Johan Cruyff: A Tribute To A Legend

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Football connoisseur Johan Cruyff has died, aged 68, following a battle with lung cancer.

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The ex-Barcelona star was said to be surrounded by his family during his “peaceful” final moments.

A serial winner during his playing days, he accumulated 23 trophies across spells at Ajax, Barcelona and Feyenoord. As equally impressive, he earned an astounding 12 personal honours for his own trophy cabinet, including a remarkable three Ballon d’Or awards.

As a manager, he lead Ajax and Barcelona to a collective 14 titles, bringing unabridged success to virtually everything he set his mind to.

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He was named player of the tournament in Holland’s runner-up finish at the 1974 World Cup, and equally crucial in his nation’s qualification to the following 1978 World Cup – a tournament he did not participate in – before he retired from international football in 1977. Holland went on to a successive second placed finish, and only those closest to Cruyff will know for certain whether he truly missed the chance to win a World Cup because of the “political issues” he first cited, or because of an alleged kidnap attempt on he and his family in Barcelona.

Cruyff was famous for many things, whether it was his neck-height back-heel against Atletico Madrid (dubbed the “impossible goal”), the infamous turn, which will now don his name for all of eternity, or his stubborn, never-say-die nature which got him in trouble almost as often as it secured him success.

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But to those of a younger generation, he may never be truly appreciated for what he has done for football today. Cruyff’s “total voetbal” laid the foundations for the Barcelona masterclasses which entice the youth of today into the sport. His visionary style promoted the qualities of intelligent possession play, his mercurial desires lusted for beautiful, high scoring, winning teams.

He remapped La Masia, Barca’s youth academy, and brought through players who before his time wouldn’t have even been considered for promotion – often due to their stature not being more than that of five feet nine inches. Pep Guardiola, one of the first ‘to-be’ stars to be accepted despite his slight frame, once said that “without Cruyff, the Xavis and Iniestas of this world wouldn’t exist.”

And he could not have been more right. Despite becoming somewhat of a mercenary in the early 80s, selling himself for a percent of the gate received per match – something which saw him leave his boyhood Ajax for bitter rivals Feyenoord because they “couldn’t afford him” – Cruyff was one of football’s few romantics, the defining player of a generation.

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He changed the landscape of the footballing world, forever. His confidence in his own ability and theory was unparalleled and virtually unquestionable. Tired of journalists who didn’t get his cryptic messages, he once said “If i wanted you to understand, i would’ve explained it better.” A real testament to his character comes from former Barcelona centre-half Miguel Angel Nadal, who tells the tale of a half-time which saw a deflated Barcelona side heading towards European exit.

“Cruyff came in at half-time and we were expecting a rocket. He just rubbed his hands and said: ‘Bloody hell lads, it’s f***ing freezing out there.’ All the pressure had gone. He was full of self-assurance that the team he had built would triumph, because he’d brought it together.” Barcelona secured the goal they needed to progress that night.

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The Dutchman possessed incredible intelligence. In training, he was anal to the point of stopping entire sessions to adjust a player’s positioning by just a few yards – something which may be common practice now, but was unprecedented in his day. But it worked. It was the reason his side was so successful, and so beautiful. The Barcelona side which he lead to successive La Liga titles and a European Cup played free-wheeling football which was nearly unstoppable, and goes down as one of the greatest ever club sides seen.

He wasn’t without his vices, however. A man so determined and confident was also a man who was completely unwilling to compromise his principles, which lead to a number of questionable incidents. His refusal to cooperate with then-President Josep Nunez lead to his eventual departure from the Spanish giants. His unwillingness to allow Gary Lineker to play anywhere besides right-wing was surely detrimental to the Englishman’s Spanish venture, and his love for cigarettes left him chewing Chupa Chups lollipops after a heart bypass. “People who are not of my level can’t affect my integrity,” he would insist.

One of the true greats of the sport, he could instruct his players better than any other fully trained coach. His arrogance was well placed, and his ability beyond the realms of the norm. He experienced many great things during his time both as a player and as a coach, achieving more in his life than the rest of us simpletons could ever dream of.

But finally, above all, he was real. “I’m ex-player, ex-technical director, ex-coach, ex-manager, ex-honorary president. A nice list that once again shows that everything comes to an end.”

Everything that Johan Cruyff did for football resonated, and continues to affect the way the sport is played to this day. His revolutionary 3-4-3 was originally laughed at, and now is the topic of every other tactical football philosopher’s studies. Was he doubted? Of course. Was he right? More often than not.

I leave you with his truest quote of all: “In a way, I’m probably immortal.”

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