Beautiful.
Johan Cruyff 1947-2016
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Beautiful.
Ahh shit, just heard the news. Gutted 
Disappointed to hear the sad news. A fantastic player back in the day and an iconic name. He has left an everlasting legacy on modern football and will be a loss to the game.
RIP to one of the greats of world football.
I Remember him in the 1974 world cup absolutely awesome.
I Remember him in the 1974 world cup absolutely awesome.
I never saw him play as he was before my time but I'll always remember playing football as a kid and yelling Cruyff turn whenever I skinned anyone doing it. Likewise whenever my mates did the same. RIP to a true great.
RIP to one of the Legends of the Game.
Unfortunately, harsh and long battle against Cancer.
Unfortunately, harsh and long battle against Cancer.
This was the guy that laid the Barcelona blueprint out, not fecking LVG. A genius of a player and an innovator as a manager.
As a kid I knew what the Cruyff turn was before I knew who Cruyff the player was.
RIP
As a kid I knew what the Cruyff turn was before I knew who Cruyff the player was.
RIP
Sad news. A great player and a great football man.
RIP
RIP
I like that. RIP.
Barcelona uploaded a 90 minute video about Cruyff 3 hours ago.
I think that shows that they have been prepared for months, and the winning the battle was just a front for the public.
The Messi Penalty to Suarez must have been in tribute too.
I think that shows that they have been prepared for months, and the winning the battle was just a front for the public.
The Messi Penalty to Suarez must have been in tribute too.
I'm absolutely gutted, and appreciative of the time he's been in this world.
For all his accomplishments, I want to highlight that he was a classy human being. Even when van Basten at Ajax turned on him, he never retaliated publically. He could be tough, but never cruel. He had time for anyone regardless of status, and passionately wanted football to be run by ex-footballers. We should have made him president of Fifa if he could have stomached it. He would have made it all terribly simple.
Did you know he almost made Guardiola quit football? Cruijff as a coach had a habit of going easy on his lesser footballers, because he saw it wasn't in them, but he was brutal on his talented players. Guardiola almost couldn't take the constant criticism, never any praise while lesser footballers were excused, and drove home in tears one day by his own admission seriously contemplating quitting the game. He later credited Cruijff for being the key figure in his development, and the best coach he ever had.
If a good player passed a decent ball, and a lesser player fumbled it, he would blame the better player. Being good at football meant answering to a higher standard with greater responsibility.
He told Romario, who was told he was lazy on the pitch all his life "you run too much. Take it easy. You know when to run." That was the other side of Cruijff, who recognised Romario had a great eye for offensive situations, and didn't want him expending energy pressing the ball and have him lacking it at a decisive time.
In Holland, we introduced 80 kilometer an hour zones on the freeway, to help with traffic jams. Cruijff commented once: "I don't understand it. If everyone drives faster, aren't they off the freeway quicker?"
A study years later showed he was right.
That was Cruijff. A pure mind. A big heart. Rest in peace, mister Cruijff.
For all his accomplishments, I want to highlight that he was a classy human being. Even when van Basten at Ajax turned on him, he never retaliated publically. He could be tough, but never cruel. He had time for anyone regardless of status, and passionately wanted football to be run by ex-footballers. We should have made him president of Fifa if he could have stomached it. He would have made it all terribly simple.
Did you know he almost made Guardiola quit football? Cruijff as a coach had a habit of going easy on his lesser footballers, because he saw it wasn't in them, but he was brutal on his talented players. Guardiola almost couldn't take the constant criticism, never any praise while lesser footballers were excused, and drove home in tears one day by his own admission seriously contemplating quitting the game. He later credited Cruijff for being the key figure in his development, and the best coach he ever had.
If a good player passed a decent ball, and a lesser player fumbled it, he would blame the better player. Being good at football meant answering to a higher standard with greater responsibility.
He told Romario, who was told he was lazy on the pitch all his life "you run too much. Take it easy. You know when to run." That was the other side of Cruijff, who recognised Romario had a great eye for offensive situations, and didn't want him expending energy pressing the ball and have him lacking it at a decisive time.
In Holland, we introduced 80 kilometer an hour zones on the freeway, to help with traffic jams. Cruijff commented once: "I don't understand it. If everyone drives faster, aren't they off the freeway quicker?"
A study years later showed he was right.
That was Cruijff. A pure mind. A big heart. Rest in peace, mister Cruijff.
Some quotes:
Technique is not being able to juggle a ball 1000 times. Anyone can do that by practicing. Then you can work in the circus. Technique is passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your team mate.
Someone who has juggled the ball in the air during a game, after which four defenders of the opponent get the time to run back, that’s the player people think is great. I say he has to go to a circus.
Choose the best player for every position, and you’ll end up not with a strong XI, but with 11 strong 1’s.
In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.
Why couldn’t you beat a richer club? I’ve never seen a bag of money score a goal.
I always threw the ball in, because then if I got the ball back, I was the only player unmarked.
Players that aren’t true leaders but try to be, always bash other players after a mistake. True leaders on the pitch already assume others will make mistakes.
After you’ve won something, you’re no longer 100 percent, but 90 percent. It’s like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there’s a little less gas inside.
We must make sure their worst players get the ball the most. You’ll get it back in no time.
If you have the ball you must make the field as big as possible, and if you don’t have the ball you must make it as small as possible.
Every professional golfer has a seperate coach for his drives, for approaches, for putting. In football we have one coach for 15 players. This is absurd.
Surviving the first round is never my aim. Ideally, I’d be in one group with Brazil, Argentina and Germany. Then I’d have lost two rivals after the first round. That’s how I think. Idealisitic.
Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring.
There are very few players who know what to do when they’re not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don’t mark him.
I find it terrible when talents are rejected based on computer stats. Based on the criteria at Ajax now I would have been rejected. When I was 15, I couldn’t kick a ball 15 meters with my left and maybe 20 with my right. My qualities technique and vision, are not detectable by a computer.
Technique is not being able to juggle a ball 1000 times. Anyone can do that by practicing. Then you can work in the circus. Technique is passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your team mate.
Someone who has juggled the ball in the air during a game, after which four defenders of the opponent get the time to run back, that’s the player people think is great. I say he has to go to a circus.
Choose the best player for every position, and you’ll end up not with a strong XI, but with 11 strong 1’s.
In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.
Why couldn’t you beat a richer club? I’ve never seen a bag of money score a goal.
I always threw the ball in, because then if I got the ball back, I was the only player unmarked.
Players that aren’t true leaders but try to be, always bash other players after a mistake. True leaders on the pitch already assume others will make mistakes.
After you’ve won something, you’re no longer 100 percent, but 90 percent. It’s like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there’s a little less gas inside.
We must make sure their worst players get the ball the most. You’ll get it back in no time.
If you have the ball you must make the field as big as possible, and if you don’t have the ball you must make it as small as possible.
Every professional golfer has a seperate coach for his drives, for approaches, for putting. In football we have one coach for 15 players. This is absurd.
Surviving the first round is never my aim. Ideally, I’d be in one group with Brazil, Argentina and Germany. Then I’d have lost two rivals after the first round. That’s how I think. Idealisitic.
Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring.
There are very few players who know what to do when they’re not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don’t mark him.
I find it terrible when talents are rejected based on computer stats. Based on the criteria at Ajax now I would have been rejected. When I was 15, I couldn’t kick a ball 15 meters with my left and maybe 20 with my right. My qualities technique and vision, are not detectable by a computer.
This RIP.
Wasn't alive in his time but his legacy is so vivid, just watched sky sports footballs greatest documentary on him, what a player! Sad to see another person affected so horrifically by cancer.
A bit before my time, but it's impossible to overlook his influence on the game. The Cruyff Turn was my favourite move when playing football myself. Probably practiced it for hundreds of hours.
May he rest in peace.
One thing I've always wondered: Why is his name normally stylized as "Cruyff" when it is actually "Cruijff"?
May he rest in peace.
One thing I've always wondered: Why is his name normally stylized as "Cruyff" when it is actually "Cruijff"?
Its just hard to beleive that he is gone is a massive loss to the sport he gave so much too
Its how non dutch replace letters because of how its pronounced.
Similar to Oezil, Goetze (I believe)
My brother told me the news in the way back to home and I was very sad (though unsurprising).
RIP to a legend of football. One of the greatest players of all time.
RIP to a legend of football. One of the greatest players of all time.
I thought as much, but then how is it originally written, if not Cruijff? Because those are all "standard" letters! Özil, Götze, Solakjær I understand because those contain non-standard characters. It seems arbitrary to just rewrite a name consisting of standard characters, and I always wondered if there was a story behind it.
There was something very special about him. Absolute legend of the game. RIP.
Im still in shock. He was supposedly getting better and was getting back into the public eye, especially with his institute. Talking about football and Barca.
Greatest influence made by an individual in football. Obviously the most defining figure in Barca's history. He'll always be my biggest idol in football, the way he thinks and his views on the game. I'm glad I met whilst he was still healthy, just a few months before the cancer announcement. His signed institute degree will always be one of my most prized possessions. RIP Johan.
Greatest influence made by an individual in football. Obviously the most defining figure in Barca's history. He'll always be my biggest idol in football, the way he thinks and his views on the game. I'm glad I met whilst he was still healthy, just a few months before the cancer announcement. His signed institute degree will always be one of my most prized possessions. RIP Johan.
Absolute and utter class. RIP Maestro.
'You play football with your head, and your legs are there to help you'
Johan Cruyff number 14: Why the Dutch master wore the famous shirt
Cruyff upset the Dutch authorities with his choice
Johan Cruyff has become synonymous with the shirt number 14.
Like Pele and Diego Maradona with No 10, or Alan Shearer with No 9, it's hard to imagine the Netherlands, Ajax and Barcelona legend turning out in any other number.
But for the first six seasons of his career - campaigns that brought four Eredivisie titles abnd two KNVB Cups as well as a number of individual accolades - the No 14 was not in Cruyff's thinking.
In fact, he turned out in the No 9 shirt between 1964 and 1970, when football authorities insisted that players starting the game wore 1-11.
It was only by sheer chance that he ever wound up wearing the now iconic No 14 shirt.
Before a game against rivals PSV Eindhoven on 30 October 1970, team-mate Gerrie Muhren couldn't find his usual shirt, the No 7. Cruyff offered his usual shirt, the No 9, to Muhren and went to the basket of spare shirts, taking out the one on the top.
It happened to be the No 14.
Ajax won the game 1-0 and, as Muhren recalled to Voteball International, Cruyff insisted they keep the same numbers in the next game, much to the disdan of the Dutch Football association.
"Gerrie, PSV went so well, let's just play with the same numbers," Cruyff said.
From that day, Cruyff wore the No 14, where possible, throughout his career, although at Barcelona he was more often seen in his old No 9 shirt.
His superstition even superceeded the famous 'Total Football' Dutch side of the 1974 World Cup.
Rinus Michels' squad were assigned shirt numbers alphabetically, leading to a somewhat odd covering of players.
Forward Ruud Geels ended up with the No 1 shirt and goalkeeper Jan Jongloed the No 8.
Cruyff, however, was allowed to keep his trademark No 14 - he would have been No 1, of course.
At the same tournament Cruyff made an even stranger kit decision. The Netherlands were decked out in Adidas gear but Cruyff had a sponsorship deal with Puma. Rather than turn out in the three stripes, the Dutch FA allowed Cruyff to turn out in a specially modified kit that only featured two stripes.
Ajax retired the No 14 shirt from service in 2007.
Cruyff upset the Dutch authorities with his choice
Johan Cruyff has become synonymous with the shirt number 14.
Like Pele and Diego Maradona with No 10, or Alan Shearer with No 9, it's hard to imagine the Netherlands, Ajax and Barcelona legend turning out in any other number.
But for the first six seasons of his career - campaigns that brought four Eredivisie titles abnd two KNVB Cups as well as a number of individual accolades - the No 14 was not in Cruyff's thinking.
In fact, he turned out in the No 9 shirt between 1964 and 1970, when football authorities insisted that players starting the game wore 1-11.
It was only by sheer chance that he ever wound up wearing the now iconic No 14 shirt.
Before a game against rivals PSV Eindhoven on 30 October 1970, team-mate Gerrie Muhren couldn't find his usual shirt, the No 7. Cruyff offered his usual shirt, the No 9, to Muhren and went to the basket of spare shirts, taking out the one on the top.
It happened to be the No 14.
Ajax won the game 1-0 and, as Muhren recalled to Voteball International, Cruyff insisted they keep the same numbers in the next game, much to the disdan of the Dutch Football association.
"Gerrie, PSV went so well, let's just play with the same numbers," Cruyff said.
From that day, Cruyff wore the No 14, where possible, throughout his career, although at Barcelona he was more often seen in his old No 9 shirt.
His superstition even superceeded the famous 'Total Football' Dutch side of the 1974 World Cup.
Rinus Michels' squad were assigned shirt numbers alphabetically, leading to a somewhat odd covering of players.
Forward Ruud Geels ended up with the No 1 shirt and goalkeeper Jan Jongloed the No 8.
Cruyff, however, was allowed to keep his trademark No 14 - he would have been No 1, of course.
At the same tournament Cruyff made an even stranger kit decision. The Netherlands were decked out in Adidas gear but Cruyff had a sponsorship deal with Puma. Rather than turn out in the three stripes, the Dutch FA allowed Cruyff to turn out in a specially modified kit that only featured two stripes.
Ajax retired the No 14 shirt from service in 2007.
Gutted. Farewell, legend.
I saw Cruyff play for Barcelona in a European Cup semi final at Elland Road in 1975 and it's a game (and victory) that remains one of my favourite football memories.
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Terrible news
Obviously never had the fortune to see him play live being a 90s kid but when you watch him, when you see the vids, it's made me want to put a pair of footy boots on, grab a football and have a kick-about. Players who make you want to play for me that's really special.
Nobody to say he played for.... PSG.... just one game in 1975
Because Barcelona didn't want to let him join PSG !
Because Barcelona didn't want to let him join PSG !
That Holland 1974 side were groundbreaking in the way they played the game and Cruyff was the architect behind it, he pulled all the strings.
A lovely player to watch. Other greats, like Messi, Maradona, - brilliant, brilliant players - have had a bit of hustle and bustle about them in their style and approach but Cruyff was as smooth as silk. Upright, elegant and possessed an unrivalled vision and awareness of what was going on around him.
R.I.P
A lovely player to watch. Other greats, like Messi, Maradona, - brilliant, brilliant players - have had a bit of hustle and bustle about them in their style and approach but Cruyff was as smooth as silk. Upright, elegant and possessed an unrivalled vision and awareness of what was going on around him.
R.I.P
I am the same as you in this.
Liverpool might've done better to tweet the great Bill Shankly's funny remark after Cruyff & Ajax had beaten Shankly's Liverpool side 5-1: "We never play well against defensive teams!"
I normally don't give a shit about most celebrity and indeed football deaths.
But this one, I don't know what to say besides put up this video.
But this one, I don't know what to say besides put up this video.
RIP Legend!
Football would never be what it is without him.
The man knew his onions-
“Liverpool are like Bayern Munich, they are all about name and prestige. In footballing terms, we are talking about two horrible sides. In my opinion, a team is horrible if it is incapable of putting three passes together” – on the Champions League and Uefa Cup winners of 2001
Football would never be what it is without him.
The man knew his onions-
“Liverpool are like Bayern Munich, they are all about name and prestige. In footballing terms, we are talking about two horrible sides. In my opinion, a team is horrible if it is incapable of putting three passes together” – on the Champions League and Uefa Cup winners of 2001
R. I. P.