Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff is a Dutch legendary player and coach born on 25 April 1947 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Johan announced himself to the world football as a player of Ajax. He joined the club in 1964 and played there for nine years. Cruyff mostly played as an attacking midfielder though he is renowned for his style of play called Total Football where no footballer is fixed in their intended outfield role. Cruyff collected an array of awards such as 8 Eredivisie titles, 5 Dutch Cups, three UEFA Champion Leagues titles, 2 UEFA Super Cups and some others during his stint with Ajax. He was also named the Dutch Footballer of the Year four times as well as won the European Golden Shoe in 1968 and Ballon d’Or in 1971 and 1973. Overall, Cruyff scored 251 goals in 319 appearances in all competitions for Ajax.

In 1973, the Dutchman moved to Spanish giants Barcelona. He was an instrumental figure in Barca’s winning the La Liga title in the 1973/74 season, the first one after 14 titleless years. The same year Cruyff claimed his third Ballon d’Or. It’s a tidbit that during his spell with Blaugrana Johan Cruyff netted his most magnificent and spectacular goal against Atlético Madrid often referred to as Cruyff’s impossible goal or the ‘Phantom Goal’.

In between 1979 and 1984, Cruyff had short spells at American sides Los Angeles Aztecs and Washington Diplomats, Spanish Levante and Dutch Feyenoord. He helped the latter one to win the Dutch Dubble – Eredivisie and KNVB Cup, in the 1983/84 season. Since 1966 till 1977, Cruyff scored 33 goals in 48 matches for the Netherlands national team. He led his side to the second place in the 1974 World Cup.

Johan Cruyff retired from playing in 1985 and embarked on his managerial career. He initially coached his feeder club Ajax for three seasons leading them to two consecutive KNVB Cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup trophy in 1987. In 1988, Cruyff took charge over Barcelona with whom he achieved the pinnacle of his fame as a manager. Thus he led Barca to four consecutive La Liga triumphs, the 1989/90 Copa del Rey and three Spanish Super Cups, as well as to the 1989 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1992 UEFA Super Cup. Until recently, since 2009 till 2013, Johan Cruyff coached the Catalonia national team.