JOHAN CRUYFF

Date Of Birth : 25 April 1947
Position : Attacking Midfielder/ Winger/ Second Striker
Nation : Netherlands
Height : 180 cm
Major Club : Ajax Amsterdem, Barcelona
Caps : 48 Games (33 Goals)
Professional Score Record : 371 Goals/ 663 Games
World Cup Participation : 1974 (7 Games with 3 goals)
Club Honours : 9 Times Dutch Champions
1 Time Spanish La Liga
6 Times Dutch Cup
1 Time Copa Del Rey
1969 European Cup Runner-Up
3 Times European Cup Winners (1971, 1972, 1973)
1972 Intercontinental Cup
International Honours : 1974 FIFA World Cup Runner-Up
Individual Achievement : 3 Times European Footballer of The Year (1971, 1973, 1974)
1974 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
1974 FIFA World Cup All Star Team
1975 Bronze Ball European Footballer of The Year
2 Times Spanish La Liga Foreign Player of The Year (1977, 1978)
1984 Dutch Golden Shoe
1994 FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
1998 FIFA World Team of The Century
1999 IFFHS Netherlands Player of The Century
1999 Silver Ball IFFHS World Player of The Century
1999 IFFHS European Player of The Century
1999 Bronze Ball France Football’s Football Player of The Century
1999 Bronze Ball World Soccer Greatest Player of The Century
2002 FIFA Dream Team
UEFA Jubilee Awards (Netherlands)

Johan Cruyff is known as the greatest European footballer of all-time and one of the most completed attacking player to ever play the game. Cruyff was the most famous exponent of the football philosophy known as Total Football, explored by Rinus Michels. He was the key to the execution and refinement of this system. Cruyff played centre forward in this system. But he would drop deep to confuse his markers or suddenly move to the wing with devastating effect. Due to the way Cruyff played his game he is still referred to as "the total footballer.", was known for his technical ability, speed and acceleration, but his greatest quality was vision as an orchestrator of “The Controlled Chaos” of The Orange Machine, based on an acute sense of his team-mates' positions as an attack unfolded. Cruyff also perfected a move now known as the "Cruyff Turn." Cruyff retired from international football in 1977, having helped the national team qualify for the upcoming World Cup. Without him, the Netherlands finished runners-up in the World Cup again. Initially the reason given for missing the 1978 FIFA World Cup were political reasons given a military dictatorship was in power in Argentina at that time. In 2004, Zidane was finished 3rd the best European footballer in the last 50 years by UEFA Jubilee Poll.