Barcelona Legends beat Ajax 7-4 in star-studded Johan Cruyff tribute

Barcelona Legends marked the legacy of Johan Cruyff with a 7-4 victory over Ajax in a celebratory match held in honour of the football great.

Alex Vidal, Roger Garcia, Javier Saviola, Nolito and Cristian Tello scored for Barcelona, with Saviola and Nolito each finding the net twice.

Ajax’s goals came from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who also scored twice, Patrick Kluivert and Siem de Jong.

Egypt international Ahmed Hossam Mido, a former Ajax player, also took part in the match for the Dutch side.

The game was played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Amsterdam before a capacity crowd. The ground’s 54,000 seats were filled for an evening celebrating Cruyff’s legacy and the historic connection between the two clubs.

Barcelona and Ajax share a footballing philosophy built around an attacking style of play, a tradition strongly associated with Cruyff during his time with both teams.

The match was jointly organised by the Johan Cruyff Foundation and the Barcelona Foundation, with the proceeds going to the two organisations.

A number of players who had represented both clubs took part. Patrick Kluivert, Yari Litmanen, Frank de Boer and Ronald de Boer played for Ajax in the first half before switching to Barcelona colours after the interval.

Bojan Krkic and Roger Garcia followed the opposite route. They represented Barcelona during the opening half and then played for Ajax in the second period.

Play was stopped in the 14th minute as a tribute to Cruyff, who famously wore the number 14 shirt. The interruption was accompanied by warm applause from the crowd, while footage of Cruyff’s goals was shown on the stadium’s screens.