Virginia over Barcelona: When Claudio Reyna snubbed Johan Cryuff for Bruce Arena

Tom Weber

• Updated: 10 Feb 2026 15:26 CST
• 4 min read

Feature

Claudio Reyna is one of the most famous soccer players in US history, but the story of the most significant decision of his career is one that is not particularly well known.

The son of a former professional Argentinian footballer, Reyna became one of the most distinguished youth players in American soccer history in the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning numerous accolades at the high school level.

In 1991, Reyna enrolled in the University of Virginia and began playing with UVA's soccer team, the Cavaliers, under coach Bruce Arena, who had already been in the job for 13 years by that point.

Although Arena had won two conference championships and a College Cup, his most successful years at UVA coincided with Reyna's scholarship. The coach led the Cavaliers to four consecutive national titles between 1991 and 1994.

Reyna was a key player for three of these four championships, being named best attacking player in 1991 and 1992. In 1993, he won the prestigious Hermann Trophy and was named the Player of the Year by Soccer America for the second season running.

Reyna snubbed Barcelona

Already after the first of his hat-trick of titles, Reyna could have headed to Europe to join one of the biggest clubs in the world. That is because none other than Johan Cruyff had taken a liking to the New Jersey native in 1992.

These were, of course, the pre-Major League Soccer days. At the time, the American Professional Soccer League was the country's only professional outdoor competition and the de facto top flight despite being sanctioned as a Division II competition.

There were no professional academies. Youngsters were developed in grassroots clubs, school teams and then went to college. When they graduated, they had the choice to head overseas or sign a contract with the national team and be loaned to a domestic side.

In this context, it is no surprise that the United States team that competed at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was mainly comprised of college players. Reyna, who had already made headlines by scoring as a 17-year-old when the US won gold in the Pan American Games in Havana in 1991, was the youngest player on the team.

Considering the circumstances and the state of domestic soccer in the US at the time, the USMNT players gave a good account of themselves in Spain. They finished third and did not progress from Group A, but after losing to Italy, they beat Kuwait and drew with eventual silver medalists Poland, an Olympic powerhouse in the late 20th century.

At the time, the legendary Cruyff was in the midst of his historic spell as Barcelona manager. Weeks before the Olympics, the Blaugrana had won the European Cup and their second of four national championships under the Dutchman.

Naturally, Cruyff took an interest in the Olympic football tournament that was taking place right on his doorstep. Despite not scoring a goal for the USMNT, it was Reyna who caught the eye of the Barcelona manager.

Cruyff, of course, was no stranger to American soccer. From 1979 to 1981, the Dutchman had played for the Los Angeles Aztecs and the Washington Diplomats in the original North American Soccer League.

He was so impressed with the young midfielder that he wanted to sign him for Barcelona. He offered Reyna a contract, but incredibly, the American rebuffed the proposal to finish his scholarship with the Cavaliers and keep playing under Arena.

"Scouts from Barcelona, the famous club in Spain that is coached by Johan Cruyff, recognised the immense talent of the 19-year-old from Springfield, N.J., during the Olympics last summer and offered Reyna a four-year contract," the New York Times wrote in December 1992 in an ode to the young star.

"Instead, Reyna decided to return to the University of Virginia for his sophomore year and help the Cavaliers in their quest for a second consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association soccer title."

Reyna wanted to finish his studies before chasing soccer stardom. "I wasn't sure it was the right offer," he explained. "I didn't want to make a decision that I would have to regret. I have plenty of time ahead of me. I know that one day I will play professionally.

"I knew that going back to school was a decision I would never regret. Nothing will happen with Barcelona in the near future. Right now, I want another championship for Virginia, and I want to continue improving as a player."

He was correct that nothing would happen with Barcelona. After leaving UVA and playing in the 1994 World Cup on home soil, Reyna was signed by Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen, who had won the DFB-Pokal in 1993.

At first, he was made to regret that he had turned down Barcelona. He struggled for playing time at Bayer Leverkusen and was loaned to Wolfsburg in 1997, where he finally found his feet in European football.

Reyna would go on to join Scottish behemoth Rangers in 1999 and then play in the Premier League for Sunderland and Man City. Injuries increasingly started taking their toll in his later years, and his return to the US with the New York Red Bulls in 2007 ended after just 18 months.

The former USMNT captain retired in the summer of 2008.

As for Arena, he is still going strong in MLS. The 74-year-old is considered the greatest coach in US Soccer history and is now in his second season with the San Jose Earthquakes.

Arena left the Cavaliers in 1995. He coached the US at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was the inaugural head coach of DC United, where he built the first dynasty in MLS, winning the title in 1996 and 1997. He also won MLS Cup with the LA Galaxy in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store