The 70 best phrases of Johan Cruyff

Hendrik Johannes Cruyff, known in the sports world as Johan Cruyff, has been one of the key figures for the advancement of football as we know it. His beginnings were within the Ajax Amsterdam team until he demonstrated his value as a human and soccer player as part of Barcelona F.C., where he became honorary president, years after.

If you want to know more about his way of thinking, he keeps reading. Here you will find a selection of the best phrases of Johan Cruyff.

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Johan Cruyff's most memorable phrases

The soccer star was not only praised for his skills on the pitch, but for his humane, fun and spirited way of leading teams. For this reason, we bring a compilation with the best phrases and reflections of Johan Cruyff.

1. It's all very simple: if you score one more than your opponent, you win.

A result that seems simple, but in reality a huge strategy is needed to achieve it.

2. The money must be in the field, not in the bank.

A criticism of the greedy character that soccer representatives have.

3. There are problems with values ​​within the game. And this is sad because soccer is the most beautiful game. We can play it in the street. We can play it everywhere. Anyone can play it, but those values ​​are being lost. We have to bring them back.

Lamenting the situation of consumerism and greed that is generated within football, due to all the money that is made in it.

4. If you have the ball, the rival does not have it.

So each player must concentrate on having the ball as long as possible.

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5. Soccer is a game that is played with the brain.

Despite being a physical sport, strong strategies are needed on the field.

6. I want players who can make decisive moves in small spaces, I want them to work as little as possible to save energy for that decisive action.

Players who prioritize thinking over looking good on the pitch.

7. The ball is an essential part of the game.

The key element of football.

8. Every disadvantage has its advantage.

We can take advantage of every situation experienced if we take a lesson from it.

9. How many children have not used purses, backpacks, coats or simple stones to mark the goal?! This detail, and so many others like it, show us that it is not always necessary to have everything and that deficiencies are made up for with imagination and enthusiasm.

Soccer is a sport that can be played in any situation and anywhere in the world, without the need for high-end equipment.

10. It is very difficult to say who is the best. Today, the most spectacular is Messi and the best is Xavi.

About the star athletes of the moment.

11. In my team, forwards should only run 15 meters, unless they're stupid or sleeping.

The demands that Cruyff gave to his forwards.

12. If you can't win, make sure you don't lose.

You can leave footprints with your actions, even if you are not always number 1.

13. I am not a believer. In Spain, all 22 players cross themselves before going out on the pitch. If it turned out, it would always be a tie.

Talking about the rituals that players do before going to a match.

14. The simple game is the most precious. How many times do you see a 40-meter pass when 20 are enough?

The simple things are sometimes the most effective.

15. When you go out to the field, look at the stands, they have done all this for you. So get out there and enjoy.

Enjoying the game was the most valuable lesson that this coach taught his athletes.

16. Football basically consists of two things. First: when you have the ball, you must be able to pass it correctly. Second: when the ball is passed to you, you have to be able to control it.

So all players must be agile and cunning to take advantage of every opportunity they have.

17. The technique is not about juggling a ball 1,000 times. Anyone can do it through practice. In fact he can go to work in a circus.

Cruyff gave more priority to a good strategist than to a personality who only wants to show off his talents.

18. In my teams, the goalkeeper is the first attacker and the striker is the first defender.

The most demanding positions, because the future of the party depends on them.

19. Mourinho may be a very good person in private and a very good coach, but what he teaches the world is something else.

Warning about the character of Mourinho.

20. Playing soccer is very simple, but playing simple soccer is the most difficult thing there is.

Two things no player should confuse and one goal they need to pursue.

21. The whole philosophy of how football should be played was established at the 1974 World Cup. That philosophy is still valid today.

A time where it was shown what real players are made of.

22. I am a former player, former sports director, former coach, former manager, former honorary president... A nice list that also shows that everything has an end.

A curriculum that he earned on his own and shared with the rest of the world.

23. There is only one moment when you can be on time. If you're not there, you came too early or too late.

A second is enough to change the fate of the party.

24. I believe that people should be able to play in all positions on the pitch. That's why it's so important for everyone to listen during tactical conversations.

It is a mistake to believe that soccer is not a group sport.

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25. It's disgusting to compare Messi and Maradona. The people who saw Diego enjoyed it and the ones who saw Leo too.

Both are excellent players, just from different eras.

26. It is better to fall for our own point of view than someone else's.

Never regret going your way.

27. Everyone knows how to play soccer if you give them five meters of space.

Soccer is one of the most enjoyed sports in the world.

28. When you're leading 4-0 with 10 minutes left in the game, it's best to hit the post a couple of times to get the crowd going 'ooooh'.

Creating exciting games for the audience.

29. People who are not at my level cannot affect my integrity.

Do not be intimidated by the comments of others.

30. Before the game I go out on the pitch and smell it, and between that weather and the one I've detected reading the press, I decide what to do.

Quite an unusual way of preparing your game strategies.

31. English football has grown a lot when foreign players have begun to arrive.

Seeing the remarkable growth and improvement of football, thanks to inclusion.

32. Catalans don't have much of a sense of humour. They only laugh a lot if they beat Madrid.

Talking about how the people of Barcelona celebrate when they defeat Madrid.

33. I represent a time that made it clear that beautiful football is fun and that, in addition, with it triumphs are conquered.

It was that very performance that inspired him to bring a message of enjoyment, honesty and encouragement to his players.

34. Play to win or to enjoy? This is a bogus debate.

If you enjoy what you do, you will always get good results.

35. We show the world that you can have a lot of fun as a footballer, that you can laugh and have a great time.

Just because it's a professional sport doesn't mean you can't enjoy it.

36. You have to make sure your worst players get the ball most of the time. You would get new results in no time.

The only way someone can get better is if they are given thousands of opportunities to overcome their failures.

37. The best dispatch is a ball. You just sit and watch, analyze and think of new ideas.

All football revolves around what you can do with the ball.

38. To reach the level of the 'Dream Team', 10,000 hours of training were necessary.

No team becomes invincible overnight.

39. In my life I have had two great vices: smoking and playing football. Soccer gave me everything. Instead, smoking almost took it away.

Understanding that smoking could take his life before his time.

40. Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake.

All decisions are important, there are never bad teachings.

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41. Football is now about money.

A reality that he completely despised.

42. Quality without results is meaningless. Results without quality is boring.

It's not just about being the best, but about leaving an indelible mark, for the right reasons.

43. Winning is something important, but having your own style, that people copy you, that they admire you, that is the greatest gift.

It was never about bragging about being the best, but about proving his worth in the sport he loved the most.

44. To play well, you need good players, but a good player almost always has the problem of lack of efficiency. He always wants to make things prettier than strictly necessary.

A reference to the fact that there are players who are only on the court to show off, instead of learning to play well.

45. Street footballers are more important than trained coaches.

His greatest wish was to see more people interested in the sport.

46. My tribute match has been a birth.

Referring to the time he became a father.

47. In a way I'm probably immortal.

Cruyff will remain in the history of Barcelona and in the memories of all those he has inspired.

48. There are some teams that always have to fight to win and, at the end of the competition, they have to be there, in the top group. That is logical and, in addition, it is imposed by their prestige, their history or the means at their disposal. But winning should always be related to having fun.

Demonstrating that there are differences between winning through marketing and winning because you love what you do.

49. My idol has always been Di Stefano, he is the only one I have ever asked for an autograph from and I will never forget what he did for me, how he treated me when they gave me the Ballon d'Or.

The people we admire the most are those who have marked our lives in a positive way.

50. Speed ​​is often confused with understanding. When I start running before others, I seem faster.

For Cruyff, the essential thing above all is to have a strategy, instead of being carried away by instincts.

51. Football should always be played attractively, you should play offensively, it should be a show.

Emphasizing the idea that football should be a show that everyone admires to see.

52. I've always loved that sound when the ball hits the post hard...

A passionate sports spirit that never faded.

53. A pigeon does not make a summer.

Things don't just happen, we make them happen with our actions.

54. Play as if you can never make a mistake, but don't be surprised when you do.

Mistakes are part of life itself, we cannot escape from them.

55. You have to make the field small when you don't have the ball, and make it big when you have it.

Different approaches for each scenario.

56. The hardest thing about an easy game is getting a weak opponent to play bad football.

All teams have their style of play.

57. Football is played with the brain.

Not only do you have to give priority to physical condition, you also have to do it with agility and mental response.

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58. Players today only shoot with the instep. I could shoot with the inside, the instep and the outside of both feet.

A criticism towards the lack of enthusiasm of new players to learn.

59. He was at home watching TV when the doorbell rang. A voice said that he was a messenger. When I opened the door I found myself with a gun to my head and the man forced me to lie on the ground.

Speaking of the time he was almost killed in his own home.

60. The Italians can't win, but you can lose to them.

Flattering the persistence and strength of the Italian team.

61. It is a problem in football today, the leaders know very little.

A good game is not only the responsibility of the athletes, but also of the board.

62. Why couldn't he beat the richest club? I have never seen a bag of money score a goal.

The money should not benefit any football team.

63. Technique is passing the ball with a single touch, with the right speed and to the right foot of our teammate.

Referring to the proper technique that his players should have.

64. If you don't control it, you can't pass it either. You can play a lot, but if you don't put it in, you don't win.

Wins are measured by the number of goals you can score.

65. The solution that seems easiest is in fact the most difficult.

There are no easy ways out of football matches.

66. In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, but he remains the one-eyed man.

Although the greedy in football brag about what they have achieved, they are still greedy.

67. All the trainers talk about movement, about running a lot. I say it's not neccesary running so much.

While other coaches focus on exploiting the physical ability of their players, Cruyff was committed to a well-planned game.

68. If I had wanted you to understand me, I would have explained myself much better.

Response to an annoying journalist.

69. You must be in the right place at the right time. Neither too soon nor too late.

An opportunity that cannot be missed for any reason.

70. The best player in the world does not exist, because there are different positions...

There is no single excellent player, but there can be players who stand out in their different positions.