R.I.P. Johan Cruyff

For me and the majority of the futbol world, the biggest of the big, the mentor to 'the beautiful game' has unfortunately passed at the young age of 68. His play, managing, and mentoring were all at the top of the worlds biggest sport.

 

I pretty much 'grew up' on the game with him. A truly wonderful player, certainly in the frame as one of the GOAT's.

Then, as you say, add in his managerial successes & he has to be there or thereabouts.

A sad day for football fans the world over.

RIP good sir,
Ian

 

Although Pele was more prominent to me (I grew up in NY / NJ, I was fortunate enough to see Pele's last game with the Cosmos), Cruyff is much more so now. I was never a great player (not a fair assessment, I truly sucked), but I loved the tactics and challenge of the "beautiful game".

As I transitioned to coaching, I was completely enamored with Barcelona's style of play, much of it influenced by Rinus Michels (coach) and Johan Cruyff (player), a carryover from the Ajax days. Later, as coach of Barca, he was instrumental in furthering the total futbol style and proposed the formation of La Masia, which needs no explanation.

My coaching style is 99% pure Barcelona. I have been trained by Barcelona / La Masia coaches. While I am miles from replicating the sheer greatness, the influence is without question...I owe much of my coaching style, my love of soccer, to Johan Cruyff.

RIP - he will be missed!

 

One of the very best! Arguably the most influential figure in the sport in a long, long time. R.I.P.

 

I was fortunate enough to play against him way back when, 37 years ago - more accurately and was always intrigued with the controversy that surrounded him. If you look back on all the 'drama'; the adidas/puma issues, the constant squabbling with dumba$$ money men on boards, Ajax, Barca, to name a few BIGS, he was ALWAYS in the right and some fool with an ego tried him...just a waste of his talents because he just told 'em to $&@ off and the club suffered, until they figured things out and begged him back. He always just wants to call ALL the shots everywhere he goes in futbol, as a player, manager, etc. because he is a walking PH.D. of futbol. To fault him, you can't really talk with him about much else, he just spews wisdom like no one else in history, it's ridiculous! His legacy is by far the biggest in the sport dwarfing Pele's.

My longtime close friend/ex-teammate married his daughter so I have become very close with their lovely family. They are very private and I am sure grieving big time today.

I refer to him as the 'godfather' of futbol, and should have described him in past tense, apologies

 

His mentoring, right until his death was broad. Pep Guardiola, Marco Van Basten, etc. phoned Johan for EVERYTHING- he was choosing lineups, solving tactical problems, la liga, bundesliga, etc...international, right until the end. He 'discovered' these luminaries when they were teenagers and guided their careers to the top, first as players, then managers.

 

Football world is a lesser place without the man, true legend.

 

Tonight at 20:30 CET, El Clasico

Barcelona - Real Madrid
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Thanks Johan/Gràcies Johan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfW67vcdrM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJoD6op8DfA

 

+1

Awesome! Thanks!

"Playing football is simple..... But playing simple football is the most difficult thing there is."

Cheers,
Ian

 

His mentoring literally extends to me - someone that is relatively no one in the grand scheme of things. As mentioned, my coaching style, how I train the kids I coach, is 99.9% "total futbol"...more the Pep Guardiola / Barca style of recent vintage. But obviously, that's completely derived from Cruyff.

Many of the kids that I coach know the move, but likely not the man. I coach / train 3 teams, 45 kids in all. My hope is that some of them coach their children when they get older. Keep multiplying that through, and you get an idea of the impact this man had.

Still hard to believe he's passed.

 

Great stuff - some heavyweights here - Koeman, Guardiola, Laudrup, Stoichkov...a who's who that Cruyff coached / played with. Incredible!