FCBARCELONA.CAT

22.01.2008 14:07

Rijkaard overtakes Michels

Marc Guillén

Frank Rijkaard is now the manager that has won the second highest number of matches at FC Barcelona. After beating Racing, Rijkaard has moved ahead of fellow Dutchman Rinus Michels.

Rijkaard has now won 106 league games for Barça, one more than the legendary Rinus Michels, who managed Barça for six seasons between 1971 and 1978. But he still has a long way to go if he wants to catch up with yet another Dutchman, Johan Cruyff, with 183 wins.

Best winning percentage

Of all the managers in the modern era that were here for at least 100 games, Rijkaard has the highest winning percentage, on 61%. He is followed by Cruyff, with 59%, Daucik, with 58%, Venables, with 55%, Van Gaal, with 54%, and Michels, with 51%.

Rijkaard has managed Barça in a total of 172 league outings, 32 fewer than Michels. In those games, he has witnessed 106 wins, 39 draws and just 27 losses.

Michels, Cruyff and Rijkaard’s shared history

The three managers with the most wins all share a similar past. Michels, Cruyff and Rijkaard are all Dutch, all made their playing debuts at Ajax and all three formed part of the same team at some time or other.

As manager of Holland, Rinus Michels created the famous Total Football approach to the game, which took his team to the 1974 World Cup Final, with Cruyff and Neeskens in the side. Michels would go on to manage Barcelona, and would sign Johan Cruyff as a player.

Cruyff shared 5 seasons with Rijkaard at Ajax: from 1981-83 they were both in the playing squad, and from 1985-88 Rijkaard was a player while Cruyff was on the bench. And Rijkaard then won the 1988 European Championship under Michels.