Breaking news: The Ajax manager died as a result of heartbreaking news.
Breaking: Heartbreaking news: Ajax boss passed away.
He guided Barcelona to their first European Cup victory in 1992, won three straight European Cups with Ajax in 1971, and advanced the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final, where they were defeated 2-1 by West Germany.
“There are hardly enough words to express this enormous loss,” the Dutch FA remarked.
It also wished everyone “a lot of strength in this difficult time” and described Cruyff as the “greatest Dutch footballer of all time and one of the world’s best ever.”
“He was a Dutch icon,” he continued. We were all entitled to him.
On Friday, after 14 minutes, Holland’s friendly match against France will end for a minute of silence in honor of Cruyff, who played with the number 14.
“We will always love you, Johan,” Barcelona FC said in response to the news of his passing, expressing their “pain and sorrow”. Peace be with you.”
According to Pele, who is widely considered as the greatest football player of all time, Cruyff “was a great player and coach” who leaves behind a “very important legacy”.
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Bayern Munich, who is headed to Manchester City, stated that his former boss “painted the chapel” and that “Barça coaches since have merely restored or improved it.” Guardiola was under Cruyff at Barcelona.
In addition to being “not just one of the best football players in the history of the game, but also one of the greatest men and nicest people you could meet,” Cruyff was hailed as a “true hero” by David Beckham.
The former Barcelona player Gary Lineker continued, saying, “Football has lost a man who did more to make the beautiful game beautiful than anyone in history.”
Ajax’s accomplishments as a player include three European Cups, two European Super Cups, eight Dutch league titles, five Dutch Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, and one Super Cup.
Under his management, Ajax won one European Cup Winners’ Cup and two Dutch Cups.
Barcelona has won one Spanish league championship and one Spanish Cup as a player.
Barcelona’s achievements as a manager include four Spanish league titles, one Spanish Cup, one Spanish Super Cup, and one European Cup Winners’ Cup.
As a player, Feyenoord has won one Dutch League title and one Dutch Cup.
Context
During his ‘Cruyff turn’ during the 1974 World Cup, Cruyff netted 293 goals in 521 games for five different teams, including 204 in 276 games while collecting 18 trophies during his two stints with Ajax.
Having scored 33 goals in 48 international matches, he made his debut, demonstrating the ‘Cruyff turn’ during the 1974 World Cup against Sweden.
Cruyff, as a player, raised the bar with his precision passes, speed, technique, and goal-scoring prowess.
Following his 1991 double heart bypass surgery, Cruyff instantly quit smoking and replaced his cigarette intake with lollipops.
In an advertisement for the health department of Catalonia, he was seen cautioning the public, saying, “Tobacco almost took away everything that football had given me in life.”
Cruyff led Barcelona to four straight La Liga titles (1991–1994). Even after his dismissal in 1995, Cruyff continued to have a significant impact on the team.
After receiving a lung cancer diagnosis in October 2015, Cruyff declared in February that he was “2-0 up” on the disease and that he was “sure I will end up winning.”.
A statement on his official website states that he “died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family, after a hard-fought battle with cancer.”.
Barcelona athletes
Earlier this year, Barcelona players showed solidarity for Johan Cruyff by donning t-shirts.
Additional tributes
Barry Davies, a football pundit for the BBC, stated that Cruyff, Pele of Brazil, and Diego Maradona of Argentina should be considered among the greatest three football players of all time.
“Watching him was so exciting, so full of ideas,” Davies said live on BBC Radio 5.
Cruyff was described as “true football royalty” by Manchester City and Belgium captain Vincent Kompany, who also said, “I don’t think anyone has ever influenced the game as much as he has done.” We will always remember him, but football will miss him.”
Cruyff was described as “a great man who transformed football” by World Cup-winning Germany captain Lothar Matthaus, while fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal of Manchester United was dubbed “one of the true legends of the game” by manager Louis van Gaal.
