Former Barcelona's "Dream Team" member and current Barcelona Legend head coach Alvete Ferrer reviewed his football career in an exclusive interview. Ferrer admits that Cruyff is a very special master.

You grew up in the Barcelona youth training camp in the 1980s, when Cruyff had not arrived yet. What was the philosophy at that time?

The Barcelona methodology we are familiar with today has existed in that era. At that time, Barcelona's teams at all levels also wanted to control the ball and attack. The team plays a 4-3-3 formation, and I have not experienced the 3-4-3 changes that Cruyff has implemented in all echelons. When he arrived, I happened to be promoted to the amateur team and the Barcelona Athletics team (B team).

Is it difficult for you to be leased to Tenerife?

At that time, I was in the Athletic Barcelona team, and I had a meeting with Cruyff, and he made it clear to me. He asked me to loan it out and return to the first team next season. This is exactly the case. After the loan period ended, I received a letter informing me that I had to return to the team to participate in the first team training.

In Barcelona's first team, you have been the main force since day one.

I clearly remember my debut, against Valencia at Camp Nou, with 90,000 viewers on the scene. The locker room accepted me well, and the old team members gave me a lot of help. We players who come from youth training adapt faster than new players from outside.

Cruyff trusts you very much.

Coach Cruyff in my memory is a person who doesn't talk much to us, except for a few core players. In those days, tactics were not studied as much as they are now. We had a monthly meeting at that time and he would tell every player what needs improvement. I have a very harmonious relationship with him. During training, he enjoyed it, often joked, and looked very happy. But I do remember one time, at the beginning of a season when I was in a bad shape, he said something to me. Before the game against Athletic Bilbao, he told me that either play a good game or don’t think about playing again this year. I continued to play later. I admit that I didn’t have this pressure when I was at Chelsea, and I sometimes relaxed and I needed to feel the pressure to play to my best. John knows how to manage this.

Cruyff knows how to inspire your great potential.

I can always feel his trust. The role of defender is to suffer a little more, because Cruyff would rather win 4-3 than win 1-0. Sometimes we take a lot of risks and the defense line will feel the pressure. John sent only two man-marking guards and one freeman. He trusted Juan Carlos and me very much because he said we were fast and could make up for the defense. When I suffered a cruciate ligament injury and returned in less than half a year, he was very satisfied with me and asked the board to give me an extra bonus. Cruyff always lets me keep an eye on the star players of my opponents. I've been in charge of the great players like Baggio and Roberto Mancini in the Wembley final. I can deeply feel his trust.

You talked about your injury. Would you be surprised that players are recovering so slowly from serious injuries?

To be honest, this is a question I often think about. I had a cruciate ligament ruptured and I fully recovered within five months. I started in the Champions League final, ended the season in great form and won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics. I think I became stronger after recovering from my injury, and my condition never declined and I never relapsed. Every case is different, and I will always be grateful to Dr. Borrell.

You are positive in adapting to the Premier League.

I adapted without any effort and was selected as the league's best rookie in my first season. But the changes at the football level are huge. I remember in a away game in Leicester City, I wondered what the hell was this. There are few balls in training and it looks more like track and field training. My first few seasons were good, but when I won the main position under Ranieri, I suffered a serious injury and didn't want to continue.

Did you know at that time that you would become a coach?

I never really thought about it. Actually, I started working with Halli Pons on the radio, and later signed up for the coaching course with Guardiola, Enrique and others. After getting the coaching certificate, I thought maybe it would be fun to try it out.

As the head coach of the Legends, what do you like the most?

This is great. I have a very strong sense of recognition of this project. I enjoyed communicating with the players and watched them follow my guidance. It's wonderful to see the atmosphere created between former teammates and how players who don't know each other in different eras get along. I think the Legends are a great way to promote the Barcelona brand. I like the nature of our charity. We have participated in many social activities in hospitals and other places. We also participate in activities at Barcelona fans and schools around the world. It is wonderful to be able to travel around the world on behalf of the Barcelona brand. We felt the huge interest of the fans and it was fun to see many young people enjoying the players they had never seen playing live.