Cruijff was not only the greatest Dutch footballer of all time, he stands with Pele as the best the sport has ever produced.  Born in Amsterdam in 1947 and raised in the shadow of the Ajax stadium. His early success was partly due to his mother who 1959, while employed as a cleaning woman at the Ajax offices, convinced the coaches to take the twelve year old Johan on to the youth team.  The result was a quarter of a century of successes, awards and achievements both as a player and as a trainer.  Cruijff debuted on Ajax’s first team at 17 and scored during his international debut for Holland at 19. Piet Keizer and Cruijff became Ajax’s first full-professional players, essentially launching a new era for the club.  The club’s international history began with his ascension. 

 

Cruijff was the inspiration behind the “Total Football” teams of Ajax and Holland during the Seventies.  He was the quintessential Total Footballer.  As a center-forward, he was often spearheading the attack.  He would drop deep to confuse his markers or move to either wing with devastating effectiveness.  He was equally likely to be found roaming the midfield and then move up to pierce the defence from a variety of angles. His unorthodox attacks were the thrust behind Ajax’s 2-0 defeat of Inter Milan for the 1972 European Cup, both goals coming from Cruijff.  A year later he inspired Ajax again as they took out Juventus to claim their third European title.  The tactics of Total Football were perfectly suited to his versatility.  His awareness of his colleagues’ positions, his vision and ability to hit accurate passes (much in evidence later in his career when he dropped deeper and

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