Johan Cruijff has died

murpho999

Sad to hear via Dutch news that one of the worlds greatest players has passed away from lung cancer aged 68. RIP

Knex*

Jesus. Knew he was unwell, but still finding this unexpected.

He helped to change football for the better. One of the few who deserve the term, "legend".

scudzilla

What a guy, grew up admiring him, total legend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srx8rZc1jcs

That_Guy

He'll be turning in his grave with my ill timed joke...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1k7DGqRF5g

ArielAtom

My favourite player of all time. I practised the Cruyff drag back for hours on end. RIP, Legend.

castletownman

RIP. Pioneer of the game.

Can a mod delete the thread I started on the same topic?

MightyMandarin

RIP. One of the greatest footballers in history hands down. An incredible player who knew how the game should be played and his legacy still lives on in Ajax and Barcelona to this day.

kfallon

What a man, what a footballer, what a legend!

inforfun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phShXKxfKo0

Had the pleasure of watching him every home and most away matches in his last year as a football player at Feyenoord.
even at 37 he was still so much better than anyone else on the pitch and mind you, these were the days that Feyenoord - Ajax matches had players like Van Basten, Gullit, Koeman, Rijkaard on the pitch.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Pure class.

Vicxas

Damn shame, fantastic footballer.

RIP

irishguitarlad

What a legend, RIP

gimmick

Barcelonas next home match is against Real Madrid. I imagine the tribute to him will be incredible.

RobbingBandit

Sad, only read how he almost signed for Leicester in 1981, great player.

Arghus

Sad news. The best European player of all time.

Perhaps the most influential player in football history?

thomasj

Legend. RIP.

Juxtapose

Great footballer, who's impact on football can never be undervalued.

I too spent hours trying to master the "Cruyff turn" as a young kid and watching Holland and Barcelona's total class football with him in the team.

RIP

Andersonisgod

Absolutely devastated by this news. I was too young to have seen him play (aside from some clips), I never met him in person and yet the news of his death is a crushing blow. I don't know why, people die all the time but I suppose Cruyff was one of those larger than life figures. He transcended whatever role he was in; he was more than just a footballer, he was the symbol of Total Football, he was more than just a coach, he was a revolutionary that changed football forever. The joy and happiness that he brought to football fans around the world has endured, his ideals and beliefs still clearly evident at Ajax and Barcelona. I suppose it is that enduring joy which he brought to football which will be his great legacy. With that thought in mind, this quote from Cruyff rings true
"In a way, I'm probably immortal."

RIP

That_Guy

The thing I love most about the 'Cruyff turn' was the defender running the other way and trying to tackle a player who wasn't there anymore. Absolute magic.

Lucas Hood

Rip

Loved listening to him speak about football

castletownman

http://www.football365.com/news/portrait-of-an-icon-johan-cruyff

Written just over a month ago. Brilliant piece made all the more poignant now.

greendom

I was in Spain when he was manager of Barcelona including when he won the European Cup in 1992. He brought some fabulous players to the club and developed others such as his eventual successor, Guardiola.

The one thing that always sticks in my mind though is how much he annoyed Gary Lineker by playing him on the wing. So much so that Lineker wrote a 'fictional' book in Spanish called "Donde esta el delantero central" (Where is the Centre Forward!)

Kristopherus

Absolute Legend. A joy to watch in action, RIP.

Nunu

A hero.


I was obsessed with his Barca dream team. Romario, Stoichkov, Laudrup etc.

Hollands goal in the 1st minute of the 74 World Cup final is my favourite goal of all time and it was a penalty��He's basically conducting an orchestra in front of him then bam!

Francie Barrett

Nunu wrote: »

A hero.


I was obsessed with his Barca dream team. Romario, Stoichkov, Laudrup etc.

Hollands goal in the 1st minute of the 74 World Cup final is my favourite goal of all time and it was a penalty��He's basically conducting an orchestra in front of him then bam!

That world cup always sticks out in my mind. Remember playing soccer in the street as a kid - Cruyff was just about the coolest person on the planet, and every kid was pretending to be him. Everyone I knew was gutted when the Germans beat Holland to win the final.

inforfun

Hollands no 1 football website has a live feed with reactions on his passing from all over the (football) world

At the bottom you ll see a button "toon meer" which is <click for more>

J Cheever Loophole

Very sorry to hear this - a player who strode 'my' first World Cup like a colossus. His leadership of that great team will live long in the memory and in particular I can recall their demolition of Argentina in Gelsenkirchen.

I got the opportunity to see him play live when Holland played Northern Ireland in a World Cup Qualifier in Windsor Park in 1977. He didn't go to the World Cup in 1978 - I'm open to correction, but I believe that was on a point of principle, given the Argentinian junta's appalling human rights' record - and that team failed narrowly to win the ultimate prize without him.

Long before supporters could buy team jerseys, a mate of mine somehow had an Ajax jersey - plain white with broad red vertical band on the front and back. Before a match would start in the Swimming Pool car park, he would issue the immortal line, "I'm Cruyff - whoever wants to can be Neeskens!"

Such was the reverence he was held in. Thanks for the memories.

adox

A true legend of the game and one of the all time greats, I`m sure he would be in most peoples all time top 5 players.


RIP

inforfun

J Cheever Loophole wrote: »

Very sorry to hear this - a player who strode 'my' first World Cup like a colossus. His leadership of that great team will live long in the memory and in particular I can recall their demolition of Argentina in Gelsenkirchen.

I got the opportunity to see him play live when Holland played Northern Ireland in a World Cup Qualifier in Windsor Park in 1977. He didn't go to the World Cup in 1978 - I'm open to correction, but I believe that was on a point of principle, given the Argentinian junta's appalling human rights' record - and that team failed narrowly to win the ultimate prize without him.

Long before supporters could buy team jerseys, a mate of mine somehow had an Ajax jersey - plain white with broad red vertical band on the front and back. Before a match would start in the Swimming Pool car park, he would issue the immortal line, "I'm Cruyff - whoever wants to can be Neeskens!"

Such was the reverence he was held in. Thanks for the memories.

It wasnt for the junta he stayed home.
It was an armed robbery in his Barcelona home that made him decide not to go and leave his wife alone in Barcelona.

Link

murpho999

Love this quote from him.

I don't believe in God. In Spain all 22 players cross themselves, if it works the game is always going to be a tie

Chardee MacDennis

Wow, first Paul Daniels, now Cruyff - all the magicians are leaving us...

Moneymaker

2016 can go **** itself

A true legend, and icon in Holland. RIP.

SlickRic

I remember hearing about one of his lines, which I really hope is true.

At 4-0 up in a game, he said that he tried to hit the bar rather than score because it was more fun for the fans.

Legend.

JP Liz V1

RIP

weisses

RIP ... True legend

RIP. Oh, that famous turn.......

TheCitizen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g2xnbue_Vc

Cruyff made this anti tobacco ad in the 90's. There's the story that he and the other Dutch players were nervously pacing the corridors and smoking cigarettes pre the World Cup Final v Germany in 1974. The Dutch probably had the more talented players, in Cruyff they definitely had the outstanding creative player on the pitch, German efficiency won in the end however.

mikeym

RIP

inforfun

TheCitizen wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g2xnbue_Vc

Cruyff made this anti tobacco ad in the 90's. There's the story that he and the other Dutch players were nervously pacing the corridors and smoking cigarettes pre the World Cup Final v Germany in 1974. The Dutch probably had the more talented players, in Cruyff they definitely had the outstanding creative player on the pitch, German efficiency won in the end however.

Not going to post the picture but he did advertise Roxy Dual, a cigarette brand.
Of course that was in a time that smoking was looked upon ratherdifferent than now.

As genius as he was on the pitch, he was controversial as well.

Boring he was certainly not.

He personified the Beautiful Game...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIAVTd3jVe8

mansize

These are the footballers that should be admired and adored, I never saw Cruijff play, but I saw Bergkamp- a protégé of his. Cruijff made a cameo appearance in his Arsenal testimonial

murpho999

The famous "Cruijff Turn"

eagle eye

One of the greatest of all time and a nice guy to boot. A great player and a great manager.

RIP

inforfun

Minute silence before kick off




And during the 14th minute during Feyenoord - Sparta tonight

Mr.Nice Guy

As a kid there were certain players you knew as legends of the sport: Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer...and Cruyff was in that category. An amazing innovator on the pitch and off it.

Harry Palmr

Cruyff was above the rest, others were famous for playing the game, he made the modern game.

Just looking at the WC 74 final - the pitch was an absolute shocker.

iroced

RIP mister Cruyff.

I agree with Harry Palmr. He was the greatest ever! He's the only one who was both a great player and a great coach.


"Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is."

This guy was more than a footballer. He was to Football, what Steve Jobs was to technology. He was a revolutionary.

RIP Johan

A sad day for the footballing world

unkel

TheCitizen wrote: »

Cruyff made this anti tobacco ad in the 90's.

What annoyed me today is reading in the press that he was "a life long smoker" (implying he got lung cancer through his own fault)

Fact is he gave up the fags after a health scare 25 years ago when he was only in his early 40s

Anyway RIP Johan, you did so much for football and bringing people together from all over the world.

inforfun

It was a bit more than a health scare, he had bypass surgery in 1991.

Anyway.... this was just over 2 weeks ago in Israel.

dudara

As the Guardian said... "Cruyff was argumentative, arrogant, dominating and brilliant". In other words he was 100% Dutch and they, along with football fans everywhere, will miss him