Cruyff Born: Total Football's Architect and Visionary
Johan Cruyff could have been born anywhere and still would have revolutionized football. He was born in Amsterdam in 1947, 200 meters from the Ajax training ground. Total Football — every player capable of every role — wasn't an abstraction. It was built around what Cruyff could do: see the whole pitch, turn defenders inside out, arrive anywhere. He won three European Cups at Ajax and three Ballon d'Or awards. Then he built Barcelona's La Masia academy and trained the next generation himself.
April 25, 1947
79 years ago
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