Johan Cruyff influenced the way I saw football. In the last two decades, even the smaller teams have started playing his attacking brand of football' Michael Laudrup opens up on his time at Barcelona

"During my time at Juventus, the number of foreign players allowed went up from two to three, Laudrup tells FourFourTwo when asked how his move to Barcelona came about. Platini retired, Ian Rush came in, and then one season later they also signed Rui Barros and Oleksandr Zavarov. That made four, and since I'd been there the longest, I thought that I'd be the one they'd let go. I was a little disappointed, but PSV were interested and had just won the European Cup."

"I wasn't sure about leaving, but if I was going, I at least wanted the same wages as at Juve, which they may have had to compensate for if I joined PSV. In the end, Juventus president Giampiero Boniperti said, Michael stays! The next day, Rush wasn't there he went back to Liverpool, he'd missed everything at home. I think Boniperti was looking for a reason for me to stay."

Michael Laudrup left Serie A in 1989 after six years with Lazio and Juventus to join Barcelona, drawn by Johan Cruyff's management. Cruyff's arrival had begun transforming Barcelona into a new force, and Laudrup became a central figure of the Dream Team. Competition for foreign spots at Juventus and interest from PSV influenced the transfer process, with Juventus president Giampiero Boniperti ultimately keeping Laudrup for a time. Laudrup's performances for Denmark, including scoring twice in a 4-0 win over the Brazilian Olympic team watched by Pele, increased interest. Laudrup helped Barcelona win their first European Cup in 1992.

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