The answer’s yes. And not only was he the best European player, he also went on to lay the groundwork for an absolute revolution in the way the game is coached.
One of the very few footballers I would have gladly paid to hear talk about the game – in a world where opinions are ten a penny he saw it differently from everyone else.
Stunned by this.
I was obsessed by JC as a nipper
I had a no 14 cotton Ajax shirt, nagged M & D to take me to
pre season friendly v Feyenoord at the Nou Camp from a Costa Brava holiday & travelled to Elland Road to see Barca lose to Leeds in the European Cup. And the 74 World Cup? Total fucking magic for an 11 year old undiminished by defeat in the final.
A brilliant, fearless, opinionated egomaniac – a giant.
I may have something in my eye.
RIP.
The 1978 Holland kit is the coolest football kit ever. Both home and away.
I think the 1954 Magyars were probably the best team never to win the thing. They probably would have too, if the West Germans hadn’t hobbled Puskas in the group phase.
It’s interesting that Sweden were in their change strip of blue shirts and white shorts. FIFA must have decreed that Sweden’s first strip of yellow shirts and blue shorts would’ve clashed with the Dutch strip of orange and black … but I’m not sure that it would, really.
What absolutly brilliant footage. Haven’t seem most of the clips. Yes, a genius. Best European player of his era ? Him and George Best I reckon…..though the two best players I’ve ever seen are without doubt Maradona and Messi.
The best footballer in my life? I was lucky enough to see Georgie Best at his prime at least once every week, I went to away games, during the football season at his prime. IMHO it has to be Best.
My dad attended Old Trafford most weekends in the mid/late sixties. Now one tale he likes to relate is how Best scored direct from a corner kick. In newspapers it was reported as a fluke, so the next home match, first United corner…goal.
There’s no youtube footage I can find relating to this. So, can you corroborate?
I can certainly corroborate, I was in the Stretford End and Bestie curled it in at the Scoreboard End and I`m certain scored direct from corners on at least 2 other occasions although I can`t specify.
you lucky, lucky man. My first hero of any kind – never saw him for real but in my mind he was and will always be the greatest (although Messi runs him close)
Golden Age.
Child of the 60s…..need I say more?…..easily my favourite International player…..and surely an inspiration for Leicester City. Why?
When Cruyff made his debut for Ajax (’64), they were more the equivalent of Lancaster City than Leicester City and yet, in his time, they won as many European Cups as Man. U. have struggled to in 60 years.
I did not intend to push Man Utd into this @dreamdaze by mentioning Georgie Best, just that in my lifetime he is easily the greatest European footballer I have ever seen and therefore had the greatest impression on me.
The Eredivisie was only founded in 1956, and Ajax had won it twice (including the inaugural season) in the seven years before Cruyff made his debut. They were already a big club. He just made them far, far bigger.
Genuine OMG moment, though knew he had been ill. I grew up watching him and that 1974 side was one of the greatest sides I have seen, albeit on telly. They were the World Champions. He and his team had the genius of making the game appear effortless, he was both a great athlete and a sublime footballer. I love this goal, he made falling over look graceful. A once in a generation player who has left us far too young but leaves us all with great memories and showed how wonderful a game football can be.
I text my boys when I heard the news, we’ve agreed to do some Cruyff turns today in his memory. When I helped out with their junior team a few years ago I would make it an integral part of their training. Seeing fifteen 12 year olds doing simultaneous Cruyff turns was my highlight as a “coach”, I hope all of those fifteen now 20 year olds remember it and seek out some of the footage shown here. A proper hero for me when growing up, had Holland won one of those world cups he would be possibly considered the best of the lot.
That 1974 World Cup tournament was significant for British TV coverage of football. Jimmy Hill had left ITV and gone to the Beeb, and England weren’t there (‘they didnae qualify’), so ITV, with John Bromley behind the scenes, came up with The Panel: Brian Clough, Malcolm Allison, Derek Dougan and Jack Charlton, overseen by Brian Moore, all of them happy to wade in and get controversial. And Cruyff’s Holland were watched, replayed again and again, and marvelled over, despite Big Jack’s troublesome pronunciation: Hard J, and Cruyff becoming Cruff. And if it hadn’t been for Der Bomber…
JC was a joy to behold – never saw him play live and only ever saw Best plays live once but remember his performances for Man U on tv and in particular his performance against Northampton. Yes, a lesser team but you can only play against the opposition in front of you.
For me Frank Worthington was the most gifted player I ever saw. The best performance I ever saw was from Glenn Hoddle. He was player manager for Swindon and on the bench when after 60 minutes Birmingham were coasting 4-1 and playing what for us was irrepressible football. He came off the bench and played as a quarterback spraying 40 yard passes all over the pitch and all to the feet of Swindon players. We lost 6-4. It was remarkable.
Messi the best I’ve seen live, probably narrowly shading Ronaldinho (who was utterly preposterous, albeit much less effective).
Best individual performance was Thierry Henry, Liverpool at Highbury in 2004. We’d blown the European cup in the one season we really should have won it, we were a goal down at half time, our season was crumbling and he just came out and took them to bits on his own, including one of the greatest solo goals I ever saw at that ground. I’d also give an unlikely shout out to Adel Taarabt, Loftus Road, Boxing Day a few years back. Played crap first half, crowd on his back, came out and absolutely destroyed the opposition in 20 minutes before being subbed off to a standing ovation with ages still to go. Such a weird footballer.
One funny thing is that the ‘Cruyff turn’ is seen as some sort of trademark move over here, but it isn’t in his native Holland. It comes from the fact that we saw very little of overseas players on tv in those days, and that turn was something that stuck in the public consciousness. Whereas in Holland they saw him every week.
Good point, Jim.
Having been in something something of a JC reverie & having time on my hands, I’ve watched quite a bit of footage online – what stands out ( aside from the obvious grace, speed etc.) is that his ‘trade mark’ is the sensational use of the outside of the right foot, which is so accomplished that he never seems to need to adjust his balance to use his left – a mere mortal would require an extra touch that he doesn’t – he even shoots with it!
The best example of his all round game I have found so far is 72-73 European Cup Quarter Final Ajax V Bayern – the whole match from German TV – I watched it in awe this morning. What is gratifying is it’s nice to have evidence of just how good he was & know that it isn’t just nostalgic fancy. He is sensationally good against the likes of Muller, Beckenbauer & Breitner ( I think) & is essentailly running the match.
For all their talents I haven’t seen Messi or Ronaldo do that, although of course they dochange games.
I”m thinking a strong case can be made for JC being THE best including allcomers.
Can’t take anything away from Cruyff, probably the smartest footballer ever to play the game.
But Messi is running matches now. Sometime about 18 months ago he came back from a knock and started playing deeper and dictating the play more. His goals scored have gone down slightly (albeit they’re still ridiculous), his assists, chance creation and passes completed have gone up. He’s running things.
That shift in his game is the single thing that convinced me that he might be ahead of even Maradona. He basically just decided to stop being the tip of the spear and go play a different role, and then did it better than just about anyone on the planet.
Here’s a page from the Messi discussion in the popular Red Cafe message board (it’s a Utd fan site). About two thirds of the way down a guy posts four gifs of chances Messi had created in the previous weekend’s game. They’re all absolutely ridiculous – his vision and weight of pass are terrifying.
Like I say, doesn’t take anything away from Cruyff, who was a genius and who influenced the game more than anyone. But Messi can do it all – he simply shouldn’t exist.
You may be right, Bingo & I guess time will tell.
I don’t watch enough full games these days to dispute the sea change in Messi that you highlight & have no wish to argue the toss for sake of it.
For the time being, I’m sticking with JC (with Pele on the reserve list) as the greatest I’ve been able to see – at least on telly at the time they were playing.
Messi I’d equate more with Maradonna, just in terms of being a freak – they both have/had an absurdly low centre of gravity & an ability to accellerate from 0-60 in perhaps a metre & a half.
I just still feel JC was the more complete player ( scored plenty of headers for example) who did it at every level & was also a manager on the pitch whilst playing.
It’s all grist for the mill & fun converation, ultimately & the definition of an inexact science – equatable with trying to compare boxing heavyweights from diffrent eras. Inevitably we imprint on those who blew us away at an impressionable age – & therefore for me JC can’t be surpassed – he was the whole package – graceful, dynamic, cool & cocky & a proper hero at a time when England had been dumped on its’ arse internationally – those of a certain age remember the blow to the solar plexus that failure to qualify for W Germany 74 was. Cruyff made all that more than bearable as he was the dogs.
Interestingly, the only other figure I’m aware of that grown men get all teary eyed about was Alfredo Di Stefano ( sp?). There is only meagre footage of him at the height of his Real Madrid powers, but there are those who swear ( to anyone who’ll listen) that HE. was the chosen one & nobody since has been worthy enough to shine his boots.
Who knows? Not I, but the rapture these dudes have delivered is undeniable.
BTW I agree about Ronaldihno being probably the most eneteraining player I can recall, capable of making the whole crowd gasp & smile simultaneously. If Bootsy Collins was a footy player, it would be him, if you know what I mean.
Oh, absolutely Jim. It’s very much a subjective thing, and certainly not worth a row over. JC himself described the discussion of who was the greatest player as a “childish game”.
Cruyff was definitely more stylish than Messi, or anyone else for that matter. Far more interesting too.
A quick word on Messi’s headers – this is often raised as a caveat to his record, but (a) who really cares about headers and (b) he scores tons of them anyway – in 2015 only three players in Europe scored more and he’s scored one in a European Cup final, all despite being a short arse.
I know what you mean about the lustre of childhood heroes. Maradona was mine: I grew up safe in the knowledge that no one could ever possibly surpass Diego, and that’s why I still struggle with the idea that Messi is the greatest. But he is (if you’ll apologise the lapse into childishness).
I say: watch the little genius every chance you get. He’s 29 in June, he’ll not carry on at the current level too much longer, and we’ll all tell our grandkids we were lucky enough to see him play.
I saw this live. It made no sense at all. He seemed to walk with the ball straight through Spacic (I only saw how he’d done it later on TV) and the chip seemed to take several geological ages to arc over the keeper’s head and plop into the net.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder then Brian Glanville should have gone to Specsavers.
I’m assuming Maradona, Cruyff, Pele and Di Stefano were all ahead, but who were the other five? Presumably Beckenbauer, Garrincha, Zidane, Puskas and either the Real Ronaldo or George Best?
haven’t seen the list but to be fair there is a strong case for any one of that top ten, in pretty much any order apart from, imho, Maradona, Pele and Cruyff making up the top three…
It’s an entirely subjective exercise, but for me Maradona and Messi are clear in front of all the rest, then Cruyff and Pele, then a big gap and all the others.
Best is a top 20 player, rather than 10, as far as I’m concerned. He probably had as much raw talent as anyone, but very hard to argue he expressed it to the level of some of the others on the list, and he certainly achieved less. File alongside Ronaldinho.
Personally, I think these exercises always undervalue the other players, in the great Barca and Spain sides of the last ten years, who dominated club and international football. Xavi would make my top ten – probably the most influential player of his generation, both in terms of having influenced the way the game is played and for being the hub of teams that swept all before them. If I were up for a stretch I might also make an argument for Busquets, who has been probably the most underrated player on earth for much of his career. Horrible individual, but head and shoulders the best there is in his position.
My top twenty would be as follows:
1. Messi/Maradona
3. Cruyff
4. Pele
5. Di Stefano
6. Beckenbauer
7. Zidane
8. Real Ronaldo
9. Xavi
10. Garrincha
11. Puskas
12. Iniesta
13. Gerd Muller
14. Best
15. Thierry Henry
16. Ronaldinho
16. Maldini
17. Platini
18. Bobby Charlton
19. Fake Ronaldo
20. Van Basten
Re: Xavi, per the above – spotted this article today which posits him as Cruyff’s modern day heir. Not entirely convinced on that latter score, but it’s still an interesting read.
He had George Best and Stanley Mathews just ahead of Messi.
IIRC, it was Pele, Di Stefano, Cruyff, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Puskas, Garrincha in first seven.
Have to say, I like his list very much.
My issue with Messi is that he’s never shown enough in a World Cup, despite, unlike Best, playing in a very powerful side.
I’ve hung out with two of the top ten, me.
Also, FWIW, I have a total blind spot as regards Zidane. Never particularly rated him and found him utterly unexciting. Thank God, Ronaldinho came along to depose him.
Re: Messi, he did drag Argentina to the final of the last World Cup, scoring and/or assisting the winner in virtually every game, despite being triple marked. He had a very, very good World Cup. With marginally better finishing from Higuain in the final, he might even have won it, against a vastly superior German outfit.
I think the World Cup thing is disproportionately held against him because he started off so firmly in the shadow of Maradona. Cruyff never won a World Cup either, and didn’t bother showing up in 1978, but it isn’t held against him.
Likewise, what did Pele really achieve in club football? The domestic Brazilian league of the 60s was of highly variable quality and he toddled off to play Mickey Mouse football at the end of his career, but that’s never held against him either.
I also think there’s a fair argument that the World Cup isn’t what once it was, and has largely been supplanted by the Champions League in terms of being the absolute bellwether of ability. You’ll find plenty of people making a case for Cristiano Ronaldo being among the greats, but his contribution to the WC has been laughably minimal.
Re: Zidane, he’s a tricky one. I’m not sure than in terms of raw ability he’s in the top ten players of all time, but he won virtually everything in the game, tended to score in the major ties, lead a truly great French side and then dragged a bang average French side to the World Cup final in the twilight of his career. He’s definitely one of the highest achieving players on the list – not many can boast the World Cup, European Championships, European Cup, La Liga and Serie A on their CV.
I find it very hard and maybe a little pointless to decide between Maradona and Messi – both extraordinary footballers – different eras and all that. But, if forced I would come down on Maradona’s side on account of the force of his personality, and his pure skills as a footballer. He re-made Napoli into the premier force in Italian football at a time when it was the strongest european league. None of his Napoli colleagues were names, they made for a very good side but winning the league (beating the Juventus side of Platini and Boniek and half the Italian national team) and the UEFA cup was down to him. He did the same with the Argentina side of 1986, they were largely an unexceptional side without him. Messi, brilliant footballer but has always played in a largely exceptional and winning side. Would he be able to do the same if he wasn’t with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Neymar and the rest ? This shouldn’t be held against him, but it’s just why I see Maradona as the better, just.
No one will ever repeat what Maradona did – win a World Cup single handed and transform an average club side in the way he did Napoli. It’s a simply impossible benchmark. As you say, the force of his personality, his aura – just sensational.
Much as I would have loved to have hung out with the goat-fucking, alcoholic that was Garrincha, I knew our home-grown alkie instead. I met George innumerable times, throughout the ’80s and into the mid-90s, mainly in a late-night drinking club called Rags, which was a feeder club for Tramp. My two mates and I went there several times a week as it was a great place to hang out (Kate Bush was in there one time, looking sweet and stunning) and, best of all, it had a pool table in a back room with a window. We left this open to disperse the dope smoke. George was often there so we regularly had a few bevvies with him. He was a rather shy, slightly guarded bloke, but relaxed the more he got to know us. We sympathised with him after the Wogan fiasco. He also played pool with us often. One night, we were playing for a glass of champagne and he was, as usual, annihilating me. He smashed in the black to finish me off, but, unfortunately for him, he also sank his white ball. He slammed the cue down and stormed off to the bar. No champagne was forthcoming. Very bad loser. I eventually went and bought him one to keep him sweet. Didn’t touch the sides.
The other was Sir Stan. I was on Robin Smith’s (the cricketer) testimonial committee and was arranging a Sportsmans’ Dinner in London in ’93. We’d already lined up Gower, Osgood and Tom Graveney and I was looking for one more top table guest for the Q & A. An older friend mentioned he knew Stan’s agent, so I asked him to find out the cost. He came back to say Sir Stan would do the gig for £750 plus two hotel rooms for him and his manager. I said ‘Tell him he’s getting a grand plus the rooms’. On the night, there was a crutch of people milling around having drinks. In the middle, was Stan, on his own, sipping an orange juice. Everyone knew him, but one had the nerve to talk to him. As I was responsible for booking him, I went over to chat to him and introduce myself. To my astonishment, he identified the town I come from and explained he’d stopped off there one time during WW2. I had to interrupt him after about a minute to go and get my best friend to join me in chatting to him. I said to my mate – ‘you’ve got to come and can’t to Stan, he’s the nicest bloke on Earth.’ I can say, without hesitation, that he was one of the finest, humblest, nicest men I have ever met in my entire life. In the truest sense of the word, he was a gentleman. He was an enormous hit that evening and left an indelible impression on me. I can’t think of him without remembering his friendliness, his sincerity and his kindly nature.
At the Q and A, the panel were asked which other sport they’d have liked to be a top professional in. The other three stated it would have been golf. Sir Stan, rather sweetly, if implausibly, claimed he’d like to have been a cricketer.
He told me to send a couple of football shirts for him to sign, but, as is typical, I never did.
Aside from being one of the top five players there has ever been, he’s, to my mind, the most influential in that he changed the way the game was played, both as a player and as a manager.
He was so beautiful to watch – the languid grace, coupled with devastatingly incisive forward moves.
He was also a true philosopher of the game. His utterances were gnomic, Zen-like and, often, very funny. The chapters on him in ‘The Football Men’ are, by some considerable distance, the most fascinating and intriguing.
My favourite story about him is in ‘Brilliant Orange’. He made his debut at 16 with Ajax and, instantly, started shouting orders to the much older, grizzled old pros as to where they should run. They were, initially, furious that this skinny little runt was dictating to them. However, they very quickly realised that Cruyff was accurately reading the game some moves ahead of everyone else and they sheepishly fell into line and did what he told them to do.
I saw a quote of his last night – ‘In some way, I’m probably immortal’.
No ‘probably’ about it, you cussed, wonderful genius.
You might also make the case that Cruyff was the Daddy of some of the more irksome elements of modern football. His “extra-special” status within a very special team signified by his exclusive two stripe Adidas top and (here I may be a victim of poor recollection) I think he was the first high profile first team footballer to demand a non 1-11 squad number. (1-22 numbering had been the norm at World Cups, but – apart from those countries who bizarrely numbered their players in alphabetical order – if you were number 20 you knew you’d spend the tournament warming the bench barring injury to or trumped-up shoplifting charges against your 1-11 counterpart within the squad).
Thanks for clearing that up ianess. I was only wee at the time (the 74 World Cup Final was only the second live TV match I ever saw – not sure it’s ever been equal led) and the “two stripe” thing was explained to me as reported. I still think there’s a direct line that can be drawn from Cruyff’s “superstar” status (I’m sure Pele, Charlton and Beckenbauer have massive egos too, but somehow they seemed to at least give the impression that they considered themselves on a par with their team mates) to (for example) the situation where at the world’s biggest football club, first Roberto Carlos and now Christiano Ronaldo can monopolise the free kick taking, despite having such a poor return and better free kick takers in the side.
I get what you’re saying. Bloody Billy Bremner was the world’s worst for that when he played for Scotland. The little prick insisted on taking everything, including throw-ins. He probably handed round the half-time oranges also. This came to a head when Scotland were hammering West Germany 1-0 at Hampden in ’73. We were awarded a penalty with about 10 minutes to go. Up steps William, of course. His attempt was so feeble that I doubt it would have hit the back of the net if Maier had contrived to fail to pick it up. Of course, we then conceded a goal a few minutes later to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory.
Cruyff did comment that he took throw-ins because if he received the ball back, then he was the only player unmarked.
I missed the chance to see the peerless Ajax team play Rangers early ’73 as I had an exam the following day. A diehard Gers fan came back to the Hall of Residence that night, shell-shocked, sporting a thousand yard stare. He told me Rangers had been absolutely torn apart that night. I asked what the fans’ response was. ‘They gave Ajax a standing ovation. I’ve never seen a team play like they did.’
RIP CRIFF JOHANS STAR OF ALIAS SMITH AND JOHANS YOU GOT OUTTA THIS BUSINESS AT LAST RIP MATE ARE THUOGHTS ARE WITH MEL “HANNIBAL CURRY” SMITH AT THIS TIME RIP FROM JASE IN SALES
So,
farewell then
Johan Cruyff, footballer
You were well known for your famous “Cruyff Turn”
But now you have had one funny turn too many
And gone to the great football ground in the sky
It was probably the fags that got you sent off
There is a wonderful story about his alleged animosity towards Dutch team-mate Johnny Rep. It is stated by some that he passed the ball just out of reach of the striker to make him seem ponderous and unfit to grace the orange jersey. It may be untrue but it is credible in that it would tally both with Cruyff’s ability to hold a resentment and to his mischief in making it apparent.
dai says
He was.
aging hippy says
Not unexpected but still sad. Infamous smoker even at the height of his fame.
MC Escher says
Yep. Best footballer, period, of my lifetime. Not a great year for my heroes so far.
Bingo Little says
Thank you for starting a thread for this.
The answer’s yes. And not only was he the best European player, he also went on to lay the groundwork for an absolute revolution in the way the game is coached.
One of the very few footballers I would have gladly paid to hear talk about the game – in a world where opinions are ten a penny he saw it differently from everyone else.
Bingo Little says
Good quotes here:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/02/25-johan-cruyff-quotes.html
Junglejim says
Stunned by this.
I was obsessed by JC as a nipper
I had a no 14 cotton Ajax shirt, nagged M & D to take me to
pre season friendly v Feyenoord at the Nou Camp from a Costa Brava holiday & travelled to Elland Road to see Barca lose to Leeds in the European Cup. And the 74 World Cup? Total fucking magic for an 11 year old undiminished by defeat in the final.
A brilliant, fearless, opinionated egomaniac – a giant.
I may have something in my eye.
RIP.
ruff-diamond says
That ’74 Dutch team – best team never to win the World Cup…
duco01 says
The ’78 team were superb, too – and they didn’t win the World Cup either!
I was cheering on the men in orange in both the 74 and 78 finals.
Fat lot of good it did them…
ruff-diamond says
god yes that ’78 team – Krol, Jansen, Haan, the van der Kerkhofs, Rensenbrink, Neeskens, Rep…
Hawkfall says
The 1978 Holland kit is the coolest football kit ever. Both home and away.
I think the 1954 Magyars were probably the best team never to win the thing. They probably would have too, if the West Germans hadn’t hobbled Puskas in the group phase.
duco01 says
Re the clip in the OP.
It’s interesting that Sweden were in their change strip of blue shirts and white shorts. FIFA must have decreed that Sweden’s first strip of yellow shirts and blue shorts would’ve clashed with the Dutch strip of orange and black … but I’m not sure that it would, really.
Hawkfall says
I understand (and this may well be a myth) that back then they considered what a game would look like when watched on Black & White television.
Black Type says
The word ‘genius’ is tossed around far too loosely, and mostly at undeserving targets. This man was unquestionably a genuine, authentic, 100% genius.
MC Escher says
Just look at him go. I bet he was 10% fitter and lighter than everyone else on the pitch.
ruff-diamond says
Watching that footage just makes my legs and ankles ache in sympathy – the only answer most teams had was to try and hack him down…
Getthenet says
What absolutly brilliant footage. Haven’t seem most of the clips. Yes, a genius. Best European player of his era ? Him and George Best I reckon…..though the two best players I’ve ever seen are without doubt Maradona and Messi.
Baron Harkonnen says
JC was a truly great footballer who was a genius.
The best footballer in my life? I was lucky enough to see Georgie Best at his prime at least once every week, I went to away games, during the football season at his prime. IMHO it has to be Best.
moseleymoles says
@andyourbirdcansing
My dad attended Old Trafford most weekends in the mid/late sixties. Now one tale he likes to relate is how Best scored direct from a corner kick. In newspapers it was reported as a fluke, so the next home match, first United corner…goal.
There’s no youtube footage I can find relating to this. So, can you corroborate?
Bingo Little says
Think it’s (sort of) corroborated here: http://www.veritesport.org/?page=georgebest
First goal was for Northern Ireland, but there’s a little detail after the second that makes the story even better…
Baron Harkonnen says
I can certainly corroborate, I was in the Stretford End and Bestie curled it in at the Scoreboard End and I`m certain scored direct from corners on at least 2 other occasions although I can`t specify.
Feedback_File says
you lucky, lucky man. My first hero of any kind – never saw him for real but in my mind he was and will always be the greatest (although Messi runs him close)
deramdaze says
Golden Age.
Child of the 60s…..need I say more?…..easily my favourite International player…..and surely an inspiration for Leicester City. Why?
When Cruyff made his debut for Ajax (’64), they were more the equivalent of Lancaster City than Leicester City and yet, in his time, they won as many European Cups as Man. U. have struggled to in 60 years.
Baron Harkonnen says
I did not intend to push Man Utd into this @dreamdaze by mentioning Georgie Best, just that in my lifetime he is easily the greatest European footballer I have ever seen and therefore had the greatest impression on me.
deramdaze says
No problem, I read your comment afterwards.
His greatest stat is to win in three years (for a Leicester City) as many European Cups as Man. U. have ever managed. That is a great stat.
Baron Harkonnen says
In the time Cruyff was doing it for Ajax United couldn`t win the fucking Watney Cup 3 times and that is a stat ; ))
Bingo Little says
The Eredivisie was only founded in 1956, and Ajax had won it twice (including the inaugural season) in the seven years before Cruyff made his debut. They were already a big club. He just made them far, far bigger.
Baron Harkonnen says
Aye but deram seems to think he played for Leicester City so don`t spoil it, ; ))
Dodger Lane says
Genuine OMG moment, though knew he had been ill. I grew up watching him and that 1974 side was one of the greatest sides I have seen, albeit on telly. They were the World Champions. He and his team had the genius of making the game appear effortless, he was both a great athlete and a sublime footballer. I love this goal, he made falling over look graceful. A once in a generation player who has left us far too young but leaves us all with great memories and showed how wonderful a game football can be.
Dave Ross says
I text my boys when I heard the news, we’ve agreed to do some Cruyff turns today in his memory. When I helped out with their junior team a few years ago I would make it an integral part of their training. Seeing fifteen 12 year olds doing simultaneous Cruyff turns was my highlight as a “coach”, I hope all of those fifteen now 20 year olds remember it and seek out some of the footage shown here. A proper hero for me when growing up, had Holland won one of those world cups he would be possibly considered the best of the lot.
Barry Blue says
That 1974 World Cup tournament was significant for British TV coverage of football. Jimmy Hill had left ITV and gone to the Beeb, and England weren’t there (‘they didnae qualify’), so ITV, with John Bromley behind the scenes, came up with The Panel: Brian Clough, Malcolm Allison, Derek Dougan and Jack Charlton, overseen by Brian Moore, all of them happy to wade in and get controversial. And Cruyff’s Holland were watched, replayed again and again, and marvelled over, despite Big Jack’s troublesome pronunciation: Hard J, and Cruyff becoming Cruff. And if it hadn’t been for Der Bomber…
duco01 says
Yes, der Bomber – and Berti Vogts, who stuck to Cruyff like glue during the 74 final.
SteveT says
JC was a joy to behold – never saw him play live and only ever saw Best plays live once but remember his performances for Man U on tv and in particular his performance against Northampton. Yes, a lesser team but you can only play against the opposition in front of you.
For me Frank Worthington was the most gifted player I ever saw. The best performance I ever saw was from Glenn Hoddle. He was player manager for Swindon and on the bench when after 60 minutes Birmingham were coasting 4-1 and playing what for us was irrepressible football. He came off the bench and played as a quarterback spraying 40 yard passes all over the pitch and all to the feet of Swindon players. We lost 6-4. It was remarkable.
Bingo Little says
Messi the best I’ve seen live, probably narrowly shading Ronaldinho (who was utterly preposterous, albeit much less effective).
Best individual performance was Thierry Henry, Liverpool at Highbury in 2004. We’d blown the European cup in the one season we really should have won it, we were a goal down at half time, our season was crumbling and he just came out and took them to bits on his own, including one of the greatest solo goals I ever saw at that ground. I’d also give an unlikely shout out to Adel Taarabt, Loftus Road, Boxing Day a few years back. Played crap first half, crowd on his back, came out and absolutely destroyed the opposition in 20 minutes before being subbed off to a standing ovation with ages still to go. Such a weird footballer.
This was the best goal I ever saw live.
Baron Harkonnen says
Just played that goal 10 times! MAGNIFICENT.
Baron Harkonnen says
Frank Worthington was an even better after dinner speaker/comedian.
Fin59 says
At fourteen, I had three posters on my wall. Farrah Fawcett-Majors. David Bowie. Johan Cruyff.
Eheu, fugaces labuntur anni
Jim Cain says
One funny thing is that the ‘Cruyff turn’ is seen as some sort of trademark move over here, but it isn’t in his native Holland. It comes from the fact that we saw very little of overseas players on tv in those days, and that turn was something that stuck in the public consciousness. Whereas in Holland they saw him every week.
Junglejim says
Good point, Jim.
Having been in something something of a JC reverie & having time on my hands, I’ve watched quite a bit of footage online – what stands out ( aside from the obvious grace, speed etc.) is that his ‘trade mark’ is the sensational use of the outside of the right foot, which is so accomplished that he never seems to need to adjust his balance to use his left – a mere mortal would require an extra touch that he doesn’t – he even shoots with it!
The best example of his all round game I have found so far is 72-73 European Cup Quarter Final Ajax V Bayern – the whole match from German TV – I watched it in awe this morning. What is gratifying is it’s nice to have evidence of just how good he was & know that it isn’t just nostalgic fancy. He is sensationally good against the likes of Muller, Beckenbauer & Breitner ( I think) & is essentailly running the match.
For all their talents I haven’t seen Messi or Ronaldo do that, although of course they dochange games.
I”m thinking a strong case can be made for JC being THE best including allcomers.
Bingo Little says
Can’t take anything away from Cruyff, probably the smartest footballer ever to play the game.
But Messi is running matches now. Sometime about 18 months ago he came back from a knock and started playing deeper and dictating the play more. His goals scored have gone down slightly (albeit they’re still ridiculous), his assists, chance creation and passes completed have gone up. He’s running things.
That shift in his game is the single thing that convinced me that he might be ahead of even Maradona. He basically just decided to stop being the tip of the spear and go play a different role, and then did it better than just about anyone on the planet.
Here’s a page from the Messi discussion in the popular Red Cafe message board (it’s a Utd fan site). About two thirds of the way down a guy posts four gifs of chances Messi had created in the previous weekend’s game. They’re all absolutely ridiculous – his vision and weight of pass are terrifying.
http://www.redcafe.net/threads/lionel-messi.225097/page-390
Like I say, doesn’t take anything away from Cruyff, who was a genius and who influenced the game more than anyone. But Messi can do it all – he simply shouldn’t exist.
Bingo Little says
Oh, and there’s also this:
*goes for cold shower*
Getthenet says
I agree with that Bingo. For me Maradona and Messi are a cut above anyone I’ve ever seen.
Junglejim says
You may be right, Bingo & I guess time will tell.
I don’t watch enough full games these days to dispute the sea change in Messi that you highlight & have no wish to argue the toss for sake of it.
For the time being, I’m sticking with JC (with Pele on the reserve list) as the greatest I’ve been able to see – at least on telly at the time they were playing.
Messi I’d equate more with Maradonna, just in terms of being a freak – they both have/had an absurdly low centre of gravity & an ability to accellerate from 0-60 in perhaps a metre & a half.
I just still feel JC was the more complete player ( scored plenty of headers for example) who did it at every level & was also a manager on the pitch whilst playing.
It’s all grist for the mill & fun converation, ultimately & the definition of an inexact science – equatable with trying to compare boxing heavyweights from diffrent eras. Inevitably we imprint on those who blew us away at an impressionable age – & therefore for me JC can’t be surpassed – he was the whole package – graceful, dynamic, cool & cocky & a proper hero at a time when England had been dumped on its’ arse internationally – those of a certain age remember the blow to the solar plexus that failure to qualify for W Germany 74 was. Cruyff made all that more than bearable as he was the dogs.
Interestingly, the only other figure I’m aware of that grown men get all teary eyed about was Alfredo Di Stefano ( sp?). There is only meagre footage of him at the height of his Real Madrid powers, but there are those who swear ( to anyone who’ll listen) that HE. was the chosen one & nobody since has been worthy enough to shine his boots.
Who knows? Not I, but the rapture these dudes have delivered is undeniable.
BTW I agree about Ronaldihno being probably the most eneteraining player I can recall, capable of making the whole crowd gasp & smile simultaneously. If Bootsy Collins was a footy player, it would be him, if you know what I mean.
Bingo Little says
Oh, absolutely Jim. It’s very much a subjective thing, and certainly not worth a row over. JC himself described the discussion of who was the greatest player as a “childish game”.
Cruyff was definitely more stylish than Messi, or anyone else for that matter. Far more interesting too.
A quick word on Messi’s headers – this is often raised as a caveat to his record, but (a) who really cares about headers and (b) he scores tons of them anyway – in 2015 only three players in Europe scored more and he’s scored one in a European Cup final, all despite being a short arse.
I know what you mean about the lustre of childhood heroes. Maradona was mine: I grew up safe in the knowledge that no one could ever possibly surpass Diego, and that’s why I still struggle with the idea that Messi is the greatest. But he is (if you’ll apologise the lapse into childishness).
I say: watch the little genius every chance you get. He’s 29 in June, he’ll not carry on at the current level too much longer, and we’ll all tell our grandkids we were lucky enough to see him play.
Archie Valparaiso says
I saw this live. It made no sense at all. He seemed to walk with the ball straight through Spacic (I only saw how he’d done it later on TV) and the chip seemed to take several geological ages to arc over the keeper’s head and plop into the net.
It’s football, Jim, but not as we know it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11oBxK4HoSA
DougieJ says
Hmmm. It’s Gooood. But it’s not quite Cooper…
ianess says
Bingo – did you see Brian Glanville’s column in The Sunday Times today? He has Messi in 10th place in his all-time Top Ten.
Dodger Lane says
Brian Glanville is a bitter old sod in print which is a shame really, met him once, had a lovely chat and was very charming
Bingo Little says
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder then Brian Glanville should have gone to Specsavers.
I’m assuming Maradona, Cruyff, Pele and Di Stefano were all ahead, but who were the other five? Presumably Beckenbauer, Garrincha, Zidane, Puskas and either the Real Ronaldo or George Best?
DougieJ says
haven’t seen the list but to be fair there is a strong case for any one of that top ten, in pretty much any order apart from, imho, Maradona, Pele and Cruyff making up the top three…
Bingo Little says
It’s an entirely subjective exercise, but for me Maradona and Messi are clear in front of all the rest, then Cruyff and Pele, then a big gap and all the others.
Best is a top 20 player, rather than 10, as far as I’m concerned. He probably had as much raw talent as anyone, but very hard to argue he expressed it to the level of some of the others on the list, and he certainly achieved less. File alongside Ronaldinho.
Personally, I think these exercises always undervalue the other players, in the great Barca and Spain sides of the last ten years, who dominated club and international football. Xavi would make my top ten – probably the most influential player of his generation, both in terms of having influenced the way the game is played and for being the hub of teams that swept all before them. If I were up for a stretch I might also make an argument for Busquets, who has been probably the most underrated player on earth for much of his career. Horrible individual, but head and shoulders the best there is in his position.
My top twenty would be as follows:
1. Messi/Maradona
3. Cruyff
4. Pele
5. Di Stefano
6. Beckenbauer
7. Zidane
8. Real Ronaldo
9. Xavi
10. Garrincha
11. Puskas
12. Iniesta
13. Gerd Muller
14. Best
15. Thierry Henry
16. Ronaldinho
16. Maldini
17. Platini
18. Bobby Charlton
19. Fake Ronaldo
20. Van Basten
DougieJ says
21: Dalglish?
Bingo Little says
Dougie – number 21 is quite clearly Theo Walcott.
DougieJ says
natch…;-)
duco01 says
I’d like to see Bobby Moore somewhere in the Top 25, anyway.
Bingo Little says
Re: Xavi, per the above – spotted this article today which posits him as Cruyff’s modern day heir. Not entirely convinced on that latter score, but it’s still an interesting read.
http://www.football365.com/news/portrait-of-an-icon-xavi
ianess says
He had George Best and Stanley Mathews just ahead of Messi.
IIRC, it was Pele, Di Stefano, Cruyff, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Puskas, Garrincha in first seven.
Have to say, I like his list very much.
My issue with Messi is that he’s never shown enough in a World Cup, despite, unlike Best, playing in a very powerful side.
I’ve hung out with two of the top ten, me.
ianess says
Also, FWIW, I have a total blind spot as regards Zidane. Never particularly rated him and found him utterly unexciting. Thank God, Ronaldinho came along to depose him.
Bingo Little says
Bloody hell, Ian. Name names!
Re: Messi, he did drag Argentina to the final of the last World Cup, scoring and/or assisting the winner in virtually every game, despite being triple marked. He had a very, very good World Cup. With marginally better finishing from Higuain in the final, he might even have won it, against a vastly superior German outfit.
I think the World Cup thing is disproportionately held against him because he started off so firmly in the shadow of Maradona. Cruyff never won a World Cup either, and didn’t bother showing up in 1978, but it isn’t held against him.
Likewise, what did Pele really achieve in club football? The domestic Brazilian league of the 60s was of highly variable quality and he toddled off to play Mickey Mouse football at the end of his career, but that’s never held against him either.
I also think there’s a fair argument that the World Cup isn’t what once it was, and has largely been supplanted by the Champions League in terms of being the absolute bellwether of ability. You’ll find plenty of people making a case for Cristiano Ronaldo being among the greats, but his contribution to the WC has been laughably minimal.
Re: Zidane, he’s a tricky one. I’m not sure than in terms of raw ability he’s in the top ten players of all time, but he won virtually everything in the game, tended to score in the major ties, lead a truly great French side and then dragged a bang average French side to the World Cup final in the twilight of his career. He’s definitely one of the highest achieving players on the list – not many can boast the World Cup, European Championships, European Cup, La Liga and Serie A on their CV.
Dodger Lane says
I find it very hard and maybe a little pointless to decide between Maradona and Messi – both extraordinary footballers – different eras and all that. But, if forced I would come down on Maradona’s side on account of the force of his personality, and his pure skills as a footballer. He re-made Napoli into the premier force in Italian football at a time when it was the strongest european league. None of his Napoli colleagues were names, they made for a very good side but winning the league (beating the Juventus side of Platini and Boniek and half the Italian national team) and the UEFA cup was down to him. He did the same with the Argentina side of 1986, they were largely an unexceptional side without him. Messi, brilliant footballer but has always played in a largely exceptional and winning side. Would he be able to do the same if he wasn’t with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Neymar and the rest ? This shouldn’t be held against him, but it’s just why I see Maradona as the better, just.
Bingo Little says
Great post, Dodger.
No one will ever repeat what Maradona did – win a World Cup single handed and transform an average club side in the way he did Napoli. It’s a simply impossible benchmark. As you say, the force of his personality, his aura – just sensational.
ianess says
Much as I would have loved to have hung out with the goat-fucking, alcoholic that was Garrincha, I knew our home-grown alkie instead. I met George innumerable times, throughout the ’80s and into the mid-90s, mainly in a late-night drinking club called Rags, which was a feeder club for Tramp. My two mates and I went there several times a week as it was a great place to hang out (Kate Bush was in there one time, looking sweet and stunning) and, best of all, it had a pool table in a back room with a window. We left this open to disperse the dope smoke. George was often there so we regularly had a few bevvies with him. He was a rather shy, slightly guarded bloke, but relaxed the more he got to know us. We sympathised with him after the Wogan fiasco. He also played pool with us often. One night, we were playing for a glass of champagne and he was, as usual, annihilating me. He smashed in the black to finish me off, but, unfortunately for him, he also sank his white ball. He slammed the cue down and stormed off to the bar. No champagne was forthcoming. Very bad loser. I eventually went and bought him one to keep him sweet. Didn’t touch the sides.
The other was Sir Stan. I was on Robin Smith’s (the cricketer) testimonial committee and was arranging a Sportsmans’ Dinner in London in ’93. We’d already lined up Gower, Osgood and Tom Graveney and I was looking for one more top table guest for the Q & A. An older friend mentioned he knew Stan’s agent, so I asked him to find out the cost. He came back to say Sir Stan would do the gig for £750 plus two hotel rooms for him and his manager. I said ‘Tell him he’s getting a grand plus the rooms’. On the night, there was a crutch of people milling around having drinks. In the middle, was Stan, on his own, sipping an orange juice. Everyone knew him, but one had the nerve to talk to him. As I was responsible for booking him, I went over to chat to him and introduce myself. To my astonishment, he identified the town I come from and explained he’d stopped off there one time during WW2. I had to interrupt him after about a minute to go and get my best friend to join me in chatting to him. I said to my mate – ‘you’ve got to come and can’t to Stan, he’s the nicest bloke on Earth.’ I can say, without hesitation, that he was one of the finest, humblest, nicest men I have ever met in my entire life. In the truest sense of the word, he was a gentleman. He was an enormous hit that evening and left an indelible impression on me. I can’t think of him without remembering his friendliness, his sincerity and his kindly nature.
At the Q and A, the panel were asked which other sport they’d have liked to be a top professional in. The other three stated it would have been golf. Sir Stan, rather sweetly, if implausibly, claimed he’d like to have been a cricketer.
He told me to send a couple of football shirts for him to sign, but, as is typical, I never did.
Johnny Concheroo says
Lovely stuff, as always Ian
Bingo Little says
That Stanley Matthews story may well be my favourite thing I’ve ever read on here – cheers, Ian.
MC Escher says
Gentle reminder: if you refer to Manchester United as simply United then they win, Bingo. And nobody really wants that.
Bingo Little says
Ugh. You’re quite right – wash my mouth out.
ianess says
Aside from being one of the top five players there has ever been, he’s, to my mind, the most influential in that he changed the way the game was played, both as a player and as a manager.
He was so beautiful to watch – the languid grace, coupled with devastatingly incisive forward moves.
He was also a true philosopher of the game. His utterances were gnomic, Zen-like and, often, very funny. The chapters on him in ‘The Football Men’ are, by some considerable distance, the most fascinating and intriguing.
My favourite story about him is in ‘Brilliant Orange’. He made his debut at 16 with Ajax and, instantly, started shouting orders to the much older, grizzled old pros as to where they should run. They were, initially, furious that this skinny little runt was dictating to them. However, they very quickly realised that Cruyff was accurately reading the game some moves ahead of everyone else and they sheepishly fell into line and did what he told them to do.
I saw a quote of his last night – ‘In some way, I’m probably immortal’.
No ‘probably’ about it, you cussed, wonderful genius.
Bingo Little says
Great post, agree with every word, particularly re: his influence.
Sewer Robot says
You might also make the case that Cruyff was the Daddy of some of the more irksome elements of modern football. His “extra-special” status within a very special team signified by his exclusive two stripe Adidas top and (here I may be a victim of poor recollection) I think he was the first high profile first team footballer to demand a non 1-11 squad number. (1-22 numbering had been the norm at World Cups, but – apart from those countries who bizarrely numbered their players in alphabetical order – if you were number 20 you knew you’d spend the tournament warming the bench barring injury to or trumped-up shoplifting charges against your 1-11 counterpart within the squad).
ianess says
He was individually sponsored by Puma which is why he wore two-stripe strip.
Not particularly exercised nor irked by your specific examples, TBH.
Sewer Robot says
Thanks for clearing that up ianess. I was only wee at the time (the 74 World Cup Final was only the second live TV match I ever saw – not sure it’s ever been equal led) and the “two stripe” thing was explained to me as reported. I still think there’s a direct line that can be drawn from Cruyff’s “superstar” status (I’m sure Pele, Charlton and Beckenbauer have massive egos too, but somehow they seemed to at least give the impression that they considered themselves on a par with their team mates) to (for example) the situation where at the world’s biggest football club, first Roberto Carlos and now Christiano Ronaldo can monopolise the free kick taking, despite having such a poor return and better free kick takers in the side.
ianess says
I get what you’re saying. Bloody Billy Bremner was the world’s worst for that when he played for Scotland. The little prick insisted on taking everything, including throw-ins. He probably handed round the half-time oranges also. This came to a head when Scotland were hammering West Germany 1-0 at Hampden in ’73. We were awarded a penalty with about 10 minutes to go. Up steps William, of course. His attempt was so feeble that I doubt it would have hit the back of the net if Maier had contrived to fail to pick it up. Of course, we then conceded a goal a few minutes later to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory.
Cruyff did comment that he took throw-ins because if he received the ball back, then he was the only player unmarked.
I missed the chance to see the peerless Ajax team play Rangers early ’73 as I had an exam the following day. A diehard Gers fan came back to the Hall of Residence that night, shell-shocked, sporting a thousand yard stare. He told me Rangers had been absolutely torn apart that night. I asked what the fans’ response was. ‘They gave Ajax a standing ovation. I’ve never seen a team play like they did.’
MC Escher says
I do the shouting and pointing thing too. It’s probably the best part of my game.
Rigid Digit says
And all this whilst smoking 20 a day.
And who said smoking was bad for you?
dai says
I think it was more than that. He suffered a massive heart attack when very young and died of lung cancer …
Rigid Digit says
(adopts Nigel Tufnel voice)
That’s just nit picking isn’t it
Didn’t know about the heart attack bit – I know he had a Heart Bypass (when coach at Barcelona I think?) and gave up smoking straight after
H.P. Saucecraft says
RIP CRIFF JOHANS STAR OF ALIAS SMITH AND JOHANS YOU GOT OUTTA THIS BUSINESS AT LAST RIP MATE ARE THUOGHTS ARE WITH MEL “HANNIBAL CURRY” SMITH AT THIS TIME RIP FROM JASE IN SALES
Johnny Concheroo says
So,
farewell then
Johan Cruyff, footballer
You were well known for your famous “Cruyff Turn”
But now you have had one funny turn too many
And gone to the great football ground in the sky
It was probably the fags that got you sent off
E.J,Thribberoo 17-0
Dodger Lane says
Yep quite right JC. Sid and Doris Bonkers would have had something to say about greatest players ever. Now Baldy Pevsner, he was some player.
DougieJ says
Maybe apocryphal but…
Brilliant.
Fintinlimbim says
And he was intelligent, articulate and multi lingual at a time when the best you got out of a British player was “over the moon” or “sick as a parrot”
BigJimBob says
Bet he was serial shagger though