Johan Cruyff is the Flying Dutchman footballer who has become the face of Total Football. He went through a brilliant playing career, and then became a coach who has led his teams to victory more than once.
Childhood
Hendrik Johannes Cruyff was born in Amsterdam on April 25, 1947. It was here that his family moved after the end of World War II. Johan's parents owned a grocery store and worked there. By the way, the future athlete had a brother, Henny, with whom they first played street football, and then in the Ajax children's team.
Career
Cruyff is a graduate of Ajax Amsterdam, the striker also played 239 matches in the senior Ajax team and scored a whopping 190 goals. In this famous club, Cruyff played 9 seasons and in 1973 moved to Spanish Barcelona. The footballer played for Barcelona for 5 seasons and scored 48 goals.
Then Cruyff began the so-called "American" period. From 1979 to 1981, the striker was part of such teams as the Los Angeles Aztex and Washington Diplomats. In total, the striker played 59 games and scored 26 goals in American teams. In 1981, he returned to the Spanish championship of the second division, namely to Segunda, to the Levante team, but did not show anything noticeable there.
And in 1981 Cruyff returned home, namely to Ajax Amsterdam, played 2 seasons and moved to Feyenoord, where he ended his career. In the Dutch national team, the striker played 48 games and scored 33 goals.
Johannes has many significant achievements as a footballer, but the main thing, perhaps, is that he has developed a very special tactic of "total football", which is now used in many top clubs.
Coaching career
Cruyff coached the legendary Barcelona and native Ajax. In the coaching career, he tried himself in the role of the head of the amateur team of Catalonia (2009-2013). Under the leadership of Johannes, Ajax won the Dutch Cup twice. Barcelona, thanks to Cruyff, is a four-time champion of Spain. An eminent footballer and a wonderful coach, Cruyff won the Spanish Cup, won the European Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup. And these are not all achievements in a coaching career.
Personal life
In 1967, Johannes met the daughter of the richest Amsterdam jeweler, winner of the Miss Holland-67 contest, a girl named Danny Koster. It was not easy for a hippie like Cruyff to join high society, but love overcomes all obstacles, and in 1968 the lovers got married.
The Cruyff couple had two girls, Chantal and Cecilia, and then the son of Jordi Cruyff, who is now the head coach of the Chinese club.
Hendrik Johannes Cruyff died on March 24, 2016 after lingering lung cancer, which he acquired due to his addiction to smoking. In 2017, according to the recognition of UEFA, the former coach was included in the top ten coaches who influenced the development of football.
