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Barcelona's new Ciutat Esportiva stadium to be named after Johan Cruyff

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The future Ciutat Esportiva stadium for Barcelona B and the women's team will be named after Johan Cruyff, said club president Josep Maria Bartomeu in Saturday's presentation of the memorial events set to honour the Dutch icon who died March 2016.

A curative genius in his playing days and visionary coach when he hung up his boots, Cruyff left an indellible mark on Barcelona's blueprint, so the club and city is set to remember him in various initiatives.

There is a drive to erect a statue of Cruyff in the improved Camp Nou, dedicate a section of the Spanish giant's museum to the tactician, and a plea to the council to recognise Cruyff "in a location in the city."

The tentatively named Estadi Johan Cruyff is earmarked for the club's training complex in the Sant Joan Despi district of the city, and is a long-term replacement of the Mini Estadi, which sits alongside the Camp Nou.

The new Estadi will act as the venue for the famed B side, which currently competes in Spain's third tier and has been the breeding ground of some of Barcelona's finest players and managers. The stadium is hoped to be ready for the 2017-18 season.

The Amsterdam Arena, home of the Netherlands national team and Ajax, another club for whom Cruyff played an integral part in its history, could also be renamed in the forward's honour.

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