Johan Cruyff would support Manchester City, says son

If the late Johan Cruyff is watching football beyond his time on Earth, he's probably rooting for Manchester City.

That's according to his son, Jordi, a former midfielder for Barcelona, Manchester United, and CD Alaves, who revealed his father, who sadly passed away in March from lung cancer, was a big fan of Pep Guardiola's work at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

"He always had a big admiration for English football. He loved that, so he really liked the opportunity when I was at United for four years," Jordi said.

After revealing Johan's admiration for Guardiola's methods, Jordi added: "If he can still watch football he's probably a big Manchester City fan."

Considering that City was toiling in the third tier of English football during Jordi's time at its great rival, United, it's quite remarkable the Blues could've entered the attentions of a true great.

Johan popularised the Total Football philosophy with fellow Dutchman Rinus Michels, and proved a rare personality who was hugely successful in both his playing and coaching days. His love of free-flowing football, penchant for the spectacular, and ability to provide witty soundbites made Johan's name one which transcended the sport.

Related - Guardiola: I owe my success to Cruyff

"I thought I knew about football but when I met him, a whole new world opened in front of me," City boss Guardiola said Thursday.

"He taught us - not only me, but to a generation of players - to understand the game, to understand why you took that decision.

"Football is the most complicated game, it's very open and you have to take a lot of decisions. His impact on people was enormous."