavés in 2000.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
