Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff was a professional football player and team manager. His professional career spanned two decades from the 1960s to the 1980s and he made a total of 518 appearances in that time. Cruyff spent most of his career playing for AFC Ajax. He also played for FC Barcelona and American clubs – Los Angeles Aztecs and the Washington Diplomats. He also represented the Netherlands internationally and was instrumental in helping them reach the FIFA World Cup finals in 1974.

Player Profile

Hendrik Johannes Cruijff was born on April 25, 1974, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Born just after the war, he grew up just five minutes away from the Ajax Stadium where he would spend most of his youth and professional career. His father died when he was 12 and soon after his mother started working for Ajax to help support the family. She later remarried and his stepfather worked for Ajax as well.

Youth Career

On his tenth birthday, he started his youth career playing for Ajax after his talent was noticed by Ajax youth coach, Jany van der Veen. He played for the youth division through to 1964 when he joined the main team.

Professional Career

He debuted for Ajax in November 1964 and played with them for a decade through to 1973. Cruyff was known for being a huge force for the Ajax team in the early 1970s. In his tenure, he helped the club win the KNVB Cup and the league championship.

After making 245 appearances and 193 goals with Ajax, Cruyff played for FC Barcelona. He was sold t to the team for a then-world-record transfer fee of approximately US$2 Million in 1973.

He was instrumental in helping the team win La Liga for the first time since 1960. Cruyff quickly endeared himself to the Barcelona fans. In 1978, he retired from Barcelona but then came out of retirement to play in the United States for a season each with Los Angeles and Washington.

In 1981, he signed with Levante before going back to play for Ajax again from 1981 to 1983. His last season in football was the 1983-1984 season, during which he played with Feyenoord.

He served as Team Manager for Ajax from 1985 to 1988. From 1988 to 1996, he managed Barcelona and then retired from coaching. He returned in 2009 to manage Catalonia. He was with the team from 2009 to 2013.

Legacy

He died on March 24, 2016, aged 68 in Barcelona, Spain. Multiple awards have been named for him and several trusts and charities are associated with him as well. These include Dutch Football’s Johan Cruyff Award, the Johan Cruyff Foundation, Johan Cruyff Institution, and more. He is also known for originating the Cruyff Turn.

In addition to the numerous awards and institutions named after him, FC Barcelona also named their newly constructed stadium the Estadi Johan Cruyff. The Amsterdam Arena was also renamed the Johan Cruyff Arena in his honor.

Honors:

• 1974 - FIFA World Cup West Germany -

Runner-up West Germany

• 1976 - 1976 European Championship

Yugoslavia - Third Place

Awards and Organizations Named After Cruyff

• Johan Cruyff Award
• Johan Cruyff Shield
• Johan Cruyff Trophy
• 14282 Cruijff Asteroid
• Johan Cruyff Institute
• Johan Cruyff Foundation
• Johan Cruyff Academy
• Johan Cruyff College
• Cruyff Courts
• Johan Cruyff Stadium
• Johan Cruyff Arena

Teams Managed

• 1985–1988 - Ajax
• 1988–1996 - Barcelona
• 2009–2013 – Catalonia