Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (more commonly known as Johan Cruyff)
Dutch
April 25, 1947 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1964 - 1973 AFC Ajax - 239 apps, 190 goals
1973 - 1978 FC Barcelona - 143 apps, 48 goals
1979 - 1980 Los Angeles Aztecs - 27 apps, 14 goals
1980 - 1981 Washington Diplomats - 32 apps, 12 goals
1981 Levante - 10 apps, 2 goals
1981 - 1983 AFC Ajax - 36 apps, 14 goals
1983 - 1984 Feyenoord - 33 apps, 11 goals
1966 - 1978 Netherlands - 48 apps, 33 goals
Ajax
Dutch League - 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1983
Dutch Cup - 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1983
European Cup - 1971, 1972, 1973
Intercontinental Cup - 1972
Barcelona
Spanish League - 1974
Spanish Cup - 1978
Feyenoord
Dutch League - 1984
Dutch Cup - 1984
Ajax
Dutch Cup - 1986, 1987
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - 1987
Barcelona
Spanish League - 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
Spanish Cup - 1990
European Cup - 1992
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - 1989
UEFA Super Cup - 1992
The perfect embodiment of the Total Football style of play which originated in Holland during the 1970s under coach Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff had the talent and, most importantly, the vision to play in virtually any position demanded of him. A goalscoring centre forward, he was devastating when dropping deep to receive the ball or drift to the wings to exploit gaps in opposition defences with his exquisite close control and virtually telepathic vision.
Lightening fast and blessed with an unrivalled range of precision passing, Cruyff has quite rightly been held in the highest esteem as the "Total Footballer".
Always the unconventional hero, Johan Cruyff's international career with Holland was blighted by controversy as much as glory. A one year ban for being the first Dutch player ever to be sent off in only his second game gave way to one of World Cup history's finest tournament performances culminating in 1974's run to World Cup final defeat at the hands of West Germany.
Cruyff helped push Holland to World Cup qualification again in 1978 but retired from international football rather than play in Argentina due to the military junta which was in power at the time.
Cruyff's AFC Ajax first team debut came as a seventeen year old in November 1964 against GVAV where he scored his first goal but he made his mark in the following season, scoring 25 goals to help Ajax to the league title and and again in 1966/67 winning the league and cup double and the league again in 1968.
Defeat to AC Milan in his first European Cup final in 1969 was a tough blow but Ajax were soon back to winning ways with another league and cup double in 1969/1970. The following October saw Cruyff wear the number 14 shirt for the first time in a move that was to become one of football's most iconic images - the swaggering Dutchman wearing the unorthodox number 14 (players usually wore 1 - 11 in the 1970s) for both club and country.
In the early 1970s there was no European player to match Johan Cruyff and no club good enough to catch the all conquering Ajax Amsterdam side he graced. Three successive European Cup wins in 1971, 1972 and 1973 more than made up for the disappointment of 1969's defeat to Milan and with Cruyff personally picking up the European Footballer of the Year trophy in both 1971 and 1973. Dutch league title wins in 1970, 1972 and 1973 and Dutch Cup wins in 1970, 1971 and 1972 were further proof of Cruyff and Ajax's dominance.
All good things come to an end however and in 1973 Johan Cruyff left Ajax for FC Barcelona for a fee of $2m. Instantly winning over the Catalan fans with anti-Franco remarks about Real Madrid, Cruyff went on to win the Spanish league title in 1974 and add another European Footballer of the Year trophy to his burgeoning trophy cabinet. A Spanish Cup in 1978 was the only other trophy of his five year spell in Barcelona and at the age of 32 Cruyff looked west to pastures new and the fledgling North American Soccer League for his next challenge.
Cruyff played one season for the Los Angeles Aztecs, winning the NASL Player of the Year award and the following season for the Washington Diplomats before deciding to return to Europe once again.
A short spell in Spain with Levante preceded a glorious homecoming to Ajax in 1981 and the old magician went on to play another 36 times for his first love before relations turned sour. After the 1982/1983 season, Ajax failed to offer Cruyff a new contract and he responded by signing for their arch-rivals Feyenoord, playing one last season in 1983/84 and rolling back the years to drive Feyenoord to their first Eredivisie title in a decade.