Johan Cruyff

Permit me to be overcome by nostalgia for a time that existed long before me. On this rainy day in the northern United States, I was sitting here thinking about the Dutch national football team. Shocking, I know but I stumbled upon a quick little biography of Johan Cruyff. Am I beating dead horse if I say that Johan Cruyff was simply sublime? I don’t think it can be said enough. When the most important qualification needed to be the manager of the Dutch squad is Johan Cruyff’s endorsement then I think he has successfully achieved a level of influence that even Beckenbauer or Pele does not have, at least not to the same degree, in their home countries.

He invented and perfected the “Cruyff turn,” something popular today but not executed with the same audacity Cruyff had. Then there was that penalty. The amazing thing about that penalty was not the skill level or technique. It was the guts to first think of it and then execute it. If it hadn’t come off there would have been all kinds of fun made of them. A lot like when Pires and Henry of Arsenal tried to do something similar and made a couple of idiots out of themselves.

For fun here are some of the memorable quotes from the greatest and most influential Dutch player ever:

“I will always defend the game and the way it should be played. A great team with great players must always give more for the good of football . Mourinho should be taught. I could teach him how to generate respect.” On Chelsea’s style and Jose Mourinho

“I never practice tricks. I play very simply. That’s what it’s all about. Playing simple football is the hardest thing.”

“The special thing about the Dutch team is movement. Everybody moves. That’s the basis of it.”

“If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.”

“Italians can never win from you, but you can lose to them.” When asked about Ajax’s chances in the 1995 Champion’s League final against AC Milan.

“It’s better to fail with your own vision rather than following another man’s vision.”

Does it get any better than that? I believe that if the Dutch somehow catastrophically implode at this year’s tournament and van Basten is sacked I would not be surprised to see Cruyff step up and take charge. He’s had plenty of success in the past and loves football. What more could we ask?