Remembering Johan Cruyff, the Dutch legend, 1947 to 2016

Johan Cruyff died on 24th March 2016 at the age of 68, after suffering from lung cancer. He will always be remembered for his great ability on the pitch and for his good heart.

The Dutch legend was born on 25th April 1947 in Amsterdam. As a little boy he spent all his free time playing football with the other children. His father died when he was 12, and he had to learn early that such things happen in life.

At 17 he was selected for the Ajax Amsterdam first team for the first time. He scored 4 goals in 9 appearances in his first season for the club (1964/65) and then became an integral part of the Ajax starting eleven. He won the Eredivisie six times up to 1973. The most impressive achievement for Cruyff and his teammates, though, was winning the European Cup three times in a row, a record that looked extremely difficult to match.

The legendary Dutchman then joined Barcelona and was the key figure as Barca lifted the La Liga trophy in 1974. His most memorable moment at Barcelona was the 5-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 1974.

The Dutch national team, with Johan Cruyff at its heart, became famous for the ‘Total Football’ it played. The idea was that any outfield player could take over a teammate’s position: defenders attacked, midfielders dropped into their places, and so on.

Holland, however, could not beat the hosts, West Germany, in the 1974 FIFA World Cup final. It was Johan Cruyff’s last World Cup.

After 5 seasons at Barcelona, Johan Cruyff moved to the USA, where he played for the Aztecs and the Diplomats. He stayed in the United States for only 2 years before deciding it was time to return to Europe.

Cruyff came close to signing for Leicester City in 1981, but instead he moved to Segunda Division side Levante, where injuries and other problems limited him to 2 goals in 10 appearances.

Then Johan Cruyff returned to his favourite Ajax Amsterdam, where he won the Eredivisie twice more. In the final year of his professional career Cruyff signed for Feyenoord, and, interestingly, he scored against Ajax that season. The legendary Dutchman won the Eredivisie and the Dutch Cup once again, and that was the end of his glorious playing career.

As manager of Barcelona, he won La Liga four times and the European Cup.

Johan Cruyff was one of the best footballers of all time, with perhaps the deepest understanding of the game, and he proved it by achieving so much in football.

Cruyff the coach

Cruyff’s coaching career began where his playing career had started. He managed Ajax from 1985 to 1988 and won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with the club in 1987.

In 1988 he returned to Barcelona as manager and stayed for eight years. His side won four La Liga titles, and on 20 May 1992 it gave the club its first European Cup. At Wembley Stadium in London, Barcelona beat Sampdoria 1-0 after extra time, with Ronald Koeman scoring the winner in the 112th minute. It was the first time the club had won the competition, and it was achieved with a coach who had once been the club’s star player.

Honours and legacy

As a player Cruyff won the Ballon d’Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. At the 1974 World Cup he was named the best player of the tournament, even though the Netherlands lost the final to West Germany.

Away from the pitch, he set up the Johan Cruyff Foundation in 1997 to support disadvantaged children and children with special educational needs through sport.

His name also stands over the home of Ajax. On 25 April 2017, the day Cruyff would have turned 70, it was announced that the Amsterdam Arena would be renamed the Johan Cruijff Arena. The change was confirmed in April 2018 and took effect from the start of the 2018-19 season.