Johan Cruyff

I have written on many occasions of my admiration and love for Johan Cruyff and how he and that great 70’s Dutch national team take all of the credit for me falling irrevocably in love with the game of football.

I dedicated my Ten Year Blogging anniversary to the 1974 World Cup tournament with Le Oranje and their talisman Johan Cruyff at the heart of every memory I cherish of it 41 years on.

Today we learnt that the 68-year old is suffering from lung cancer and is undergoing further tests to determine the extent of the illness. Cruyff liked his cigarettes but gave up almost 25-years ago after open heart surgery when manager of Barcelona.

Cruyff was not only an inspirational footballer and the best I saw in my lifetime, but he also did what so many great players struggle to do, and that was to become an motivational and game changing manager and coach.

I wish him every strength in the world to beat this horrible illness and plot a way around it just like he did every defender he faced as a player.