Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff, born in 1947, Dutch soccer player and coach, who was named European soccer player of the year in 1971, 1973, and 1974. A powerful forward with exemplary dribbling and passing techniques, Cruyff was known as an expert in “total soccer,” incorporating the entire soccer field in his strategies and bettering the skills of his teammates. With Bobby Charlton of Great Britain, Di Stefano and Diego Maradona of Argentina, and Pelé of Brazil, he ranks as one of the all-time soccer greats.

Cruyff was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and began his soccer career at age ten, when his mother enrolled him in the junior league team of the Ajax of Amsterdam soccer club. Seven years later, Cruyff became a starting player on Ajax’s first team, and in 1966 he was named to the Dutch national team. For the next 12 years Cruyff remained one of Europe’s most notable soccer players. His unique ability to orchestrate plays and create scoring opportunities for his teammates earned him the nickname the Dutch Master—the same title given to the famous Dutch painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. His fans also knew him simply as number 14—the jersey number he retained throughout his professional career.

Cruyff led Ajax to six Dutch league titles, three consecutive European Cup championships (1971-1973), and the World Club championship in 1972. As team captain, he also anchored the Dutch national team at the 1974 World Cup, held in Munich, West Germany (now part of the united Federal Republic of Germany). The Netherlands reached the final match of the World Cup, only to be bested by West Germany, 2-1.

Cruyff retired from international competition in 1978 and moved to the United States. He played for the Los Angeles Aztecs and the Washington Diplomats in the North American Soccer League (NASL) before returning to the Netherlands in 1981 to rejoin Ajax. As a player he captured two more Dutch league titles in 1982 and 1983, and another the following year with the Feyenoord, a club from Rotterdam. Cruyff later returned to Ajax as a coach, leading the club to the European Cup Winner’s Cup in 1987. In 1990 he was hired as head coach of F.C. Barcelona, a team from Barcelona, Spain, and the following year he led that team to the first of four consecutive Spanish league titles (1991-1994). He also coached Barcelona to its first European Cup championship in 1992 and to the European Cup Winner’s Cup championship in 1993. In 1997 Cruyff was one of the first ten players elected to the International Football Hall of Fame.