Very few footballers are welcomed at both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Michael Laudrup played for both and was adored at both, which tells you a good deal about how he played.
The Dane had a first touch like velvet and a passing range that could open any defence. Teammates, opponents and coaches admired him in roughly equal measure, and Johan Cruyff said he was the best player he ever managed.
Cruyff's Dream Team
At Barcelona, Laudrup was a key figure in Cruyff's Dream Team, the side that won the club's first European Cup in 1992. He won La Liga four times with Barcelona, then crossed over and won it once more with Real Madrid. Champion on both sides of Spain's biggest rivalry is an unusual line on anyone's record.
His first touch and passing are still counted among the best football has seen.
The Danish summer he missed
Laudrup is a national icon in Denmark, and yet he missed the country's shock Euro 1992 win after falling out with the national coach. Denmark won without him, which must have made for an awkward few weeks.
To be loved at Barcelona and Real Madrid is close to impossible. Laudrup managed it with talent that went past the rivalry, and he remains the smoothest operator La Liga has seen.
Tomorrow: number 15.
