Former Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruyff has been pronounced dead. At the time of his death, the former Barcelona man was 68 years old.
Family spokeswoman Carole Thate told Associated Press that the iconic footballer died of lung cancer. During his recovery last month, the Dutchman was quoted as saying, “I have the feeling that I am 2-0 up in the first half. The game is not over yet. Still I know that in the end, I will win.”
The celebrated footballer won European Championships thrice with Ajax as a player and once with Spanish side FC Barcelona as a coach. He won the European player of the year award thrice. In 1999, he was named Europe’s best player of the 20th century.
Cruyff is well-known for his contribution in the 1974 World Cup, when he side employed what was famously referred to as ‘’total football.’’ The tactic saw players exchanging roles, something that was adopted by various football tacticians across the world almost immediately.
In 1991, he underwent an operation due to his habit of smoking cigarettes and he finally quit smoking. After retirement from active football, he became a vocal critic and analyst of the beautiful game. In his 19-year-old playing career, he scored 392 goals in 520 games in all competitions.
