Johann Cruyff was more than just a great football player, who won the Ballon d’Or thrice, and acclaimed coach. He was instrumental in bringing about the seminal revolution in soccer which evolved into a flowing game of all-out attack. Cruyff also helped along the transformation of Dutch society in the modern era from an old colonial power fast losing its relevance, inspiring a whole new generation that took to music and sport as the two principal passions, its national pride awakened by the dash to the finals of the 1974 football World Cup.
His precision passes, speed, technique and goal-scoring ability set higher standards. It was his ability to understand spaces on the field and invent tactically brilliant Total Football, rubbing out old shibboleths like defenders, medios, wingers and strikers, which made him the father of the modern game featuring players in interchanging roles. Why, he even converted the goal-keeper into a “sweeping” player.
He had a rebellious streak because he believed in being paid for his skills in what were the last days of the amateur era. He also believed in provoking his colleagues at Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national team into higher adrenaline flows and more effective football. Although he never got to coach the national tam, his influence on great clubs had a distinct influence on the game’s evolution. Sadly, as he himself admitted, he also became a victim of tobacco addiction, although at one time he believed he was “2-0 up in his match with lung cancer” and would overcome it.
