Johan Cruyff is the greatest Dutch soccer player to ever live. He made a name for himself playing for Ajax for almost a decade. Big was his mark on the Amsterdam club, so much that their home ground was renamed after him after his death. Cruyff played for Barcelona before moving to the U.S. to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs and Washington Diplomats. El Flaco did it all. From winning three Balon’d Or to making a movie. From coaching Barcelona to being fired from Mexican club Chivas. The late manager also did something only someone like him could do. That is, changing a brand.
The year was 1974 and West Germany geared up to host the World Cup two years after the Munich Massacre at the Olympics. 1974 would witness the first and only official match between East and West Germany. The German Democratic Republic wore blue while the Western hosts sported classic white and black. Meanwhile, the Netherlands were set to take on Uruguay for their opening match in group 3. They wore Adidas. Their biggest star, however, had a problem with that.
The Contract
Cruyff was under contract with rival manufacturer Puma. He wore Puma King, black and simple before anyone thought about painted boots in bright colors much less taking the laces off. Such contract prevented him from wearing any other brand on the pitch. This posed no problem for FC Barcelona as their jerseys were made in house. It wouldn’t be until 1982 when Catalonian sports brand Meyba stamped its logo on the Blaugrana stripes that Los Cules had a jersey supplier. He refused to wear the iconic three stripes. Such was his talent that the Dutch F.A. bowed to his demands and made a tailor-made shirt just for him.
Three Stripes No More
The Netherlands National Soccer Team took to the field on the evening of June 15th, 1974 in Hannover. All Dutchmen wore Adi Dassler’s jersey. All but one, as their captain looked a little different. Cruyff wore a shirt as orange as his teammates’, not with three, but two stripes.
The man with the bespoke jersey and the Netherlands made it all the way to the final, only to fall against the host half of Germany 2-1 at the Munich Olympic Stadium. Johan Cruyff, ironically, scored three goals in the competition that summer.