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Johan Cruyff: Watch the Dutch master's greatest moments of skill
Embodiment of the total football revolution and father of Barcelona's 'tiki-taka' style has died at the age of 68
Tributes have been flooding in for Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff, who has died at the age of 68, five months after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
He was "the greatest Dutch footballer of all time and one of the world's best ever", said the Dutch FA, a sentiment echoed throughout the game, with Barcelona's Lionel Messi posting on his Facebook page that "another legend has left us today".
Cruyff was born in Amsterdam and began his career with Ajax, where he was part of the legendary side that won the league six times in eight years and claimed three consecutive European Cups from 1971 to 1973.
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He was also at the heart of the Dutch "total football" revolution of the 1970s, a philosophy that demanded the ability to play in any position, although Cruyff was usually deployed as an attacking midfielder of forward.
In 1973, he moved to Barcelona and a year later, guided the Netherlands to the World Cup final, losing to West Germany. He also won the Ballon d'Or three times.
After his playing career, Cruyff managed Barcelona from 1988 to 1996, winning four league titles and guiding the Catalan club to their first ever European Cup triumph in 1992. He is also credited for sowing the seeds of Barcelona's famed "tiki-taka" passing style.
He was almost as adept with words as he was with the ball and coined many famous football phrases and quotes, including: "Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is."
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A heavy smoker, he underwent heart bypass surgery in 1991 and took to sucking lollipops in the dug-out.
Perhaps Cruyff's most enduring legacy is the famous turn that it named after him, which he first used at the 1974 World Cup, leaving Swedish defender Jan Olsson completely flummoxed. It was an iconic moment and Cruyff is one of a select band of players to have a move named after him.
Here are some of his finest moments:
The penalty: [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"92752","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
The backheel: [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"92751","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
The volley: [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"92750","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
The turn: [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"92749","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
The dribbles: [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"92748","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
