Dutch legend Johan Cruyff has used his weekly column in De Telegraaf to thank the media, clubs and fans for their support after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
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His career began at Ajax and took him to Barcelona where, as player and later coach, his soccer philosophy laid the foundations for the dominant Barca teams of recent years.
He was also a key player in the great Netherlands team that reached the 1974 World Cup final when, for the first time, during the tournament a global audience saw him perform the now-famous “Cruyff turn” the movement in which the player with the ball plays it behind their own leg before swerving away in the direction of the ball. Cruyff’s ex-club Barcelona also showed their support by wearing t-shirts before kick off in their win over Eibar on Sunday.
Spanish media broke news of the 68-year-old Cruyff’s condition on Thursday, not long after he had consulted doctor in Barcelona, where he lives. It’s annoying that it’s leaked out so early, because all I know is that I have lung cancer.
During his global career, the unorthodox Cruyff, whose fluid passing and mercurial on-field tactics often kept opponents guessing until the last moment, scored 33 goals before retiring in 1977.
He won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award three times, an achievement shared with current UEFA chief Michel Platini and former Dutch striker Marco van Basten.
But he quit smoking after undergoing a double heart bypass operation in 1991.
At football grounds across the country over the weekend, fans gave standing ovations in the 14th minute of matches in a tribute to Cruyff, who rose to fame in the No14 shirt at Ajax.
At the time he was reportedly smoking at least 20 cigarettes a day.
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“Dear #johancruijff i know you as a fighter and after many battles you won you will win this one too”, tweeted another Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit.
