The most famous name in Dutch football could appear on an international men’s team sheet for the first time in 30 years after Johan Cruyff’s grandson was called up for the United States’ upcoming matches in Europe.
Shae Cruijff-Beane, the son of Johan Cruyff’s daughter Chantal and her American husband Todd Beane, was included in the squad that will play against Norway and Portugal in the next seven days.
Cruijff-Beane plays as a midfielder for Gimnàstic de Tarragona, a club in the Spanish third tier based near Barcelona. His older brother Jordan also came through the club’s ranks and is currently playing US college football at Westmont College in California.
Shae, 17, is eligible to play for the USA through his father and Spain and the Netherlands through his mother, who spent part of her childhood in Catalonia while Johan Cruyff was playing for Barcelona in the 1970s.
The USA under-18 squad also includes an Ajax player, midfielder Xander Newstead, who grew up in San Francisco and joined the Amsterdam club’s youth team set-up at the age of 10, beforec signing professional terms last year.
Johan Cruyff went on to play in the United States for Los Angeles Aztecs and Washington Diplomats before returning to the Netherlands, winding down his career at Ajax and Feyenoord.
His son Jordi played for Barcelona and Manchester United and won nine international caps in 1996. Last year he was appointed technical director at Ajax, the club where his father began his career.
