Johan Cruyff

At 68 years old, Johan Cruyff has this physical status:

Club career

On his tenth birthday, Cruyff joined the Ajax youth system. Cruyff and his friends would often visit a "playground" in their neighborhood, and Ajax youth coach Jany van der Veen, who lived close, noticed Cruyff's talent and offered him a spot at Ajax without a formal investigation. Cruyff loved baseball when he first joined Ajax and continued to play the sport until age 15, when he resigned at the behest of his coaches.

In a 3-1 loss, he made his first squad debut on November 15, 1964 against GVAV, scoring the only goal for Ajax. In 2013, Ajax finished in 13th, their lowest position since the inception of professional football. Cruyff made a name for himself in the 1965-1966 campaign, scoring two goals against DWS in the Olympic stadium on October 24, 1965, a 2–0 triumph. He scored eight times in the seven games that winter, and in March 1966, he scored the first three goals in a league game against Telstar in a 6–2 victory. He scored four goals in a cup match against Veendam that won 7–0. Cruyff scored 25 goals in 23 games during the season, while Ajax won the league championship.

Ajax won the league championship and then took home the KNVB Cup for Cruyff's first "double" in the 1966–67 season. Cruyff was the country's top goalscorer last season, with 33 goalscorer. In the 1967–68 season, Cruyff won the league for the third year in a row. For the second time in a row, he was named Dutch footballer of the year, a feat that he repeated in 1969. Cruyff reached his first European Cup final against Milan on May 28, 1969, but the Italians triumphed 4–1.

Cruyff earned his second league and cup "double" in the 1970-71 season, while recovering from a groin injury early in the 1970-71 season. He made his comeback against PSV on October 30th, 1970, and rather than wearing his normal number 9, which was in use by Gerrie Mühren, he instead used number 14. Ajax defeated Ajax 1–0. Despite the fact that it was unusual for the firsts of a game not to be played with numbers 1 to 11, Cruyff wore number 14 from that moment onwards, even with the Dutch national team. There was a documentary about Cruyff, Nummer 14 Johan Cruyff, and in the Netherlands, Voetbal International, Nummer 14, is published.

Cruyff scored six goals in an 8–1 victory in a league match against AZ '67 on November 29, 1970. Ajax defeated Sparta Rotterdam by a score of 2–1, winning the KNVB Cup final for the first time in Europe. Ajax gained the European Cup by beating Panathinaikos 2–0 in London on June 2nd, 1971. He started his Ajax employment with a seven-year deal. He was named the Dutch and European Footballer of the Year for 1971 at the end of the season.

Ajax won their second European Cup in 1972, defeating Inter Milan 2–0 in the final, with Cruyff scoring both goals. In the face of Total Football, the victory prompted Dutch newspapers to announce the demise of the Italian style of defensive football. "Single-handed, Cruyff not only pulled Internazionale of Italy apart in the 1972 European Cup Final, but Ajax's 2–0 victory gave them both goals." In the KNVB Cup final, Cruyff scored in a 3–2 victory over ADO Den Haag. Cruyff was the top scorer with 25 goals as Ajax became champions in the league. Ajax secured the Interdependence Cup by beating Argentina's Independiente 1–1 in the first game followed by 3–0, and then in January 1973, they defeated Rangers 3–1 away and 3–2 in Amsterdam. Cruyff's only own goal came against FC Amsterdam on August 20, 1972. Cruyff scored four times for Ajax against the Go Ahead Eagles a week later in a 6–0 victory. With a 1–0 victory over Juventus in the final, the 1972–73 season came to an end.

Cruyff was sold to Barcelona for 6 million guilders in mid-1973 (approx). In a world record transfer fee, US$2 million (c. 1973) was paid in a lump sum. He appeared in his final match for Ajax on August 19, 1973, when the team defeated FC Amsterdam 6–1, the second match of the 1973–74 season.

When Cruyff picked Jordi, a Catalan word for his son, he endeared himself to the Barcelona people. He helped the team win La Liga for the first time since 1960, defeating their fiercest opponents Real Madrid 5–0 at their home in the Santiago Bernabéu. Thousands of Barcelona residents who watched the match on television poured out of their homes to participate in street celebrations. Cruyff did more for the spirit of the Catalan people in 90 seconds than many politicians in years of struggle, according to a New York Times reporter. "With Cruyff, the team couldn't lose," football historian Jimmy Burns said. He gave them a sense of themselves, flexibility, and a sense of themselves. Cruyff was named European Footballer of the Year in 1974.

Cruyff scored a goal in which he leapt into the air and kicked the ball past Miguel Reina with his right heel during his time in Barcelona (the ball had already passed wide of the far post) when he was playing at Atlético Madrid (the ball was already far behind the far post). In the film En un momento dado, in which Cruyff followers attempted to recreate the moment, the goal was captured. The target has been dubbed Le, but Cruyff's impossible target) has been obstructed. Barcelona won the Copa del Rey 1978, beating Las Palmas 3–1. During the Paris tournament, Cruyff appeared in two games with Paris Saint-Germain in 1975. He had only agreed because he was a fan of designer Daniel Hechter, the current president of PSG.

Cruyff was for a brief period of time in 1978. Cruyff and his family immigrated to the United States after losing the majority of his money in a string of poor investments, including a pig farm, that were accompanied by a scam artist. "I had lost millions in pig-farming, and that was the reason I decided to become a footballer," the narrator explained. Cruyff denied that his decision to restart his playing career in the United States was pivotal in his career. "It was wrong, a mistake," I said, adding that "Starting from zero in America, many miles away from my childhood, was one of the best decisions I made." "I learned how to live my uncontrolled ambitions, to imagine as a mentor, and about sponsorship."

Cruyff signed a lucrative deal with the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League at the age of 32 (NASL). He had been rumored to be joining the New York Cosmos before, but the offer was not fulfilled; he appeared in only a few exhibition games for the Cosmos. He played for the Aztecs for just one season and was named National Soccer Player of the Year. After considering an invitation to join Dumbarton F.C., the decision was made. In Scotland, he went to play for the Washington Diplomats for the following season. And when the team was facing serious financial difficulties, he was active in the Diplomats through 1980. Cruyff was a guest player for Milan in a tournament in May 1981, but was forced to return to Milan but was unable to recover. As a result, Cruyff decided to leave the team at the start of 1981 NASL soccer season. Cruyff was also opposed to playing on artificial surfaces, which were not typical in the NASL at the time.

Cruyff played three friendly matches for FC Dordrecht in 1981. Jock Wallace, the manager of Leicester City, attempted to sign Cruyff, playing with Arsenal and an unidentified German club for his players, but despite three weeks of talks in which Cruyff expressed his desire to play for the club, no agreement was reached. Cruyff's decision to join Levante's Spanish Segunda División side instead.

Cruyff played for the first time for Levante on March 1, 1981, winning 1–0 over Palencia. However, injuries and differences with the club's leadership ended his spell in the Segunda División, and he only made ten appearances, scoring two goals. A Levante deal fell through after failing to gain promotion to the Prime Minister of División.

Cruyff returned to Ajax from 1981-82 after a brief stint in the United States and a short stay in Spain. He had returned to Ajax on November 30th, 1980, before his time as a "technical advisor" to Leo Beenhakker, Ajax's eighth in the league table at the time, with Ajax ranked eighth in the league table at the time after 13 games played. Ajax finished second in second place after 34 games, but not before that. Cruyff signed a contract extension with Ajax in December 1981 until 1983.

Ajax and Cruyff were league champions from 1981-1982 and 1982-83 years. Ajax was crowned Dutch Cup champion from 1982–83 (KNVB-Beker). He scored a famous goal against Helmond Sport in 1982. Cruyff made a goal the same way Rik Coppens had done it 25 years ago while playing for Ajax. Cruyff shot the ball down for a routine penalty kick, but Cruyff nudged the ball sideways to teammate Jesper Olsen, who returned the ball to Cruyff to tap the ball into the empty net as Otto Versfeld, the Helmond goalkeeper, continued.

Ajax has decided not to give Cruyff a new contract at the end of the 1982-83 season. Cruyff responded by signing for Feyenoord, Ajax's archrivals. Cruyff's time with Feyenoord was a fruitful one, in which the club lifted the Ecuyenoord for the first time in a decade, part of a league and KNVB Cup double. The team's success was due to Cruyff's, Ruud Gullit, and Peter Houtman's performances.

Despite his youth, Cruyff appeared in all league games this season, save for one. For the fifth time, he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year for his efforts on the track. At the end of the season, the veteran revealed his final retirement. He completed his Ethio's career against PEC Zwolle on May 13, 1984. Cruyff's last game in Saudi Arabia against Al-Ahli was his last game in the UAE, bringing Feyenoord back to the game with a goal and an assist.

International career

Cruyff, a Dutch international, played 48 games, scoring 33 goals. Cruyff scored in a game in which the national team never lost a match. He made his official debut for the Netherlands against Hungary on September 7, 1966, scoring in the 2–2 draw. Cruyff was the first Dutch international to be given a red card in his second match, a friendly against Czechoslovakia. The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has barred him from international competitions, but not from Eredivise or KNVB Cup games.

Cruyff's "aloofness" charges were not rebuffed by his habit of wearing only two black stripes along the sleeves, as opposed to Adidas' standard design feature of three. Cruyff and Puma had a separate sponsorship agreement. He wore the number 14 jersey for the Netherlands from 1970 to 2011, establishing a trend for wearing shirt numbers in the absence of the usual starting line-up numbers of 1 to 11.

Cruyff was voted player of the tournament in 1974 and helped the Netherlands win a runners-up medal. They cruised all the way to the final, defeating Argentina (4–0), East Germany (2–0), and Brazil (2–0) along the way, thanks to his team's mastery of Total Football. Cruyff scored twice against Argentina in one of his team's most dominating performances, then scored his second goal against Brazil to knock out the defending champions.

In the final, the Netherlands met West Germany. Cruyff led off and the ball was passed around the Oranje team 15 times before returning to Cruyff, who later ran past Berti Vogts and ended when Uli Hoeneß fouled him inside the box. Johan Neeskens, a teammate, scored on the spot kick to put the Netherlands up 1–0, and the Germans hadn't touched the ball until now. His fame was stifled by Vogts' accurate marking, but West Germany defeated West Germany 2–1.

Cruyff retired from international football in October 1977 after helping the national team prepare for the forthcoming World Cup. Without him, the Netherlands finished runners-up in the World Cup for the second time. Two rumors about his reason for missing the 1978 World Cup: either he missed it for political reasons (a military dictatorship was in place in Argentina at the time) or his wife discouraged him from playing. Cruyff announced in 2008 that he and his family were a year before the tournament, but that this had caused his exile. "You must be 200% positive to play a World Cup, but there are times in life where there are other values."

Coaching career

Cruyff followed in the footsteps of his mentor Rinus Michels, coaching a youth Ajax team to triumph in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1987 (1–0). Cruyff returned to Ajax in May and June 1985. Despite Ajax's goal difference of +85 goals against, the league champion was lost in the 1985-86 season to Jan Reker's PSV, which was despite Ajax's PSV's +85. Ajax won the KNVB Cup in 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons.

Cruyff's preferred team formation emerged during his time as boss, with three mobile defenders, one more covering space, and one more attacking midfielder (from Rijkaard, Scholten, De Wit, Witschge) and one versatile center forward (from Bergkamp, van't Schip, Bosman) assisting the attack-minded players, three mobile defenders (from Rijkaard, Blind, Silooy, Spelbos This system was so effective that Ajax won the Champions League in 1995, playing Cruyff's system, a nod to Cruyff's legacy as Ajax coach.

Cruyff returned to Barcelona for the 1988-89 season as a player, this time to take up his new role as coach of the first team. Cruyff had already built up a wealth of experience as a coach/manager before returning to Barcelona. He was praised in the Netherlands for his offensive flair on his sides as well as his outstanding work as a talent spotter. Cruyff started working with Barça on a completely redesigned side following the last season's scandal, which was described as the "Hesperia Mutiny" ("El Mot de l'Hespèria" in Catalan). Carles Rexach, who had already been playing for the club for a year, was his second in command. Cruyff was arrested immediately on suspicion of being his Barça brand of football, and the verdict didn't take long. However, this did not happen with the first team; the youth teams also displayed the same attacking style, which made it possible for reserve players to make the switch to first team football. As Cruyff took over as manager, Barcelona of the late 1980s was "a club in debt and in crisis," Sid Lowe said. Jordi Pujol, the president of the Spanish autonomous community they represented, had bad news, performances were worse, the atmosphere was sour, and attendances fell, though even the friendship between the club Josep Llu's Néez and the president of the Spanish autonomous community they represented, Jordi Pujol, had deteriorated. It didn't work right away, but it [Cruyff] recovered the identity as a player. He took risks, but rewards followed."

Cruyff recruited Pep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero, Txiki Begiristain, Andoni Gokhaetxea, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário, and Hristo Stoichkov. Barça lived through a glorious period of Cruyff. In the span of five years (1989–1994), he led the team to four European finals (two European Cup Winners' Cup finals and two European Cup/UEFA Champions League finals). Cruyff's record includes one European Cup, four Liga championships, one Cup Winners' Cup, one Copa del Rey, and four Supercopa de Espaa.

Barça's "Dream Team" won four La Liga titles in a row (1991–1994) and defeated Sampdoria in both the 1989 European Cup Winners' Cup final and the 1992 European Cup final at Wembley Stadium, according to Cruyff. Barcelona defeated Sampdoria 2–0 on May 10, 1989, with goals from Salinas and López Rekarte. Over 25,000 people came from Switzerland to help the team. Cruyff's latest Barça lifted the club's third Cup Winners' Cup. As Barca defeated Sampdoria, the European Cup dream became a reality on May 20th, 1992 at Wembley Stadium in London. Cruyff's last order to his players before they stepped onto the field was "Salid y disfrutad" (Spanish for "Go out and enjoy it) or "Go out and enjoy yourself." After a scoreless draw, the match went to extra time. Barça's first European Cup victory was clinched in the 111th minute by Ronald Koeman's superb free kick. Twenty-five thousand supporters accompanied the team to Wembley Stadium, while one million protesters turned out on Barcelona's streets to welcome the European champions home. Cruyff's victories include a 5–0 victory over Real Madrid in El Clásico, as well as a 4–0 triumph over Manchester United in the Champions League. Barcelona captured a Copa del Rey in 1990, the European Super Cup in 1992 and three Supercopa de Espaa, as well as finishing runners-up to Manchester United and Milan in two European finals.

Cruyff was Barcelona's most effective manager with 11 trophies, but Pep Guardiola, his former manager, has since been demolished, winning 15. Cruyff was also the club's longest-serving manager. He didn't win any trophies in his last two seasons, but he did not win any, losing with chairman Josep Llu's Nez, who ultimately dismissed him as Barcelona coach, who eventually fired him as Barcelona coach and eventually fired him.

Cruyff was in talks with the KNVB to head the national team for the 1994 World Cup finals, but talks came to a halt at the last minute.

Cruyff served Catalonia on the field in 1976, as well as his service as the team's manager of the Catalonia national team from 2009 to 2013, leading the team to a victory over Argentina in his debut match.

Cruyff was appointed as the head of the Catalonia national team on November 2nd. It was his first managing role in 13 years. They played a friendly game against Argentina on December 22, 2009, which culminated in a Catalonia win, 4–2 at Camp Nou. At Estadi Olmpic Llu's Companies on December 28, 2010, Catalonia played a friendly against Honduras beating 4–0. Catalonia held a goalless draw at the Llu's Companys on December 30, 2011 at Tunisia. Catalonia defeated Nigeria 1–1 in their last game under Cruyff on January 2nd, 2013.

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