Biography
One of the greatest football players of the 20th century Dutchman Johan Croyf became famous for the game practice in Ajax and the national team of the Netherlands and coaching work in the legendary Barcelona.Embed from getty imagesThe three-time winner of the Golden Ball and the European Champions Cup, the attacker at number 14 turned an idea of the philosophy of football and entered the ranking of the 100 greatest players in the world according to FIFA. The coaching Method of Star Dutchman influenced such famous mentors as Arrigo Sakki, Arsen Wenger, Pep Guardiola and Eric Canton, and led many European teams to victory.
Childhood and youth
The boy named Hendrik Johannes Kroyf was born in the capital of the Netherlands on April 25, 1947. His parents who owned a grocery bench, lived a 5-minute walk from the Ajax football club home stadium. This fact later played an important role in the biography of Johan, since childhood he was interested in sports and spent his free time, chasing the ball in the company Consolidated Brother Henney.
The Father, whose name was Germanus Cornelis, was also a fan of the metropolitan team, and thanks to his efforts, the children came to the school baseball players at the local FC. In general, Little Croyf tied a close relationship with the head of the family, and his death from a heart attack in 1959 became a heavy upheaval for the future Dutch star.
Mother Penelope Bernard Drier, who supported the sports hobbies of his son, helped the loss, which was still nearby. Soon after the death of the spouse, she closed the family business and settled the cleaner to the "De Mer" football playground. There, the young widow met with the Field Worker of Ajax, Hankom Angel, and soon married to ensure the further life of children.
This step has benefited 15-year-old Johan, who followed the advice of the stepfather and from the baseball section went to football. For 2 years of training, the teenager acquired the speed and necessary technical skills, and at the end of the 1964th the club management allowed Croof to debut in an adult game.
Football
With the arrival of Croyf Amsterdam "Ajax" instantly entered the leading position in the Netherlands National Championship. In the 1965/1966 season, the young striker scored 25 goals in 23 matches, providing the club championship title. The same was repeated in subsequent years, when the "Flying Dutchman" at number 14 was still rapidly attacked the gates of rivals and brought "Ajax" victory for the victory.The lucky number was preserved at the scorer and the national team, which in 1974 won silver medals of the World Championship, and after 2 years she became a bronze medalist of the European Championship. The international successes of John were not limited to the national team of the Netherlands. Since 1970, the football player has won the European Champions Cup three times, and one time brought "Ajäx" the title of owner of the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
The style of the Kroyf game meant total control over the ball, partners and field space. After calculating the most profitable situations, he taught other attackers and defenders to feel football geometry and architecture. In the final of the 1974 World Championships, the Western German team players could not do anything with a rapid forward, and in the first half of the match Golkiper ZePP Meier was the only German concerned about the ball.
Despite the fact that the football player had rather modest physical data (height 178 cm, the weight of about 78 kg), the tactical mind and the ability to read the game were exclusive. Such qualities of analysts are now found at the Croatian midfielder Luke Modrich, the appearance of which resembles a young cutoff.
About the speed and technical abilities of Johan still run legends. Running a 30-meter distance for 3.8 seconds, the Dutchman was aware of the position of each team member and skillfully used the strong parties to colleagues.
In the shortest possible time, the footballer became the unsurpassed leader of Ajax, who received the Golden Ball award in 1971. In addition, Croof became the only player of the Amsterdam club, followed by the victorious number 14 forever.
European clubs impressed by the talent of Johan, dreamed of getting an attacker in their ranks. As a result, in 1973, the Dutch was sold by the Spanish Barcelona for the facilitated amount of $ 2 million for the most time.
In the new team, Kroyf demonstrated the maximum abilities, and with him Catalan, for the first time in many years won the title of Champions La League, acquired speed, flexibility and confidence in their own forces. Other achievements in Barcelona for John became the National Cup of Spain and the title of "Best Football Player of Europe" of 1974.
In 1978, Croof was thinking about the completion of a career, but financial difficulties due to unsuccessful investments made him think about the contract with the North American Club "Los Angeles Azteks". For unknown reasons, the deal did not take place, and the striker returned to Europe and became a player of the Welsh Club "Levante".
Then the athlete returned to his homeland and presented the title of champion, winner of the Netherlands Cup. To universal disappointment, the leadership did not extend the attacker for the next season, and the Kroyoff gaming career completed in Fainord, which became the winner of the national and cup tournaments in 1983-1984.
However, the Amsterdam Club could not finally part with the legendary striker. In 1985, Johan took the post of coach of his native "Ajax", and after a short period of time the team won the UEFA Cup owners and ranked 2nd in the Holland Championship.
Even after the Croof's departure to the Barcelona Steering Headquarters, the Netherlands Club retained the author's training system and thanks to this in 1995 he won the Champions League finale. In Spain, the attacking tactic yohana helped the club to overcome the crisis of recent years and show decent results in national and European championships.
Having found such athletes like Pep Guardiola, José Maria Bakkero, Mikael Laudroup and Christ Stoichkov, the new coach of Barcelona won 4 Titula of La League Champions and many other prestigious awards.
Embed from getty imagesIn addition to trophies, the leadership of Kroyfa presented Catalan footballers a victorious mentality and ideology that remained in the club to the present. The successors of the Dutch man still use the playing system "Tika-Taka" and continue the tradition of learning young people in La Massia sports school.
These and other techniques together with the details of the game and coach career of the legendary Dutchman in 2010 were described in the biographical book of Sheriff Gemmura "Johan Croyf. Winner and Tyrant. "
Personal life
The only love of Croyf was the daughter of a Dutch businessman Diana Margarita Bonfire. The couple met at the wedding of Ajax's partner and got married in 1968. The father of the spouse became an agent of a football player and, according to unconfirmed information, contributed to the transition of Johan to Barcelona.
Embed from getty imagesA happy personal life of the legendary striker continued for 50 years. The wife accompanied the rank everywhere and, having born three children, settled with him in Spain. It was there that there was an incident with an armed attack on an athlete apartment, after which he refused to travel to the World Cup in Argentina in 1978, and the younger generation went outside only accompanied by police.
In addition to football, Johan was fond of golf and collecting cars. In 1979, together with a close friend, the Italian designer Emilio Lartzarini Croyf created a line of sports shoes, which from the discharge of everyday quickly moved to the category "Glamor".
Death
The lifestyle of the famous football player could not be called right and healthy, because since childhood he smoked a lot. Refuse the harmful habit of Kroyf forced the operation on double the shuntness of the heart, which required a weakened organism in 1991.Embed from getty imagesHowever, long-term tobacco dependence negatively affected the light athlete, and in 2015 he was diagnosed with cancer. The news immediately leaked into the media and turned his hundreds of sympathetic articles with photographs of the Dutch legend.
Croof thanked colleagues and fans for participation, but did not report details of their own state. Only in 2016 there was information that the course of chemotherapy helps in the bluntness of the disease, and on March 2, journalists saw Yohan in the Catalan tests of Formula 1 cars. This was the last advent of the "flying Dutchman" in public.
Embed from getty imagesAfter 2 weeks, the former football player was worse: he lost his ability to talk and could only be in the position lying on the left side. Doctors did everything possible, but on March 24, 2016, Croof died in the hospital Barcelona surrounded by relatives. The cause of death was the lung cancer with metastases spreading to the brain.
In memory of the great attacker and coach in 1996, a sports facility called "Johan Croof Arena" was opened in Amsterdam, where all the home matches of the Ajax football club are currently being held.
Awards and achievements
As a player
- 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1969-70, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84 - Champion of the Netherlands
- 1966-67, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1982-83, 1983-84 - the owner of the Netherlands Cup
- 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73 - European Champions Cup winner
- 1971, 1973, 1974 - The owner of the Golden Ball
- 1972 - Winner of the UEFA Super Cup
- 1972 - The owner of the intercontinental cup
- 1973-74 - Champion of Spain
- 1974 - the best football player of the World Cup
- 1977, 1978 - Best Foreign Footballer of the Spanish Championship
- 1977-78 - Winner of the Spanish Cup
As coach
- 1985-86, 1986-87 - Winner of the Netherlands Cup
- 1986-87 - Winner of the UEFA Cup Cup
- 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94 - Champion of Spain
- 1989-90 - Winner of the Spanish Cup
- 1991, 1992, 1994 - Holder of Superbel Spain
- 1991-92 - European Champions Cup winner