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Vic Buckingham: The ex-Tottenham player’s legacy lives on

By Karl Harrington

HULL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring the winning goal with Jan Vertonghen during the Barclays Premier League match between Hull City and Tottenham Hotspur at KC Stadium on November 23, 2014 in Hull, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
HULL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring the winning goal with Jan Vertonghen during the Barclays Premier League match between Hull City and Tottenham Hotspur at KC Stadium on November 23, 2014 in Hull, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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Vic after Ajax

You’d be forgiven for thinking Vic’s contribution to the game ended at Ajax, but you would be mistaken. Buckingham took charge of Barcelona in 1969, beating Brian Clough to the position.

His time at Barcelona culminated with winning the Copa del Generalisimo (now Copa del Rey); a memory forever cherished by Catalans; the final took place at the Bernabeu with the trophy being handed over by Franco. Barca also finished joint top of the league with Valencia that year, and although boasting a superior goal difference, missed out on the double due to losing the head-to-head series.

Unfortunately a back injury forced Vic to return to England for treatment, but the seeds had already been sown. The short passing and possession philosophy he instilled during his limited time at Camp Nou marked the dawn of a brand Barcelona still employ today.

Michels again succeeded Buckingham at the helm. Cruyff soon followed the trail in a transfer that would shift the tectonics of football forever. And, although back in England, Buckingham played far more than just a subsidiary role in engineering the move.

Vic vehemently lobbied to lift Spain’s ban on signing foreign players and also first put the idea of such a move in Cruyff’s head during a Barcelona pre-season trip through Amsterdam. In Sid Lowe’s Fear and Loathing in La Liga, Cruyff says the reason he moved to Barcelona ‘was obvious: the coach, the coach before, Buckingham, a very good friend of mine.’

Cruyff almost single-handedly took Barcelona back to the summit of Spanish football in his début season for the first time in 14 years, instantly becoming a Catalan idol.

Fast forward a decade. Cruyff returned to the Camp Nou, this time as a manager. His Dream Team of the early 90s won 11 trophies including the club’s first ever European Cup in 1992, marshalled by a young Pep Guardiola.

Cruyff left an indelible mark on every crevice of the club, from the winning mentality to the education bestowed at La Masia.