Johan Cruyff Biography

Johan Cruyff Biography – Ajax Amsterdam - Same as with most young boys born in Amsterdam, the Ajax youth academies were Johan Cruyff's first choice and he started playing for the club in 1957, at age 10. He played for 7 years throughout Ajax's youth systems, standing out as one of the best players of his generation (and that's not an easily obtainable performance, when you're part of the best youth club system in the World).

In 1964, he was taken to the first team and had his debut in the Dutch first division short after, even managing to score on his first game for Ajax (Ajax lost to GVAV 3-1 though). Despite this, he didn't have a first team place until the 1965-66 season, when he started catching the eyes of the press, and even the national squad staff. He scored 25 goals in 23 games that season and emerged surprisingly high in the Dutch top scorer competition, considering his young age.

But his best season at Ajax would be the 1966-1967 one, when Cruyff would score 33 goals becoming top goalscorer and helping Ajax to an amazing league-cup double. He would repeat this feat in the 1969-1970 season, but unfortunately 1970 also brought him a serious injury that kept him off the pitch for some time. All in all, in his first 9 years with the Dutch club, Johan Cruyff managed to win 6 league titles, 4 Dutch cups and 3 European Cups (today's Champions League equivalent).

He was also named European Footballer of the Year twice while here, namely in 1971 and 1973. But in the summer of 1973, after winning almost everything he could have won with Ajax, Johan Cruijff decided it's time for a move and accepted FC Barcelona's offer, who was trying to get him for the past 3 years.

Johan Cruyff Biography – FC Barcelona
Cruijff was already an established player when he joined Barcelona and the pressure was high on his shoulders, but the Dutchman managed to cope with it perfectly. His first good move was winning the hearts of the Barca fans, saying that he chose Barcelona over Madrid because he could never play for a club that was associated with Spanish extremist leader Franco.

He also gave his son a specific Catalan name, Jordi, which further increased the Barca fans' trust in him. And to top it off, he immediately made an impact at the team, helping it win the Primera Division for the first time in a long while, smashing their arch-rivals, Real Madrid, 5-0 on their home stadium, in the season's derby. His 5 seasons with Barcelona brought him another trophy, the Spanish Cup in 1978 but otherwise it was a bit of a drought compared to what he won with Ajax.

Johan Cruyff Biography – End of Career
At age 32, with retirement knocking on Cruyff's door, he signed a money-deal with United States club Los Angeles Aztecs. He was voted North American Soccer League Player of the Year during his season with the L.A. team, but moved to the Washington Diplomats the following year, where he would play for another season before returning home to the club that made him the great player that he was, Ajax Amsterdam.

Unfortunately, since he was already reaching his retirement age with a fast pace, Ajax decided not to offer him a new contract after his initial one expired in 1983. Furious by this decision, Cruyff went on to play for Ajax's greatest nemesis, Feyenoord Rotterdam.

At Feyenoord, Johan played the last season of his career, ending it in pretty much the same way he played most of it: in style. His 11 goals in 33 matches helped Feyenoord earn a league-cup double and Cruyff added yet another set of trophies to his CV.

Johan Cruiff Biography – Manager Career
After retiring in 1984, Cruiff needed 2 years to cool off and relax, but he didn't just lose these two years, since he studied for becoming a club manager and coach. The first team that offered him the opportunity to put in practice what he learned was...you guessed, Ajax Amsterdam, the team where he had his biggest successes as a player.

In his two years as coach for Ajax, he won his first trophies as a manager, getting the Dutch Cup in 86 and 87 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 87. However, he didn't manage to get a league title, so he moved on to Barcelona in 1988.

His time with Barcelona would be the peak of his managerial career as his 8 years with the Catalan squad were peppered with trophies. Another UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1989, a Spanish cup in 1990, his first Spanish league in 1991, the European Cup and UEFA Super Cup and the league title in 1992, as well as two more league titles in 1993 and 1994 earned Johan Cruyff a place in Barcelona's hall of fame, but also a spot amongst the most reputable managers in Europe.