‘Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona was one of the best teams ever, but we had something they didn’t – we were the first Barca side to win the European Cup’ Michael Laudrup compares his Barca Dream Team side to Pep’s juggernaut

Features
By Contributions from published

Before Pep's iconic side, there was the Barca 'Dream Team' in the early 1990s

Ronald Koeman and his Barcelona team-mates celebrate the Dutchman's winning goal in the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley.
Barcelona celebrate their 1992 European Cup victory (Image credit: Getty Images)

There’s no denying that Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side of the late 2000s and early 2010s was one of the greatest of the modern era.

As well as the silverware - three La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and two Champions Leagues among other gongs - the team’s style of play, influence and legacy mean that Guardiola’s team’s place in the history books is secure forever.

Guardiola’s success in the role came two decades after that of Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ of the early 1990s, a side which provided the intellectual bedrock of Pep’s side.

Michael Laudrup compares Cruyff and Guardiola’s teams

Barcelona's Michael Laudrup evades a challenge from Sampdoria's Moreno Mannini in the 1992 European Cup final.

Laudrup during the 1992 European Cup final (Image credit: Getty Images)

Comparisons between these two iconic sides have been unavoidable in the years since, something that former Barca great Michael Laudrup has addressed.

The Dane forged a formidable forward line with Romario and Hristo Stoichkov, an attacking trident that was replicated when Lionel Messi, Luis Sanchez and Neymar were dubbed the ’MSN’ trio under Guardiola.

The Barcelona team for the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria

The Barcelona team for the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria (Image credit: Alamy)

“It’s hard to compare,” Laudrup tells FourFourTwo when asked how the two trios compare, before assessing Barca’s other recent strong sides.

“I’ve also been asked to rank our team against other Barcelona sides – I think the teams of Frank Rijkaard and Luis Enrique were stronger than ours,” he continues.

Laudrup - who spent five years at Camp Nou after signing from Juventus in 1989 - also believes that context matters, as his Barcelona side achieved a first for the club.

“Pep Guardiola’s Barça was one of the best teams ever. But our team had something the others didn’t – we were the first to win the European Cup.”

Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff transformed Barcelona as manager (Image credit: Alamy)

The success of Cruyff’s side also redefined what success looks like for the Catalan side, as sporadic league titles gave way to the expectation that Barcelona should be challenging every single season.

“We also changed the club’s domestic success,” Laudrup adds. “Going from winning La Liga every now and then, to claiming four league titles in a row.”

Joe Mewis
Joe Mewis

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

With contributions from

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.