Johan Cruyff loses battle with cancer

plcmts17 · Mar 26, 2016

I didn't see any other threads about this and I probably should have put this in other sports, but Johan Cruyff was no ordinary soccer player or sportsman. He was one of the main forces behind the rise of Ajax, the Holland national team and the giant Barcelona FC of the last couple of decades.

A giant loss for the sport and prayers to his family.

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daywalker02 · Mar 26, 2016

Jontro · Mar 26, 2016

Ace breh's words on Cruyff from the European Soccer thread. For those of us who are too young or not too well acquainted with the man, but love soccer:

Ace said: ↑

Absolutely devastated - was out when I heard the news and had to find somewhere to sit and reflect. I knew he was ill but as recently as a couple of weeks ago he said he was responding well to treatment. I was surprised by just how sad I felt about someone I'd never met or even saw play live - it's never happened to me before.

The thing is, this guy was a living legend. It's difficult to exaggerate just how much of a cultural impact Cruyff had. Compare him to some of the greats of Dutch history: Rembrandt, van Gogh, Erasmus, heck even William of Orange. Considering the importance of football in world culture and the way in which he approached and changed the game, his name fits in that bracket without question.

He put Ajax and Holland on the map playing brilliant football, disrupted Madrid's hegemony when he joined Barcelona, an absolute world class player. His acceleration, creativity, technique, wonderful. Three ballon d'or awards, three European Cups, and a World Cup final that the Dutch should have won.

But it was how he influenced everyone else that really set him apart from others. He was a manager/director on the pitch as well as a brilliant individual player. To me that's what makes him unique when compared to arguably superior talents such as Messi or Ronaldo.

Perhaps more impressive, however, was how he reached such a high level as a manager. Di Stefano, Pele, Maradona, Platini, none managed to eclipse their achievements as a player. As a sum of player + trainer, there's not a single person in history that can come close to what he achieved. He completely transformed how Barcelona (and Spain) approach the game of football. Instead of looking at physique, Cruyff made it about skill and technique. La Masia as we know it was born from his vision and influence. I grew up watching the original Dream Team and the imprint of his vision was on every subtle switch of position, every pass, every exquisite goal.

When greats such as Guardiola, Stoichkov, Iniesta, and Xavi talk about Johan's importance as the man who started the revolution, they're not just paying lip service. When you next watch the dazzling displays of Barcelona, the brilliant possession football of Bayern, the attacking football that makes up the very reason we love the game, think of Cruyff.

RIP Johan.
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Torn n Frayed · Mar 26, 2016

RIP Legend.

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