Few sights in soccer were ever as majestic as seeing Dutchman Johan Cruyff at the peak of his career. From his days as a promising talent in the Ajax Amsterdam youth system in the early 1960s to his all-conquering form with the senior team, with FC Barcelona in Spain, and internationally with the Dutch team that revolutionized soccer in the 1970s, Cruyff was the central driving force for the successes of those teams, and richly deserves his place among the greatest to ever play the game.
Early Days
Literally born just blocks away from Ajax’ home stadium in April 1947, Cruyff’s talent was spotted early, and at just ten years old, he was approached by the club to sign youth forms and join their training academy.
Rising through the age ranks and working at a sporting goods store after dropping out of school, Cruyff was an ever-present around the De Meer Stadion and Ajax’ training grounds. This was especially the case after his mother began a relationship with Henk Angel, a groundsman at Ajax, after his father passed away at the age of 12.
Angel formed a very close relationship with Cruyff, and as his playing and managerial career unfolded over the next few decades, his appreciation for the “behind the scenes” aspects of running a soccer club was always apparent – a clear effect of his time spent under Angel’s wing.
It seemed only a matter of time before Cruyff would earn his promotion to the senior squad, and sure enough, he made his professional debut for Ajax in November of 1964.
Naturally, the mercurial youngster scored, though in a losing effort as Ajax lost 3-1 on the day.
It did not take long for the skinny teenager to become a fixture in the lineup, and in his second season, Cruyff belted home an eye-popping return of 25 goals in just 23 games. Ajax steamrolled to the Eredivisie title, losing just two league matches in the process.
That 1965-66 season also saw the early seeds of what was to become a fruitful partnership for Dutch soccer that went on to revolutionize world soccer in general.
Total Football
Totaalvoetbal – “Total Football” – may not have been the original term for Rinus Michels‘ tactical vision as manager, but once the term was coined, it became synonymous with the style of play shown by Ajax.
On a foggy December night in 1966, Ajax and Total Football introduced itself to the world with a sensational (if difficult to view) 5-1 victory over English champions Liverpool, who featured 2 members of England’s victorious World Cup squad in their lineup.
As if the margin of victory were not enough, what made observers raise their eyebrows even more was the sheer ease with which the previously-unheralded Dutch ran Liverpool off the pitch.
If Michels was the composer and conductor behind the system of movable parts that defined Total Football, Cruyff was his first violinist: the one with the most skill and capability to act as the catalyst for putting the vision into practice.
Cruyff was usually listed as a center-forward, but blink and he would be drifting wide, or pulling the strings from a central midfield position, or dropping back deep inside his own half to win the ball and put his passing to good use.
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The awareness of space to direct teammates amidst fluid moving parts was one of the primary qualities required in order for Total Football to succeed. Such awareness needed a level of vision and talent that few possessed, but in Cruyff, Michels and the rest of the Ajax squad knew that they had a truly special player on their hands.
Cruyff was never the fastest on the pitch, nor was he particularly strong, but his timing and cerebral approach always drew attention on the pitch. Watching him, one got the sense that soccer was more art than sport, and this approach was a welcome respite from the overly-physical brand of play that befell the 1966 World Cup.
Despite having more experienced veterans like Piet Keize, Sjaak Swart, and Henk Groot in the squad, Cruyff was the vocal leader and one who clearly enjoyed the gift of the gab, as he earned a reputation for being a constant talker. While this may have driven other players crazy, he emerged as the clear leader and behind his orchestration, Ajax quickly rose from the doldrums to become a dominant force in Dutch and European soccer.
4 Eredivisie titles in 5 seasons between 1965 and 1970 rounded out the decade with huge success, but bigger things were to follow in the early 1970s. With the addition of players like Dick van Dijk, Arie Haan, Johan Neeskens, and Ruud Krol, Ajax continued their run of domestic success and reached the pinnacle of European soccer with 3 straight European Cup wins between 1971 and 1973.
By the time Cruyff signed for Barcelona, following in Michels’ footsteps to Spain, he had 6 Eredivisie championships, 4 KNVB Cups, and 3 European Cups, and had been named Dutch and European Footballer of the Year twice each.
Spain
Signing for a then-world record fee, Cruyff’s arrival at Barcelona energized the team and its fanbase as they swept to their first La Liga title in over a decade, permanently endearing the Dutchman to the Catalans.
Success was a bit harder to come by in Spain, as Barcelona’s efforts were overshadowed by the success (and money) of their heated rivals Real Madrid. Indeed, once being named European Football of the Year for the third time in 1974 following the title-winning debut season with Barcelona, the only other success Cruyff experienced with the Blaugrana was a Copa Del Rey win in 1978.
Of course, 1974 ended up being a truly memorable season for him in so many ways……
Hup Oranje!
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After a 36-year absence from the sport’s biggest stage, the Dutch burst onto the scene in the 1974 World Cup in neighboring West Germany and wowed viewers around the world with Michels running things from the sideline and Cruyff leading the charge on the pitch.
Having made his debut for the national team at just 19 and with his prominent role for Ajax, much was expected of Cruyff in leading the Dutch. However, the rigors of international soccer saw them face an uphill battle against more established teams in Europe. By the time the summer of 1974 rolled around, Cruyff had been a part of a national team setup which failed to qualify for 2 European Championships and the 1970 World Cup.
As the Dutch dazzled with their performances on the pitch, cruising to victory in the second group stage over Argentina, East Germany, and Brazil without conceding a single goal, one particular moment stood out.
The Cruyff turn became a signature moment in time for soccer, and epitomized the creativity and artistry behind the system.
Unfortunately, for all that his talent showed, Cruyff’s best finish in international play was just one World Cup runner’s-up medal, though his individual form was recognized as FIFA awarded him the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament.
Cruyff retired from international soccer after helping the Dutch qualify for the 1978 World Cup, where they would again finish runners-up, that time to Argentina. There were rumors that his political views had caused him to boycott a World Cup hosted by a country run by an authoritarian government, but the actual reason for his bowing out of the international scene was much more personal: in 2008, Cruyff revealed that groups had attempted to kidnap his wife and family, and he wanted to fully focus on them in the offseason.
Over an 11-year span, Cruyff was capped 48 times and finished with 33 goals for the national team.
Management Beckons
Following spells in the US and then the Spanish second division, he returned to Ajax, enjoying another brief run of success with two more league titles. Snubbed by the team he had grown up playing for when his contract expired, Cruyff’s signed for bitter rivals Feyenoord, with whom he won his final Eredivisie title in 1984.
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For a man as outspoken and loquacious as he was with a tremendous soccer brain to boot, management seemed inevitable for Cruyff, and sure enough, the prodigal son returned to the fold at Ajax in 1985.
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His greatest success as the manager of his boyhood club was leading the team to the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987 with a squad boasting the likes of Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Aron Winter, and Dennis Bergkamp. His tenure at the helm was marked by a return to the attack-minded philosophy during his playing days, and Ajax’ return to prominence in the Eredivisie was sealed.
Cruyff also played a prominent role in revamping the Ajax youth system, where he encouraged players to play in different position and ordered coaches to place more emphasis on development rather than results.
One thing had always been clear and became a recurring theme throughout Cruyff’s career – because of his unorthodox approaches and demanding style, he could often be difficult to work with, even if his results reflected that he was more often than not the one on the right track. Voted out of the team captaincy in 1973, a conflict with the Ajax chairman brought an end to his time as manager of the team in 1988.
If returning to Ajax seemed inevitable for Cruyff, so did a move back to Barcelona, and sure enough, he was brought on as manager the very next season. His first taste of success at the Nou Camp came with another European Cup Winners’ Cup win in 1989.
Following the Summer Olympics of 1992, sports fans would be forgiven for associating the “Dream Team” moniker with the Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird-led collection of superstars that steamrolled to a gold medal for the US in the basketball event, but local soccer fans had already witnessed a Dream Team of their very own.
Cruyff successfully assembled a glittering array of stars such as Hristo Stoichkov, Romario, Ronald Koeman, Josep “Pep” Guardiola, Jose Bakero, Guillermo Amor, Aitor “Txiki” Beguiristain, and many more.
Between 1990 and 1994, this squad led Barcelona to 4 straight La Liga titles, an European Cup win and a runner-up finish, an European Cup Winners’ Cup runner-up, 1 Copa del Rey, and 3 Spanish Supercups.
Following an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to AC Milan in the 1994 Champions’ League final, Cruyff undertook a rebuilding of the squad. Gone were a host of big names, and their replacements struggled to replicate the feats of the early 90s.
Ultimately, things came to a head at the end of the 1995-96 season, as recalled by FourFourTwo’s Andrew Murray:
The day before the final home game of 1995/96 – which brought a second year without silverware – against Celta Vigo, the tension between Cruyff and Nunez came to a head amid persistent rumours about Bobby Robson replacing the Dutchman. Vice-president Joan Gaspart went to the dressing room for a chat.”You Judas,” spat Cruyff in response to Gaspart’s outstretched hand. “How is it possible that Nunez can’t come and do this face to face?” The pair came to blows, the vice-president threatening to call the police if Cruyff did not leave the Nou Camp immediately.
“Looking back on it, it was probably a mistake to go down to the dressing rooms and give him an explanation,” the vice-president later recalled. “It only made the situation worse. Things got violent – we both lost ourselves. We couldn’t carry on after that, not even for two games.” In just 90 seconds, the longest-serving manager in Barcelona history, and at that stage the most successful, was gone. ”People like Nunez don’t become chairmen because they like football,” ranted Cruyff, “”but because they like themselves.”
Just like that, Cruyff’s managerial days, other than a spell as coach for the Catalonian national team, the unaffiliated national team for Catalonia, were over.
The Cruyff Legacy
Cruyff’s lasting legacy to the sport of soccer is one that transcends even his achievements as a player and manager. Having risen through the youth ranks at Ajax himself, Cruyff recognized and placed a high value on player development.
During his final season as a Barcelona player in 1978, Cruyff had made a suggestion to team chairman José Luis Núñez to develop a youth system mirroring the one he had developed in at Ajax, and so the La Masia academy was established.
Almost 4 decades later, that academy has seen its reputation grow to become recognized as arguably the best youth academy system in the entire world. Current names such as Lionel Messi, Cesc Fàbregas, Gerard Piqué, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández are just the latest in a long line of La Masia alumnus who have gone on to experience top-flight success as professionals.
A decade after making that suggestion to Núñez, Cruyff planted another seed that has borne fruit in the modern game, particularly for Barcelona and Spain: after taking over as Barcelona manager, Cruyff installed a new tactical regime that placed a high emphasis on short passing, player movement, and controlling possession. Tiki-taka soccer was born.
Cruyff’s influence was undeniable in Pep Guardiola‘s all-conquering Barcelona squads of 2008 to 2012. That squad in turn heavily influenced the Spanish squad that won the back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012, bookending the ultimate achievement of hoisting the World Cup in 2010……..by defeating the Netherlands in the final.
Guardiola, one of Cruyff’s first proteges from his spell as Barcelona manager, has since moved on to Bayern Munich, and it is also perhaps no coincidence that it was Bayern players who formed the core of Germany’s World Cup-winning squad in 2014.
And then there was that Dutch team that made the breakthrough and won a major international tournament in winning the 1988 European Championship. Led by Ruud Gullit, van Basten, and Rijkaard, the squad was dominated by players who had played both alongside and under Cruyff.
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With Michels back at the helm, this title run reinforced the identity that had been cultivated on the global stage in 1974 and to this day remains the core of Dutch soccer.
Bergkamp, Gullit, Robben, Platini, Guardiola, Zidane, Xavi, Laudrup, Cantona, Stoichkov – these stellar players whom Cruyff influenced are just part of a list that is just as long as it is illustrious. As a player, Cruyff mesmerized on the pitch. As a manager, he found a way to communicate his vision to first-teamers and academy players alike. As a tactician, he was innovative in his wizardry.
As a footballer, his impact will be lasting, and among all the greats who will ever grace the pitch, none will have left as much of a mark on the game as him.
Hendrik Johannes “Johan” Cruyff, 1947-2015
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