Barcelona have unveiled a special enclosure within the Camp Nou that serves as a memorial site for the recently deceased Johan Cruyff.
Advertisement
Cruyff inspired the Total Football offensive where every player had to be ready to take on every position. “It is true that we started well although then made two small mistakes on set pieces, which cost us two goals”, he said. He later played for and coached FC Barcelona in Spain.
The Dutchman, who died on Thursday aged 68, believed that sport and politics did mix.
A book of condolence has been opened for attendees, who will file past a large photo of the Dutch great inside the stadium lobby.
“Probably because I was Dutch and famous nobody could touch me, that’s why I said: “Well, you can do it”, Cruyff said in the documentary. It’s impossible to understand the current situation without him.
“Like Cruyff said there’s no need to run a lot to control the game and Messi doesn’t run much”.
BLAISE MATUIDI SCORED with three minutes remaining as France recovered from a Netherlands comeback to win 3-2 in Amsterdam on Friday in a match that saw both teams pay tribute to Johan Cruyff.
The ArenaA stadium and his family’s home in the city also became a draw for football pilgrims.
“RIP Johan Cruyff”, said modern-day Spanish hero Xabi Alonso, now with Bayern Munich, on Twitter in a tribute referring to Cruyff’s number 14 shirt.
Early goals from Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud had put France in control at the Amsterdam Arena, but Luuk de Jong pulled one back just after halftime and substitute Ibrahim Afellay equalised with a long-range shot five minutes from time.
“With the hosts” focus somewhat – and understandably – skewed by the passing of Johan Cruyff, Didier Deschamps’ men took immediate advantage. “He gave me a footballing lesson in how to conduct myself, to keep my distance from the media”, Guardiola, 45, told Catalan radio station Rac1.
“Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is”, he once said.
The family’s management confirmed they are now making arrangements for a final farewell to Cruyff, as well as preparing details for an official memorial. But they did not say when it would be held.
Born Hendrik Johannes Cruyff, he joined Ajax as a long-haired teenager and inspired them to three successive European Cups between 1971-73 before joining Barcelona and guiding them to the 1974 Spanish league title.
Cruyff is considered one of the greatest players of all time.
“He was always inventing something”, recalled 70-year-old composer Franck Charles, particularly of Cruyff’s time as a coach from 1988 to 1996.
Advertisement
He led Barca to four league titles and their first European Cup in 1992 – a period in which he underwent major heart surgery, which prompted him to stop smoking.
