Barcelona's Camp Nou could be renamed to honour Johan Cruyff

Barcelona could rename their famous Camp Nou stadium in honour of former player and manager Johan Cruyff, who died last week, aged 68.

The Dutch star was an icon at the club and had a glittering playing career with the Catalan side from 1973 to 1978. He returned as manager in 1988 and guided Barcelona to their first ever European Cup victory in 1992, while helping lay the foundations of the passing style that has established them as one of the best teams in the world.

Barcelona's memorial to Cruyff has attracted thousands to the ground over the Easter weekend and now the board will meet to decide the best way to honour him in the long term.

The players will pay tribute when they return from international duty this week and there is sure to be an emotional atmosphere at the Camp Nou for Saturday's Clasico showdown with their bitter rivals, Real Madrid.

"Barcelona are conscious that they need to propose an action which pays suitable homage to the lifetime commitment Cruyff gave to the club and president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his fellow directors will meet with the legend's family to decide the acts of tribute," reports the Daily Mail.

A survey of fans by Spanish newspaper Sport found that 65 per cent backed the idea of renaming the club's stadium.

"The board are clear that minor initiatives, such as naming Gate 14 after him, can be discarded because they do not do justice to the greatness of Cruyff," says the newspaper.

They "will debate the various ideas brought to them... including renaming the stadium after him or retiring the No 14 shirt", it adds. "The fans are also expecting a big homage at the next game - El Clasico."

The paper devoted its front page on Monday to calls for the stadium to be renamed.

Cruyff has already had one stadium named after him since his death, notes The Independent. "The Netherlands' national stadium, the Amsterdam Arena, will be renamed after the greatest player ever produced by the country," it reports.