Barcelona has expressed its thanks to former player and head coach Johan Cruyff, who died on Thursday at the age of 68.

Cruyff won one La Liga title with Barca in 1974 before returning as a coach and overseeing a sustained spell of success in the early 1990s with a lineup dubbed the 'dream team,' including a European Cup triumph in 1992.

He also established the club's famed La Masia academy from which the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi have graduated to represent the club's first team and is credited with outlining Barca's philosophy of passing football.

A club statement read: "FC Barcelona wish to express its grief over the death of Johan Cruyff (Amsterdam, 04.25.1947 - Barcelona, 24.03.2016 ). As a player and coach, he is and will always be a legend of the club.

"FC Barcelona wants to convey its deepest condolences to his family, with whom we share these moments of pain, along with fans of the club and the world of football and sport.

"Rest in peace. Thank you, Johan."

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu also took to Twitter to outline his admiration for the Dutchman.

He wrote: "Both as a player and as a manager, you changed the history of our club. Thank you Johan."