Former Dutch legend Johan Cruyff said that France deserves to win the World Cup in Russia and that they were the best team in the tournament. He said that France has some good players with not only the skills but also the experience to win such a demanding tournament.
The Netherlands football hero Johan Cruyff departed the world through cancer at the age of 68.
On March 24 2016 Johan Cruyff (68) died peacefully in Spain, surrounded by his family after a hard struggle with cancer.
“It’s with tears that we plead you to respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief’ read a statement on the World of Johan Cruyff website.
‘With sadness the death of Johan Cruyff has taught one or two lessons. Words are not enough’ wrote the Dutch football federation on Twitter.
Cruyff, who was a heavy smoker until undergoing heart surgery in 1991, made his illness publicized. He was regarded as one of the game’s greatest players. Continue reading
Malaysia are interested in Belgian-Malaysian defender Dion ‘Johana’ Cools, according to reports.
Cools features currently for Club Brugge KV where he lines as a defender for the Belgian multiple time league winners. He has a mature profile at Club Brugge where he featured in 30 games last term. He has Champions League experience as well as Malaysia want him.
However, Cools has featured in various youth levels for Belgium. He was in the Under 22 Belgium Young Players’ Team of the Season last term.
Vngada said he has contacted the player and hoping he agrees to the request. The coach says he and his team have been investigating players that are eligible for Malaysian passport in a bid to boost the player pool for the national team. Continue reading
Dick Advocaat is going to be in charge of the Dutch national soccer squad for the rest of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
It’s only if they are at no. 1 or no. 2 in the standings at the completion of the first round, they will have any chance of going to Russia, otherwise, they will have to suffer the embarrassment of not featuring in another big competition.
They had failed to secure their spot in the Euro Cup as well which had taken place the previous year.
The qualifying scenario for World Cup is such that if Netherlands manage to end up being the no. 1 in their group, they will qualify straightaway and won’t have to play any further games in that situation.
A no. 2 finish will send them to the playoffs where they will have to compete with the no. 2s of other groups. Continue reading
Spanish giant Barcelona have been very dominant in European club for many decades.
After three years in charge, a successful Luis Enrique is set to leave the club. He leaves the side like every other manager: severely drained. During the 5-0 rout of Celta Vigo, the fans chanted: ‘Lucho, we love you, please stay’ but it was more of a farewell message as it had been established that he was leaving.
While it seems the club’s ideologies are waning, the part that the coaching role drains you to the last holds still. Only two managers have stayed at the club more than four years since the 1950s. Johan Cruyff – who changed football at the club – did eight years but he did not live long after. Frank Rijkaard spent five years and he is yet to recover.
The fans own the Spanish club – they decide who stays on as coach, who becomes the president and the extent they want to reach each term. Continue reading
The Barcelona forward has given his new footwear to the former Netherlands international, who played at Camp Nou in the 1990s.
December is usually the time for gift giving and helping out those in need. So to keep up with tradition, Lionel Messi has donated his new boots to former Barcelona forward Jordi Cruyff.
Cruyff, who is now the sports director at Maccabi Tel Aviv, spent three seasons at Barcelona and four at Manchester United, but never quote lived up to his billing as the son of legendary Netherlands international Johan Cruyff.
The attacker scored just eight goals during his time at Old Trafford, failing to find the net during the 1997/1998 season, and later had spells in Ukraine and Malta despite a strong start to his playing career.
Conversely, Messi has scored over 500 goals for club and country, winning five Ballon d’Or trophies, and is rated as one of the best players of all time. Messi has made the former player a special present which he shared on Twitter with his followers. Continue reading
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lauded his former boss Johan Cruyff as the main reason why he has been hugely successful as a player and as a manager.
It is one of the main reasons for coaches around the world trying to replicate the Guardiola style of football. In many ways, Guardiola says that he is just trying to replicate what Johan Cruyff taught him on the pitch. As a teenager coming through the Barcelona youth ranks,Cruyff picked him up and put him into the first-team. Barcelona were under the ethos of total football during the time of the Dutchman. However, they achieved huge success with this philosophy only during the time of Guardiola. For a period of four years, Barcelona the best team in the planet by a long distance and they managed to amass several titles. Continue reading
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher reckons that Manchester City have done a Barcelona by appointing Pep Guardiola, as he believes that this appointment is similar to the decision taken by Barcelona with Johan Cruyff in 1988.
Carragher says that City have the ability to go on and have a similar period with Guardiola at the helm. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager moved to City after resisting offers from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. Widely seen as one of the best managers in the world, Guardiola will be transforming everything at the club from the youth system. Since he wants his youth teams to be playing in a similar way to the senior team, the transformation made by the manager will be evident in the next decade or more according to Carragher. A product of the Liverpool system, Carragher enjoyed a remarkably successful career and made about 700 appearances for the Merseyside club before retiring a few years ago.
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Players become mentors for future players as well as coaches. This instance is carried out well by Johan Cruyff.
We are here to talk about Johan Cruyff, who had a great impact on the football team of the Netherlands as well as in European football.
It is pertinent to talk about him in this context, especially at a time when the European league is underway and every country showcase their current skills as well as build on what they have achieved over the years. With Johan passing away the football world is in disbelief and it is also hard to believe that the Netherlands has been unable to clear their way into the European championships this time.
It is time to reminisce how the Dutch side was in the seventies. There was the concept of playing total football that is an alien concept today as well as Johan Cruyff, who leaves behind a legendary profile and a rich history of contributions to the world of football. The football acts that were enacted at that time were unique. Continue reading