Barcelona and Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff has died from cancer at the age of 68.
Cruyff's official website, World of Johan Cruyff, announced the ex-Ajax, Barcelona and Catalonia manager died in Barcelona on Thursday.
"On March 24, 2016, Johan Cruyff (68) died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard fought battle with cancer," the statement read. "It's with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."
On Friday, the website shared a statement from Jordi Cruyff, Johan's son, thanking those who have given their support and condolences and the medical staff who treated him. It read:
On behalf of my mother, sisters and the rest of the family, I would like to say thank you for all the love, kind words and memories that have been shared with us, [not just] since yesterday but also over the past months. It has touched us deeply that Johan was such an inspiration to many of you. We would like to express our special thanks to all the doctors and medical staff who have supported us until the end.
Ajax and the Royal Dutch Football Federation, two institutions with whom Cruyff was prominently intertwined, issued statements expressing their sympathies:
AFC Ajax (English) @AFCAjax_ENNEWS | Johan #Cruijff has passed away today at age 68. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and loved ones.
KNVB @KNVBIt is with great sadness that we've learnt of the death of Johan #Cruyff. Words cannot express the loss we feel. #14
Barcelona star Lionel Messi also offered his thoughts on Cruyff, per Marca.com: "A lot of what Barcelona have achieved in recent years is down to him, the man who changed Barcelona's philosophy and playing style. He was much loved and respected by everyone in the footballing world and especially those at Barcelona."
The Associated Press reported there would be a minute-long silence in Cruyff's memory at Friday's friendly between Netherlands and France in Amsterdam.
Barcelona will also hold a memorial from Saturday to Tuesday, per the Associated Press (via Pro Soccer Talk).
Cruyff won eight Eredivisie titles and three European Cups as a player with Ajax, as well as one Primera Division title and the Copa del Rey with Barca before he led the Blaugrana to myriad successes as a manager in the early 1990s.
One of his major tasks after landing in Catalonia was to stop the runaway train of Real Madrid, who had claimed three consecutive Primera Division crowns prior to his arrival in 1988. Two seasons later, Cruyff ended that streak, managing Barcelona to their first league title in six years in 1990 and winning the next three in succession.
In eight seasons at the Barcelona helm, Cruyff also clinched one European Cup (1992), one UEFA Super Cup (1992), a Copa del Rey (1990) and three Spanish Supercups (1991, 1992 and 1994) before eventually leaving in 1996.
Cruyff's footballing philosophy and influence over the sport was so vast it wouldn't be fair to simply deem him a superb player, manager or teacher.
Illustrious though his playing career was, a figure regularly looked upon as the Godfather of European football influenced a generation of genius talents—among them Pep Guardiola, Frank Rijkaard and Ronald Koeman—due in large part to his work as Barca manager between 1988 and 1996.
Barcelona dedicated a solemn tribute to their former leader after news of his death emerged, with the club owing so much of its present-day success to the foundations laid by Cruyff:
FC Barcelona 🏆🏆 @FCBarcelonaWe'll always love you, Johan. Rest in peace
Bleacher Report UK provided a montage of tributes to the Dutchman, with fellow Blaugrana managerial alumni Guardiola and Rijkaard among those to have paid homage to a footballing great over the years:
B/R Football @brfootballJohan Cruyff 1947-2016 RIP
Bayern Munich midfielder and Spain international Xabi Alonso joined in the celebration of Cruyff's life:
Xabi Alonso @XabiAlonsoThe '14' will never be the same. RIP Johan Cruyff.
A three-time Ballon d'Or winner and three-time Dutch Footballer of the Year, Cruyff's majesty on the pitch will perhaps be best remembered for his Cruyff Turn, coined at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
Sweden defender Jan Olsson was the unfortunate maiden victim of a move that became synonymous with its inventor:
B/R Football @brfootballJohan Cruyff: So good they named a turn after him. RIP.
Cruyff was moulded by the youth-centric production line of Ajax and took that same philosophy with him to the Camp Nou, transforming Barcelona's famed Masia.
Former England striker Gary Lineker spent one season under Cruyff at Barcelona in 1988-89, and he shared his sentiment of what the legend did for the Beautiful Game:
Gary Lineker @GaryLinekerSad to hear that Johan Cruyff has died. Football has lost a man who did more to make the beautiful game beautiful than anyone in history.
Roma writer Julian De Martinis summarised Cruyff's contributions to the sport across many platforms, taking note of the impact football feels today thanks to the ripples he created:
That influence evidently echoes among Barca's current stars too, after Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez recreated another piece of Cruyff magic that emphasised his value as a unique wonder of the sport.
It was against Helmond Sport in 1982 that Cruyff passed to Ajax team-mate Jesper Olsen from the penalty spot before receiving the ball back to fire into an empty net. Thirty-four years later, Messi and Suarez—himself a former Ajax man—paid homage on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 2016, against Celta Vigo:
His methods were taken to England too. On Bleacher Report, David Winner chronicled the manner in which Dennis Bergkamp, who played under Cruyff at Ajax in the mid-1980s, took his teachings to Arsenal in 1995:
Things were different when [Bergkamp] moved to Arsenal in 1995. The club were notorious for tedious defensive football and desperate for change after a string of scandals. Moreover, England was just beginning to open up to new ideas, players and coaches.
Instead of demanding Bergkamp adopt English ways, Arsenal were eager to learn from him. They didn't resist change but rather embraced it. In 1996, Arsene Wenger arrived, and Arsenal soon became an English version of Ajax.
The Amsterdam native began his career with hometown club Ajax, excelling through the academy before making his professional debut in November 1964, winning six league titles in his initial stint at the club.
Cruyff would go on to attain success with Barcelona before moves to the United States with the Los Angeles Aztecs and Washington Diplomats, ending the 1980-81 season with Levante before returning to his beloved Ajax.
Then 34 years of age, Cruyff's quality was still clear by the fact Ajax won back-to-back Eredivisie crowns in his last two seasons at the club before he finally hung up his boots in 1984 after a season with Feyenoord. The playmaker scored 33 goals in just 48 games for the Netherlands, leading his national team to a runners-up finish at the 1974 World Cup.
One thing for certain is that although Cruyff has died, the lessons he taught are sure to live on in football.
