Johan Cruyff

**Johan Cruyff** (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch football player and manager. He played for Netherlands national team.

Cruyff died of lung cancer. His son is football manager Jordi Cruyff. He is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

### Club

|rowspan="2"|Club|rowspan="2"|Season|colspan="3"|League|colspan="2"|Cup|colspan="2"|Continental|colspan="2"|Other|colspan="2"|Total|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="11"|Ajax|1964–65|rowspan="10"|Eredivisie|10|4|0|0|—|—|10|4||
|1965–66|19|16|4|9|—|—|23|25||||||
|1966–67|30|33|5|5|6|3|—|41|41|||||
|1967–68|33|27|5|6|2|1|—|40|34|||||
|1968–69|29|24|3|3|10|6|1|1|43|34||||
|1969–70|33|23|5|6|8|4|—|46|33|||||
|1970–71|25|21|6|5|6|1|—|37|27|||||
|1971–72|32|25|4|3|9|5|—|45|33|||||
|1972–73|32|17|0|0|6|3|4|3|42|23||||
|1973–74|2|3|0|0|0|0|0|0|2|3||||
|rowspan="6"|Barcelona|1973–74|rowspan="5"|La Liga|26|16|12|8|0|0|—|38|24|
|1974–75|30|7|12|7|8|0|—|50|14|||||
|1975–76|29|6|10|3|9|2|—|48|11|||||
|1976–77|30|14|9|6|7|5|—|46|25|||||
|1977–78|28|5|7|1|10|5|—|45|11|||||
|Los Angeles Aztecs|1979|NASL|22|14|—|—|4|1|26|15||||
|Washington Diplomats|1980|NASL|24|10|—|—|2|0|26|10||||
|Levante|1980–81|Segunda División|10|2|0|0|—|—|10|2||||
|Washington Diplomats|1981|NASL|5|2|—|—|—|5|2|||||
|rowspan="3"|Ajax|1981–82|rowspan="2"|Eredivisie|15|7|1|0|0|0|—|16|7|
|1982–83|21|7|7|2|2|0|—|30|9|||||
|Feyenoord|1983–84|Eredivisie|33|11|7|1|4|1|—|44|13|||

### International

|National team|Year|Apps|Goals||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="12"|Netherlands|1966|2|1|
|1967|3|1|||
|1968|1|0|||
|1969|3|1|||
|1970|2|2|||
|1971|4|6|||
|1972|5|5|||
|1973|6|6|||
|1974|12|8|||
|1975|2|0|||
|1976|4|2|||
|1977|4|1|||

- _Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cruyff goal._

|scope="col"|No.|scope="col"|Date|scope="col"|Venue|scope="col"|Opponent|scope="col"|Score|scope="col"|Result|scope="col"|Competition|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1|7 September 1966|Rotterdam, Netherlands||2–0|2–2|UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying||||||||
|2|13 September 1967|Amsterdam, Netherlands||1–0|1–0|UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying||||||||
|3|26 March 1969|Rotterdam, Netherlands||1–0|4–0|1970 FIFA World Cup qualification||||||||
|4|2 December 1970|Amsterdam, Netherlands||1–0|2–0|Friendly||||||||
|5|2–0|||||||||||||
|6|24 February 1971|Rotterdam, Netherlands||3–0|6–0|UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying||||||||
|7|4–0|||||||||||||
|8|17 November 1971|Eindhoven, Netherlands||1–0|8–0|UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying||||||||
|9|7–0|||||||||||||
|10|8–0|||||||||||||
|11|1 December 1971|Amsterdam, Netherlands||1–0|2–1|Friendly||||||||
|12|16 February 1972|Athens, Greece||3–0|5–0|Friendly||||||||
|13|5–0|||||||||||||
|14|30 August 1972|Prague, Czechoslovakia||1–0|2–1|Friendly||||||||
|15|1 November 1972|Rotterdam, Netherlands||4–0|9–0|1974 FIFA World Cup qualification||||||||
|16|8–0|||||||||||||
|17|2 May 1973|Amsterdam, Netherlands||3–2|3–2|Friendly||||||||
|18|22 August 1973|Amsterdam, Netherlands||2–0|5–0|1974 FIFA World Cup qualification||||||||
|19|5–0|||||||||||||
|20|29 August 1973|Deventer, Netherlands||2–0|8–1|1974 FIFA World Cup qualification||||||||
|21|4–0|||||||||||||
|22|12 September 1973|Oslo, Norway||1–0|2–1|1974 FIFA World Cup qualification||||||||
|23|26 June 1974|Gelsenkirchen, West Germany||1–0|4–0|1974 FIFA World Cup||||||||
|24|4–0|||||||||||||
|25|3 July 1974|Dortmund, Germany||2–0|2–0|1974 FIFA World Cup||||||||
|26|4 September 1974|Stockholm, Sweden||1–0|5–1|Friendly||||||||
|27|25 September 1974|Helsinki, Finland||1–1|3–1|UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying||||||||
|28|2–1|||||||||||||
|29|20 November 1974|Rotterdam, Netherlands||2–1|3–1|UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying||||||||
|30|3–1|||||||||||||
|31|22 May 1976|Brussels, Belgium||2–1|2–1|UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying||||||||
|32|13 October 1976|Rotterdam, Netherlands||2–1|2–2|1978 FIFA World Cup qualification||||||||
|33|26 March 1977|Antwerp, Belgium||2–0|2–0|1978 FIFA World Cup qualification||||||||

## Managerial statistics

|rowspan=2 width=120|Team|rowspan=2 width=100|From|rowspan=2 width=100|To|colspan=5|Record|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|align=left|Ajax|align=left|6 June 1985|align=left|4 January 1988|||
|align=left|Barcelona|align=left|4 May 1988|align=left|18 May 1996|||
|align=left|Catalonia|align=left|2 November 2009|align=left|2 January 2013|||

### Player

**Ajax**
- Eredivisie: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1981–82, 1982–83
- KNVB Cup: 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1982–83
- European Cup: 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73
- European Super Cup: 1972
- Intercontinental Cup: 1972

**Barcelona**
- La Liga: 1973–74
- Copa del Rey: 1977–78

**Feyenoord**
- Eredivisie: 1983–84
- KNVB Cup: 1983–84

**Netherlands**
- FIFA World Cup Runner-up: 1974
- UEFA European Championship Third place: 1976

### Manager

- Ajax
- KNVB Cup: 1985–86, 1986–87
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1986–87

- Barcelona
- La Liga: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
- Copa del Rey: 1989–90
- Supercopa de España: 1991, 1992, 1994
- European Cup: 1991–92
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89
- European Super Cup: 1992

### Individual

**Player**

- Ballon d'Or: 1971, 1973, 1974; Third place: 1975
- Eredivisie top scorer: 1966–67, 1971–72
- KNVB Cup top scorer: 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72
- European Cup top scorer: 1971–72
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 1968, 1972, 1984
- Dutch Sportsman of the Year: 1973, 1974
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1974
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1974
- Onze de Onze: 1977
- Don Balón Award for Best LaLiga Foreign Player: 1977, 1978
- North American Soccer League MVP: 1979
- FIFA World Cup All-Time Team: 1994
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2002
- World Team of the 20th Century
- FIFA 100: 2004
- AFS Top-100 Players of All-Time: #21 (2007)
- World Soccer's Greatest XI of All Time: 2013
- World Soccer's The Greatest Players of the 20th Century: #3
- France Football's Player of the Century: #3
- IFFHS European Player of the Century: #1
- IFFHS World Player of the Century: #2
- UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (2004): #3
- IFFHS The Best European Player (1956–1990): #3
- Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020
- 11 Leyendas Jornal AS: 2021
- IFFHS All-time Men's Dream Team: 2021

**Manager**
- World Soccer Awards Manager of the Year: 1987
- Don Balón Award for Coach of the Year: 1991, 1992
- Onze d'Or for Coach of the Year: 1991, 1992
- European Coach of the Season: 1991–92
- El País Manager of the Year: 1992, 1993, 1994
- World Soccer Greatest Manager of All Time: #28 (2013)
- France Football Greatest Manager of All Time: #4 (2019)
- _Sports Illustrated_ Greatest Manager of All Time: #6 (2019)

### Orders and further honours

- In 1974, Cruyff was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
- In 2002, Cruyff was promoted to Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
- In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of the Netherlands by the KNVB as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.
- On 22 May 2006, Cruyff was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to football by Laureus in their annual World Sports Awards.
- In April 2016, Cruyff was posthumously awarded the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award, which was accepted by his son Jordi.
- Cruyff received a lifetime achievement award from the KNVB in August 2006.
- In 2006, Cruyff played in Dennis Bergkamp's Testimonial as a second-half substitute with Ajax.
- On 18 April 2007, Ajax decided to retire the number 14 shirt in honour of Cruyff and in celebration of his birthday.
- In 2010, Cruyff was presented the FIFA Order of Merit (highest honour awarded by FIFA) for his contribution to football.
- In 2010, Cruyff entered in the FICTS "Hall of Fame" and was awarded with "Excellence Guirlande D'Honneur".
- In 2013, Cruyff was recognised with the UEFA President's Award
- On 29 March 2016, the Prime Minister of Spain awarded Cruyff with the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit.
- On 25 October 2017, the Amsterdam Arena was renamed Johan Cruyff Arena.

## Bibliography

- Barend, Frits; Van Dorp, Henk: _Ajax, Barcelona, Cruijff: Het ABC van een eigenzinnige maestro_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Vassallucci, 1997) [in Dutch]
- Barend, Frits; Van Dorp, Henk: _Ajax, Barcelona, Cruyff: The ABC of an Obstinate Maestro_. Translated from the Dutch by David Winner and Lex Van Dam. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999)
- Burns, Jimmy: _Barça: A People's Passion_. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011)
- Burns, Jimmy: _La Roja: How Soccer Conquered Spain and How Spanish Soccer Conquered the World_. (New York: Nation Books, 2012)
- Butter, Jan-Cees; van der Vlies, Ferenc: _Cruijff & Johan: Herinneringen aan nummer 14_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Water, 2019) [in Dutch]
- Casanovas, Josep María: _Cruyff, una vida por el Barça_. (Barcelona: Ediciones B, 1973) [in Spanish]
- Colmena, Daniel: _De Cruyff a Guardiola, les claus d'un canvi triomfant al Barça_. (Barcelona: Deu i Onze Edicions, 2011) [in Catalan]
- Cruijff, Johan; de Groot, Jaap: _Johan Cruijff – Mijn voetbal: Handboek voor winnaars_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam, 2017) [in Dutch]
- Cruijff, Johan; de Groot, Jaap: _Johan Cruijff – Mijn verhaal: De autobiografie_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam, 2018) [in Dutch]
- Cruyff, Johan: _Mis futbolistas y yo_. (Barcelona: Ediciones B, 1993)  [in Spanish]
- Cruyff, Johan: _Me gusta el fútbol_. (Barcelona: RBA Libros, 2002) [in Spanish]
- Cruyff, Johan: _Fútbol: Mi filosofía_. (Barcelona: Ediciones B, 2012) [in Spanish]
- Cruyff, Johan; de Groot, Jaap: _My Turn: The Autobiography_. (London: Macmillan, October 2016)
- De Boer, Sytze: _Het Amsterdam van Johan Cruijff_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam, 2018) [in Dutch]
- Hiddema, Bert: _Cruijff! Van Jopie tot Johan_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Luitingh-Sijthoff, 1996) [in Dutch]
- Hiddema, Bert: _¡El Cruijff!_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Luitingh-Sijthoff, 1997) [in Dutch]
- Hiddema, Bert: _Cruijff! De jonge jaren_. (Amsterdam: Xander Uitgevers B.V., 2018) [in Dutch]
- Hiddema, Bert: _Cruijff! De magere jaren 1973–1982_. (Amsterdam: Xander Uitgevers B.V., 2018) [in Dutch]
- Hiddema, Bert: _Cruijff! De gouden jaren 1982–1996_. (Amsterdam: Xander Uitgevers B.V., 2019) [in Dutch]
- Hilvoorde, I. van; Stokvis, R. (2013) 'Pythagoras in boots': Johan Cruijff and the Construction of Dutch National Identity, Sport in History, 33(4), 427–444
- Hunter, Graham: _Barça: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World_. (Glasgow: Backpage Press, 2012)
- Jensen, Ric (2014). _Looking at the Extraordinary Success of the 'Clockwork Orange': Examining the Brilliance of Total Football Played by the Netherlands_. [Special Issue: _Heroes, Icons, Legends: Legacies of Great Men in World Soccer_] (_Soccer & Society_, Volume 15, Issue 5, 2014)
- Kuper, Simon: _Football Against the Enemy_. (London: Orion Publishing Group, 1994)
- Kuper, Simon: _Ajax, the Dutch, the War: Football in Europe during the Second World War_. (London: Orion Publishing Group, 2003)
- Prieto, Javier Aranda: _Hijos de Cruyff_. (Sevilla: Editorial Samarcanda, 2019) [in Spanish]
- Richards, Ted: _Soccer and Philosophy: Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game (Popular Culture and Philosophy)_. (Chicago & La Salle, IL: Open Court Publishing, 2010)
- Riera, Josep; Roca, Miquel: _Van Barça: El Futbol Club Barcelona i Holanda, més que una relació_. (Valls, Tarragona: Cossetània Edicions, 2007)  [in Catalan]
- Tanzilli, Fabrizio: _Lo spazio della libertà. Da Michels a Guardiola, il viaggio dell'idea che ha rivoluzionato il calcio_. (Roma: Ultra Edizioni, 2015) [in Italian]
- Van den Boogaard, A.: _Het laatste seizoen: Het andere gezicht van Johan Cruijff_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Thomas Rap, 2018) [in Dutch]
- Verkamman, Matty; Visser, Jaap; Winkels, Edwin; Derksen, Johan: _Johan Cruijff: De legende 1947–2016_. (Rotterdam: Kick Uitgevers, 2016) [in Dutch]
- Wilson, Jonathan: _Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics_. (London: Orion Books, 2010)
- Wilson, Jonathan: _The Barcelona Inheritance: The Evolution of Winning Soccer Tactics from Cruyff to Guardiola_. (New York: Nation Books, 2018)
- Winkels, Edwin: _Johan Cruijff in Barcelona: De mythe van de verlosser_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Brandt, 2016) [in Dutch]
- Winner, David: _Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football_. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2000)
- Winsemius, Pieter: _Je gaat het pas zien als je het doorhebt. Over Cruijff en leiderschap_. (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Balans, 2004) [in Dutch]

## Filmography

- _Nummer 14 Johan Cruijff_, 1973 Dutch documentary film by Cor Coster on the professional career of Johan Cruyff (90 min)
- **', 1976 Italian-language documentary film directed by Sandro Ciotti (110 min)
- _Johan Cruijff – En un momento dado_, 2004 documentary by Ramon Gieling on the life of Johan Cruyff (90 min)
- _Recorda, Míster: Johan Cruyff_ (_Remember, Boss: Johan Cruyff_ in English), 2009 documentary by _Barça TV_
- _Conexión Vintage – Johan Cruyff_, 2013 documentary by _RTVE_
- **', 2014 Catalan-language documentary directed by Jordi Marcos (70 min)
- _Gràcies, Johan_, 2016 documentary by _TV3_

## Related pages

- FIFA Player of the Century