How Johan Cruyff Changed the Game

On March 24, 2016, football lost one of its greatest players of all time-- a man whose skill matches those legends such as Pelé and Maradona. He is one of the very few who had incredible success as both a player and a manager. Perhaps more than you know, Johan Cruyff revolutionized football, and his influence can still be felt today.

Johan Cruyff is widely considered as one of the greatest to ever play the sport

Cruyff began his career with Ajax, then a small-fry club. By the time he left to Barcelona on a record-breaking fee, he had netted 190 goals in 240 appearances, won 6 league titles, 4 Dutch Cups, 3 European Cups (the predecessor to the Champions League), a UEFA Super Cup, and an Intercontinental Cup, and turned Ajax into a European powerhouse. Today, Ajax is one of the most well-known clubs in Europe, and this is largely due to the incredible and memorable play of Cruyff.

Cruyff with Ajax

After revolutionizing Dutch football, Cruyff left for Barcelona. He won the Spanish League in his first season, and won the Copa Del Rey in the 1977-78 season. After short stints in the USA and with Levante, he returned to Ajax in 1981. Though many thought he was too old to have any real success with them again, he proved the doubters wrong, winning 2 more league titles and 1 more Dutch Cup. Finally, he transferred to Feyenoord, winning another league title and Dutch Cup before retiring.

Cruyff with Barcelona

Cruyff also had success on the international level. For the Dutch national team, he marked 33 goals in 48 caps, and led the Oranje to their first ever World Cup Final in 1974, only to lose to West Germany, led by Gerd Müller and Franz Beckenbauer. The Dutch also received third in the 1976 UEFA European Championship.

Cruyff with the Dutch National Team

Cruyff is a 3-time Dutch Player of the Year, 3-time Ballon D’or Winner, and a World Cup Golden Ball Winner for the 1974 World Cup, and has received inclusions in the FIFA 100, FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, FIFA World Cup Dream Team, World Team of the 20th Century, and World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time.

And all of that was just as a player. Cruyff is also one of the rare players who also had profound success as a manager, too. He started his managerial career as his beloved Ajax, winning the Dutch Cup twice and the UEFA CWC in 1987. He then followed in his own footsteps and left for Barcelona. He would go on to win 4 league titles in a row from 1990-91 to 1993-94, a Copa Del Rey, 3 Spanish Super Cups, a European Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, and a UEFA CWC. Furthermore, they were runners-up in the UEFA CWC in 1991 and Champions League runners-up in the 1993-94 season.

But Cruyff’s legacy extends far beyond his awards. He revolutionized the game itself, turned multiple clubs into international forces, invented new skills and strategies that are still used today, and gave back to the football community.

As mentioned earlier, Ajax was not a football giant before Cruyff. However, he and manager Rinus Michels employed the Totaalvoetbal, or “Total Football” style, and led the club to success that continues today. This style makes it so that any outfield player should be able to play any outfield position. It makes the team much more fluid and versatile, while maintaining a structure; when a player switches to another position, he is replaced by someone else, therefore keeping the balance intact. This system led Ajax to their massive success during the Michels-and-Cruyff era, and results in some of the finest football ever played.

Though Barcelona was already a rather successful club before Cruyff, he took them to new heights, both as a player and manager. If not for him, Barcelona might not be the colossal force it is now. He brought players like Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário, Gheorghe Hagi, and Hristo Stoichkov to the club, creating a true “Dream Team”. Barcelona’s famous tiki-taka style of play was Cruyff’s doing, stemming from totaalvoetbal. And La Masia, Barcelona’s legendary youth academy--producing players such as Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi--that was Cruyff’s idea, too. This picture from 433Barca’s instagram (@433Barca) sums it up perfectly:

Can you imagine a world where Barcelona is not dominating in European football? Bias aside, they are one of the most recognizable and quintessential football teams, even widely known among people who don’t even watch the sport. They might never have achieved that level of success if not for Cruyff.

Apart from changing clubs, Cruyff also changed the game itself, inventing new ways to play. During the 1974 World Cup, in a Netherlands-Sweden group stage match, something magical happened 23 minutes in. Johan Cruyff performed a skill move that had never been seen before. Trying to break down defender Jan Olsson, Cruyff very quickly cut inside and turned 180 degrees, leaving his man for dead. This became known as the Cruyff Turn, a well-known trick still used today.

The Cruyff turn 

Another way he changed the game was with his famous penalty. You may have seen it recently used by Messi and Suarez in their 6-1 rout of Celta Vigo, but it was actually invented by Cruyff. Fittingly called the Cruyff Penalty, it was revolutionary when it happened because no one had ever thought to do it. Come on, passing a penalty rather than shooting it? As it was never explicitly illegal, Cruyff had the guts to completely change how we view penalty kicks, and added another dimension to the set piece.

Side-by-side comparison of Messi's pass penalty and the Cruyff Penalty

In addition, Johan Cruyff scored one of the greatest goals in football history during his time with Barcelona. In a very important match against Atletico Madrid, in the Vicente Calderón, no less, he received a cross at the back post. He jumped and contorted his body, striking the ball with the back of his foot, and scoring at the near post. This goal was so incredible and so incredibly difficult to replicate that it has been dubbed the "Impossible Goal". Honestly, my description of it does little justice. Do yourself a favor and watch the video.


The "Impossible Goal" in action

On top of his influence as a player and manager, Cruyff was very philanthropic. His Johan Cruyff Foundation has provided over 200 mini football courts, called Cruyff Courts, to 22 countries across the globe. He also founded the Johan Cruyff Institute, which aims to “educate the next generation of leaders in sports management”.

In Cruyff’s own words, “everything comes to an end”, but I will argue that this is untrue, especially in his case. While his time with us has been cut short, there is a gift he has given football and the world, one that will surely never fade and that will continue to inspire footballers--his undeniable legacy.

Written By: Nishu Chakrapani