Such poise, such balance, a shimmy here, a shimmy there and then a cross with the outside of the right boot. He needed a left foot as much as Puskas or Brady needed a right.
What I loved about him was his imagination, and his ability to innovate, not only the famous 'turn'. RIP one of the greatest players to grace the game we love.
Brilliant player. Just behind Pele & Maradona, and in the discussion with Beckenbauer, Puskas, Di Stefano, Best, Van Basten, Platini, & Zidane, as who follows next.
Everyone knows the Cruyff turn, never seen on a football pitch before the 1974 World Cup. Fantastic skill, devastating pace over ten yards and a clinical finisher.
His legacy is seen whenever Barcelona play. He took the Dutch Total Football concept created by Rinus Michels in the 60's, to Barcelona in 1975 & again when he became coach in the 80's. His philosophy was adopted throughout the club, especially in the academy. Guardiola carried it on with the development of Tiki Taka. Barcelona are what they are today because of Cruyff's Dutch philosophy.
I only saw him play once, at Wembley v England in 1976. Today I'm privileged to say, I saw Cruyff play.
Really sad. Seeing the photos of him in the Ajax shirt takes me back to those days when as a teenager I was bewitched by everything Dutch - RNI and the bands they played, that incredible Ajax team playing football like I never imagined, and him, the glittering jewel of that team. So effortlessly, quietly cool, none of the Ibrahimovic nonsense. RIP.
Saw him play in a Fairs Cup match in the early 70's. Without doubt the finest player I've seen in person. As others have said, he made it all seem so effortless.
Genuine superstar in the days where they were nearly normal guys. Had the pleasure of seeing him play in the flesh albeit towards the end of his career in the same Feyenoord team as a teenage Ruud Gullit. RIP.
Comments
RIP Johan
RIP Johann.
Very sad. RIP Johan
RIP one of the greatest players to grace the game we love.
Everyone knows the Cruyff turn, never seen on a football pitch before the 1974 World Cup. Fantastic skill, devastating pace over ten yards and a clinical finisher.
His legacy is seen whenever Barcelona play. He took the Dutch Total Football concept created by Rinus Michels in the 60's, to Barcelona in 1975 & again when he became coach in the 80's. His philosophy was adopted throughout the club, especially in the academy. Guardiola carried it on with the development of Tiki Taka. Barcelona are what they are today because of Cruyff's Dutch philosophy.
I only saw him play once, at Wembley v England in 1976. Today I'm privileged to say, I saw Cruyff play.
RIP
2016 is not off to a good start. We're losing too many.
A true football genius, RIP
RIP
we'll never find out what he thought of horse racing.
RIP to an absolute legend of the game. Some one who changed the game for the better.
RIP 14
RIP
R I P
@soapy_jones he nearly signed for Dumbarton you know...
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/top-10-botched-transfers-you-might-not-know-about?page=0,6#:uBvf2aS9O2skzA