Johan Cruijff
Johan Cruijff
Hendrik Johannes "Johan" Cruijff OON, anglicised to Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and coach. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was one of the most famous exponents of the football philosophy known as Total Football explored by Rinus Michels, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history. In the 1970s, Dutch football rose from near obscurity...
change football religious
I'm not religious. In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before they enter the pitch. If it works all matches must therefore end in a draw.
change football water
After you've won something, you're no longer 100 percent, but 90 percent. It's like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there's a little less gas inside.
change football balls
There is only one ball, so you need to have it.
change football player
Every professional golfer has a seperate coach for his drives, for approaches, for putting. In football we have one coach for 15 players. This is absurd.
change football thinking
Surviving the first round is never my aim. Ideally, I'd be in one group with Brazil, Argentina and Germany. Then I'd have lost two rivals after the first round. That's how I think. Idealisitic.
change sports running
What is speed? The sports press often confuses speed with insight. See, if I start running slightly earlier than someone else, I seem faster.
change football strong
Choose the best player for every position, and you'll end up not with a strong XI, but with 11 strong 1's.
change football player
Players today can only shoot with their laces. I could shoot with the inside, laces, and outside of both feet. In other words, I was six times better than today's players.
change football player
We must make sure their worst players get the ball the most. You'll get it back in no time.
change football mistake
Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake.
change football player
There are very few players who know what to do when they're not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don't mark him.
change running football
Someone who has juggled the ball in the air during a game, after which four defenders of the opponent get the time to run back, that's the player people think is great. I say he has to go to a circus.
change football player
I always threw the ball in, because then if I got the ball back, I was the only player unmarked.
change football goal
Why couldn't you beat a richer club? I've never seen a bag of money score a goal.