Todays Tales

There are very few people who make a mark on sport in such a way as former Ajax and Netherlands star Johan Cruyff. His contribution to the beautiful game was almost mythical.

While the Netherlands produced one of the most renowned artists the world has ever seen, Vincent van Gogh, his compatriot Cruyff, was like an artist with a football at his feet, creating patterns and movements that mystified his opponents.

Who is Johan Cruyff?

johan cruyff
Bert Verhoeff for Anefo Nationaal Archief, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, via Wikimedia Commons

Johan Cruyff, or Hendrik Johannes Cruijff, to give him his full name, is a football legend among the best players ever to ply his trade in the beautiful game.

Born in Amsterdam in 1947, Johan Cruyff redefined football, both as a player and later as a head coach. His tactical acumen in coaching almost became as renowned as his skills with the ball.

He was always destined for greatness, as even during the early days of his career, there was something special about Cruyff, a quality that only a few football personalities have within them.

Technically, as a player, his skill, grace, and balance made him one of the best players that football has ever seen. He was a master manipulator of the football, even inventing a movement now referred to as ‘The Cruyff Turn’.

His style of play and attitude to the game inspired many modern greats. A video from FIFA’s official website titled “Was Johan Cruyff a Time Traveller?” showed the former Ajax great pulling off moves that recent stars have emulated in big games.

In a real sense, Cruyff may not have been a time traveller, but he was a player ahead of his time.

Not just a pretty footballer

billy bremner and johan cruyff shake hands before game in 1971
Rob Mieremet / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, via Wikimedia Commons

In his teens, Cruyff’s football brain and leadership skills were evident. He sometimes ruffled the feathers of his far more experienced teammates in the Ajax first-team when breaking through as a teen.

Just like his football ability, Cruyff’s managerial ability was among the best in the world. He had his own distinct football philosophy, before most head coaches, a way of thinking that was different to other bosses.

Cruyff mapped out the game in his brain and could almost think two steps ahead of his opponents, both as a player and boss, almost like a grand chess master.

He not only refined the ‘Total Football’ style of football mastered by his former Ajax and Netherlands boss Rinus Michels but almost perfected it.

His most significant coaching success came with his former club, Catalan giants Barcelona, as he won four La Liga titles in a row from 1991 until 1994 with the team now labelled ‘The Dream Team’.

For many years, ‘The Dream Team’ was considered to be one of the best club teams the game has ever seen. However, that claim was sometimes derided because the Blaugrana won just one European Cup under Cruyff.

It would be difficult to argue that the Dutchman was not a top coach. The fact that he won so much silverware didn’t just prove that his football was easy on the eye, but also highly effective at winning games.

Not only did he win four La Liga titles and a European Cup as Barcelona boss, Cruyff also won the Copa del Rey, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Super Cup.

Meanwhile, at his beloved Ajax, he won the Dutch Cup on two occasions. His spell as the head coach of Barcelona will be how his managerial career is best remembered.

What is Johan Cruyff’s football legacy?

estadi johan cruyff
Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It would be easy to believe that ‘The Cruyff Turn’ or the ‘The Dream Team’ are the Dutch legend’s biggest football legacies.

Although both are noteworthy, Cruyff has left a far bigger legacy elsewhere in the game.

For instance, his son Jordi Cruyff became a footballer in his own right at two of his dad’s old clubs, Ajax and Barcelona, although he only played for the Dutch side in the youth ranks.

On his retirement from playing, Cruyff JR moved behind the scenes as a head coach and, at the time of writing, is the sporting director at Barcelona. He is trying to shape the future of his dad’s second love after Ajax.

Cruyff’s legacy even stretches to the managerial field, as several of his former players from ‘The Dream Team’ have gone on to become managers, including the likes of Michael Laudrup and Ronald Koeman, with the latter the current Netherlands boss.

Current Manchester City director of football, Txiki Begiristain, also played under Cruyff in Catalonia.

However, arguably, the person Cruyff had the biggest effect on was Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola.

Cruyff promoted Guardiola to the Barcelona first-team and showed tremendous faith in the then-young midfielder.

Guardiola has since stated that the Dutchman was a mentor and one of the most influential people he has worked with in his career.

The Catalan-born boss has become a modern managerial icon, continuing to win trophies at every club he has coached, including at Barcelona.

Ironically, Guardiola’s Blaugrana team from 2008-2012 is often compared to Cruyff’s iteration when people discuss the greatest club teams of all time.

No doubt, Johan Cruyff is not just one of the most influential figures in the career of the Citizens boss but also one of the most important figures that football has ever produced.

Without the beauty and the character of the often-outspoken Dutchman, football would be a far duller place. Football owes Mr Cruyff a debt out of gratitude, and his legacy lives on through his son, former clubs and players.