Michael Laudrup (born 15 June 1964) is a Danish former footballer and the current manager of Qatar Stars League club Al Rayyan. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation by many pundits. He is the older brother of fellow retired footballer Brian Laudrup. During his playing career, Laudrup won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, although he was also capable of playing in other offensive positions.

After an unsuccessful season with Juventus, Laudrup decided it was time to leave, looking for a new experience after six years in Italy. In 1989, he joined Spanish club Barcelona on the premise that Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff, his childhood role model, had been assembling a team that was striving for success. Immediately, Laudrup enjoyed major success under Cruyff's leadership, citing the Dutchman's philosophy and perception of the game as one of the main assets that helped foster his talent. He was one of the restricted three foreign players allowed in the team, alongside Dutch defender Ronald Koeman and Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov, who were the pillars of the Barca "Dream Team", along with rising stars Pep Guardiola, Jose Mari Bakero, and Txiki Begiristain. The Dream Team played attractive football that was comparable to the 1970s Ajax team, and won four consecutive La Liga championships from 1991 to 1994, as well as the 1991-92 European Cup, along with the 1992 UEFA Super Cup, 1989-90 Copa del Rey and 1991 and 1992 Supercopa de Espana titles. Laudrup was twice named the best player of the year in Spain during his Barcelona years. When Barca hired a fourth foreign star player, Brazilian striker Romario in 1993, it meant the four foreigners would rotate as the three foreign players allowed in each match, and when he was not selected for the 1994 European Cup final 0-4 loss to Milan (amid conflicts with Cruyff), his time at Barcelona was effectively over. Laudrup's departure from Barcelona was a huge blow for the fans and his teammates alike. Pep Guardiola was reportedly so upset by the news that he cried and begged Laudrup to change his mind. Reflecting on his time at Barcelona, Laudrup commented, "I think we played some very good football, and I think most of all we demonstrated that even without getting the ten best players in the world, you can have the best team. Because everybody talked about Begiristain, Bakero, Guardiola, Stoichkov, and Koeman, but when we started none of us was a best player, then we became maybe the best team in the world, together with AC Milan in that period."

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