“On March 24 2016 Johan Cruyff (68) died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard fought battle with cancer,” Cruyff’s official website announced.
It’s with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”
He was diagnosed with lung cancer last October.
Rip Johan cruyff a sad day for football .. true footballing legend 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/qJ17CRJLPn
— Cyrus Christie (@cyruschristie) March 24, 2016
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The legendary Dutch footballer, who played for the Netherlands during their run to the 1974 and 1978 World Cup finals, underwent a heart bypass in 1991 after a lifetime of smoking.
Cruyff’s mother was report to be a cleaner at Ajax and she persuaded the club to take her 12-year-old son into their youth system. It was a day that altered the history of a great club.
In two spells at Ajax, he won the Eredivisie eight times, but it was on the European stage that he was able to establish his name in a global context.
Cruyff won three European Cups with Ajax between 1971-73 before joining FC Barcelona. Cruyff also won a host of individual awards, taking home trophies for European Footballer of the Year in 1971, 1973 and 1974.
He was a highly respected player and he equally made just as big an impact as a manager, guiding Barcelona to four-straight La Liga titles and their first European Cup in 1992 – while also helping to develop the style of football that would be mastered by Pep Guardiola during his trophy-laden spell at the club.
The 90’s Barcelona team managed by Cruyff, which featured Romario, Hristo Stoichkov, Ronald Koeman and Guardiola, became so dominant that they were nicknamed The Dream Team.
While Cruyff’s club career was exceptional, it was with the Netherlands team where he became a world icon. Under manager Rinus Michels, the Dutch team of the 1974 World Cup perfected an attacking style known as Total Football – a form of mass attack and mass defence. Although they were beaten 2-1 by West Germany in the final, it was the Cruyff inspired national team (Oranje) that captured the world’s attention.
