EDIT: The man pictured as Gerrie Mühren is in fact his younger brother Arnold. Please excuse the mistake. Hey guys, this is my attempt in explaining Cruyff's extremely interesting and complicated playing career in a 51 minute episode. Hopefully it covered (almost) everything that I felt is important to the legendary Dutchmen and at the same time keeps it's pace and avoid being boring. Enjoy! To support the channel through Patreon: www.patreon.com/balon
For me, it covered everything it should just deep enough for us to know him well (if we didn't know him at all before) and to complete that knowledge (if we already knew a little about him, just enough to start digging deeper on our own in case we wanted to!)
as someone whos truly passionate about football journalism and football as a whole, I find these videos incredibly educational and awe-inspiring in terms of editing, research and narration. Keep up the stellar work
Great he showed a different side of Michel as well. Even though he's widely considered as the best Dutch coach of all time (winning with Ajax then the EC with the Netherlands in 1988), actually most players that played for him didn't rate him at all (the list includes Cruyff, van Basten and other greats) and have said that if they carried out his wishes they'd never have won anything.
*Cruyff could be good, if some time later, Robert Lewandowski Would not show* *up on the football scene. This man (RL9) Craced all the German Records and* *show to his German Superiors the middle finger at the end.* *That’s only Pole with lots of guys could have done Lol ...*
I'd enjoy that too. Cruyff's influence is certainly still felt today through the many players and coaches he impacted. Perhaps the most high profile being Pep Guardiola, who played on the "Dream Team" Cruyff built at Barcelona in the 90s.
After him being a manager at Ajax and Barcelona, he built a charity, Cruyff Foundation, and even the Cruyff University, where sports people can make sure they are well educated. At the end of his life he said he rather wanted to be remembered for that than as a footballer.
One of the best channels on YT about football. Better than 99,9% of them !!!!! Straight to the point, no baits, no annoying screaming voice, quality researches and superb presentation. Cheers from Brazil !
@@gabrielfortuce5654 Football Iconic is great, TheRetroRoute too. Not in the same style but Tifo Football and Athletic Interest give some good insights into the world of football.
@Mike-my9gx that is nice , you are an ignorant and you pretend that the others are ignorant like you. Anyway, better being a nobody than being remembered as clown like Cruyff. It is not hate like yours, but self evident truth.
Johan Cruyff has reached mythic levels, not just in his native Netherlands, but across the entire sport. The way in which he played the game and his magical dribbling skills were phenomenal , I only wish Dutch Soccer Team Won the 1974 World Cup.
Ladies and gentlemen. Balon has done it again! Football history documentaries have always been the same for the most part, but the content on this channel is something truly different and special. Balon is revolutionizing the football history documentary, and I can't wait to see what famous player, manager, team, season or match will be discussed next!
This is CS FROM The US: Same respect: Lived in Sheffield early on, KEVIN KEEEGAN was my 1st Hero, respected ALAN BALL, and then CRYUFF comes along' Stunning: All before I learned about GEORGE BEST Sir Stanley, the Charlton Brothers, PELE, Eusebio, etc. Upon Returning 2the States, Football was nowhere @ the time on TV, w/ the exception of the NASL, Pele / the NY Cosmos & the W. Cup, so I had to play "catch up" on ROBSON, KENNY DAGLISH & the great Scottish Rangers-Celtic Rivalry of that & on-going Eras where Y. Yube comes in handy: And @ Day's End, as expected, this Video shows CRYUFF stands pretty Tall w/ the "All - Time Greatest of the Greats, past & present...
My absolute favourite of all the great players. Revolutionary in terms of pace, intelligence, desire, leadership, tactics and overall influence. Ajax and Cruyff changed the concept of tactical possibility that is still evolving 50 years later. He is electrifying to watch even after all these years.
I normally never comment on Fahad's videos mainly because they are so truly awe-inspiring that I just want to sit back and enjoy them, but this will be my only time and it's just to say Fahad you are truly one of the best content creators with relation to football. Everything about your videos is excellent from the research to the music selection to finding goals and events from way back in time they not many would be able to find... Seriously شكرا Balón, I really appreciate your effort because the final product is excellent
Indeed; This told the story w/ great effort to find / edit historic footage, reveal strategies / the Evolution of "total football" and CRYUFF's role in that Innovative strategy, that's quite prominent in Today's Style of play: I'm CS FROM The US, btw, and when living in England early on, football was Everywhere, but nowhere on TV when I returned 2 the States @ the time, so the Gaps in History are filled in w/ Documentaries like this, along w/ the Google / Wikipedia searches & Y. Tube Videos that pop up: This Video, as I expected, solidified CRYUFF's legend.... Outstanding Work on an Outstanding Player / All - Time Great of the Greatest to Compete; Stunning career resume...
I was a 10 year old football fan and cried when Holland lost to W Germany in 74, but i knew i had witnessed the greatest player of that generation and possibly the greatest all round footballer. Complex man whom obviously broke down many barriers for the modern day prima donnas.
You saw the final in 74 and you never thought that Beckenbauer was the best all around footballer on the pitch? He was central to the German offense and defense. With the exception of his attack into the penalty area and the subsequent penalty in the 2nd minute, Cryff did not make much of a difference that day.
@@omnivorous65 By '74 I think Beckenbauer was starting to be past his very best. But what he did show was his supreme intelligence and ability to read the play and stifle the dutch. I stand by it, i know you cannot compare eras, but i think Cruyff is the greatest all round footballer. Two footed, great header of the ball and by '74 could play and start attacks from anywhere on the field. In an all time greatest 11 the toss up would probably be between Bobby Charlton and Beckenbauer, I would select both.
@@jimstewart2141 As a defender? I always thought Baressi was a shoe in, But I have never seen Charlton or Beckenbeur, so maybe I am wrong. And I do have a bias against English players, would not put any English players in my top 30.
For much of my playing career i wanted to be Baresi probably the greatest 'Libero' a position Beckenbeur I think defined in his latter years, but was more the Gentile or Costscurta man marker. Great great players. Of course almost impossible to compare eras, but you have to wonder who have been better. @@ryanergo754
Agreed; I was looking for it (Part 2): Maybe w/ the other material they're doing it's taking time to prioritize a Part 2 release: I'm thinking the Footage is going 2 be easier to gather w/ o Copyright issues & so on, and w/ the Demand out there, it should pop up @ some point... One of the best / well - framed Bio - Docs I've ever watched; Immediately Subscribed well before the end of the piece.
The trivela, the Cruyff turn, so many exponents of his game today. Without Rinus, there was no Cruyff, without Cruyff, there was no Rinus. A Total Football relationship, full circle. Beautiful.
Without Ajax and Cruijff (that is how it is written in Dutch), Barca would have been nowhere near where there used to be. But now they seem to forget that, bringing shame to the name of Johan.
One of the very best videos about Johan Cruijff! It manages to show his greater qualities: Different from most other "Best Footballers Ever", the gift of this midfielder wasn't even so much his own individual skill, but rather the fact that he always made the other players in his team rise above themselves. He changed Dutch and International football in the process. Pity you're not addressing his career as a trainer ...
Great work as always! I think it would be cool to have a video on Alfredo Di Stéfano. He's quite forgotten nowadays, unfortunately. He was a total footballer like Johan Cruyff and was considered by many footballers as the greatest player of all time until Pelé came. Di Stéfano was also part of the legendary 1940s River Plate team and the Colombian gold rush. Then, he went on to win 5 consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid and even got 3 assists in a 5-3 win against Pelé's Santos.
Soo good. As a Barca fan since 2008 (yes, shamelessly the Pep era), I have always heard Cruyff's name echoing around the sacrosanct Camp Nou walls. But man, seeing this truly opened my eyes to his legacy. Brilliant Fahad. Thanks a lot.
Pep would credit Cruyff for the philosophy he has on how football should be played. La Masia was also effectively implemented by Cruyff who based it on the Ajax football school. I think Cruyff is the most influential figure in the history of football when you consider what he did as both a player and coach/manager.
Masterpiece as usual. My favourite channel related to football, no otheer channel comes even close especially the way your videos are made and the way you narrate it
As someone who's lived most of his life in East-Amsterdam I can only say I'm glad I took the time to listen to Mr Al-Thekair narrate this well-crafted video. My time as an active football fan is over, but this vid helped me remember how my life was once captured by football and all it encompasses. Cruijff is still a source of (obviously misplaced) pride. I miss the time when life was less serious. Subscribed :)
Great video. The Dutch WC 1974 team deserves a whole video on its own. The pressing they played, the total football, the 'flying keeper', the introduction of the offside trap.
One of the VERY BEST football documentaries I've ever seen! My childhood (football) heroes where Gerd Müller, Colin Bell AND Johan Cruyff, and your take on JC (!) is great, you really made me enjoy sitting down with 3 cups of coffee on a Sunday morning. Great ride. Thank you for the storytelling. Great voice too.
Can we just applaud Ajax for looking out for their young players like Johan after his father passed away they offered his mom a job so they can be financially stable
The reason he didn't go to the 1978 World Cup was because of the military dictatiorship in Argentina at the time. Those where the "values" he was talking about. It's another of the great things about Johan Cruyff.
Yet another exceptional video! I'm really amazed by how well you're able to tell these great football stories. The editing is perfect and you deserve every single view. Sending love from Johan's Netherlands 🧡
An incredible documentary. That was amazing! Your storytelling and the portrayal of narratives is well researched and nicely visualised. Especially your research to the footage of certain games. To identify and order the goals to the right teams MUST BE incredibly painful, because most teams were still in amateur status until the beginning of the 70‘s. Which means little to no commercialization, which means no one did care about footage at all. To Johan Cruyff himself: What a fascinating football personality. A revolutionary on the football pitch, a (relative) conservative person outside the pitch. The chainsmoker who could run for days. The successor of Alfredo Di Stefano and basically the father of Lionel Messi (in terms of his False 9 era). But more importantly: A fantastic footballer, a more fantastic football manager, but more importantly a football philosopher. The one who brought success to his respective stations (Ajax, Barca and the Netherlands itself, even though he never coached them. But his impact was incredible), but were still dependent on him, because of his expertise. An arrogant genius, which work you can only have for the highest respect. Thank you again Balon for your incredible work (I hope you rest well during your video uploads). I can’t wait what you have in store for us next!
Another excellent video. Thanks so much for these; brilliantly put together, no hyperbole or annoying soundtracks or cliches. Can't wait for the Cruyff the manager video!
This is absolutely fantastic. As a passionate Dutch Football fan, I can say I was glued from start to finish and I’m absolutely proud of your efforts mate. Great hour spent ❤
This is CS FROM The US; I Remember, on the heels of seeing KEVIN KEEGAN & Liverpool win the FA CUP, & ALAN BALL from Arsenal, the Amazing JOHAN CRYUFF; He, along w/ those guys, changed lives, as did NEESKENS, & the cast of characters on the Dutch side w/ Innovative Football; Before I knew who PELE Was and since that time, he stands Tall if not Taller as one of the "Greatest of All Time Greats" w/ PELE & others, no question: I was back in the States when they lost the WC Final 2 ARGENTINA, and w/ little or no Football on US TV other than the W. Cup, and the PELE / NEESKENS led NY Cosmos of the NASL, I missed the European Club / Cup Play Era, which is where Y. Tube / Documentaries fill in gaps: I expected CRYUFF's Resume to be as Impressive, as his W. Cup exploits & efforts, and it exceeded it in amazing fashion; An even Bigger Hero than he was Growing up: That says it all.... JOHAN CRYUFF is not only a Dutch Legend, but an International Icon...
your videos are world class, as someone who loves learning about football history, this truly helps me, you are very underrated for the type of videos u post and the class of em.
Can you please make a series on world cup tournaments please 1970s till now, history, struggles, finance, rule changes, political angles everything.....just the way you are doing all these videos. It will be absolutely awesome. I simply love your content and the way you present it. Please continue with your great work. Best wishes.
I love what Cruyff done for football. We are still feeling his influence with the likes of Barcelona under PEP, and now with Manchester City. The Dutch team of the 1970s with player's like Rudi Krol, Arie Haan, Cruyff, Rensenbrink, Neeskens and Johnny Rep were incredible to watch and reached 2 World Cup Final's, which they unfortunately lost.
TRUE; This is CS FROM The US: I was living in England when the Dutch lost the 1st, in the States when they lost the 2nd to Argentina, where there was little Football on US television, other than the W. Cup & the NASL, headed by PELE & his NY Cosmos, where NEESKENS played for a bit as well; I missed the Club Play & the KENNY DAGLISH / Brian Robson Era @ that time, which is where Y. Tube & Videos like this fill in the gaps; But as I expected, this documentary solidified the Legend of CRYUFF that he was when I was in England, on the heels of seeing KEVIN KEEGAN & ALAN BALL, before learning about GEORGE BEST, PELE, and GORDON BANKS, along w/ Previous Greats like the CHARLTON BROTHERS, and SIR STANLEY
@@csracingreport2024 Yeah, Cruyff is definitely held up as 1 of the all time greatest footballer's along with the likes of Pele, Beckenbaur, Platini, Maradonna, Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi and other great player's.
As a football fan, I follow a lot of channels that have football content. This channel is easily the best, no contest. The amount of research that goes into every single video and the way you put it all together is amazing and inspiring. Best of luck, it's just a matter of time until you get million subscribers. P.S. "Do we know the TOTAL story?" I see what you did there....
this is so amazingly well done, this channel is a gem. Lovely and amazing video, learning and remembering things about Cruyff is always the biggest pleasure. He's my favorite player ever, such a beautiful video and history. You will live forever
Helping Feyenoord f.c. winning the Dutch League over Ajax f.c. in the 1983 / 1984 Season was the icing of the Brilliance of Johan Cruyff , the #14 Dutch Superstar! For the many Barcelona f.c. Fans of the 1970s ... Johan Cruyff was their Superstar idol too! ... Sadly , Johan Cruyff has left all of us on the 26thMarch2016 due to lung cancer ... He was 69 ... May Johan Cruyff be Blessed to a Better World & Realm ...
These videos have truly, truly reignited my love and passion for football. Especially the Arsenal video, that sent shivers down my spine and made me start to tune in and support Arsenal again. Thank you Balòn, for the amazing and jaw dropping content.
Amazingly done again Fahad! You could even make his time managing Barcelona as a part two. Thank you for your hard work creating these videos and keep it up!
Awesome review of this legendary footballer, one of the very few who set a before and after in football, not only as a player as we can see here but as a manager as well. I really look forward for your documentary of his years as a manager as well, no doubt itll be superbly well done as this one was!
I just googled Dutch football history and found this video and your channel, top notch. The archival footage and journalistic efforts to tell a great story are world class. Subbed
Amazing account of easily one of the greatest if not the greatest player ever, definitely the most intelligent footballer ever, Brilliant documentary on Cruyff
One of the most iconic characters of all time is certainly much more than a football star, much more than his leader. The football leader who revolutionized football, reinterpreted the philosophy of football, multiplied the pleasure of watching football, is Johan Cruyff.
Along with Brazil 1970 the 74 Dutch team and Ajax 68 to 74 were poetry to watch. Crujff, Neeskins, Krol, Pele, Tostao, Gerson, Revallino and Jonhny Rep. The Dutch were skilled and very very tough
Great video. So comprehensive, I've never watched a documentary of yours that wasn't outstanding. Read his book a few years back, great read I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in football.
I never knew this man until i started watching football seriously (2013) and supporting Manchester City and Guadiola. I now know him more especially when Pep says that Cruyff is his role model. Your videos are top notch
I've seen him winning the Dutch league in his year at Feyenoord, just by telling his teammates what to do, and where to walk. He wasn't able to play a whole match, or do a real sprint anymore, but his football intelligence was enough to do it.. His was higher than all of the top players we have now these days. I still see him pointing with his finger, while he's putting everyone in the right position ;-)
Sir I’ve only just found your channel and I’m blown away with this production! Beautifully put together, I’ve already watched your Van Baston Vid and wow, you are extremely talented and I hope somehow your work makes it on to prime time television, this is the sort of work we men want to see, the joy, the heartache and all the emotions in between, it’s the perfect viewer’s experience bravo Sir 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Hey Fahad, brilliant as usual Amazing to know he won the double playing for arch-rivals Feyenoord as well!! Awaiting eagerly for the next parts for both Cruyff as well as CR7 you did earlier
@@balon-english your music selection brings all the emotion to all of these soccer (football) documentaries… one video in particular is the Barcelona video where you talk about Barca’s historic remontada against Atlético Madrid.. and you let the video footages speak for themselves with no narration.. just in their purest form…. keep up the great work with the music.
Cruyff in his come back in holland was amazing. Dutch kids just too young to see him star in 74 could nos see him play 2 seasons for ajax again. Weekly. When cruyff steps on to the pitch another dimension opens. I have seen it those seasons. An older superplayer from a lost glory era bought back to the dutch league showing and reminding everybody what football can be and how good he was.
A highly skilled striker, world class manager and an absolute master tactiction. I was a massive J. Cruyff fan, back in the day. He definitely deserves concideration for greatest footballer of his time. Thank you! I loved this video so mucn I had to subscribe!
Wow, I thought I knew Cruyff. My father and my uncles had told me so much, yet this video was so educational. Learned so much! Well done and thank you!!
I just finished watching this and wow, one of the best watches ever. What a well put together documentary 👏🏻👏🏻 a part 2 on his managerial career is needed
I never got over the 1978 world cup because Cruyff was missing. I understand why now.but it just left a void when i was small and how wonderful the Holland team was which now i could name more than the present team of Holland because they had there special number neeskens no 13, Cruyff no14, krol no5, hann no9.
can't believe how i remained this interested for 50 mins. Great work put into this video. I genuinely think Cruyff just as a player is top 3 OAT. Ballon d'ors, national team, longevity, single handedly carrying teams, barca and ajax, and ofc the techincal ability which is second to none; even inventing the turn
Pele cracked all the top parameters at the highest level but Cruyff cracked number 1 parameter by some distance which is a Spiritual Depth. And on top of that add Cruyff as an Imaginative and Philosopher of the game with his Genius all round playing abilities and management skills, which made him the ultimate GOAT of the Game.
Excellent documentary of the footballing career of the player I regard as the best ever. It doesn't just cover his wonderful footballing ability and football intelligence, but also his complex personality which divided so many people. I thought it was very well balanced. Unfortunately his personality and insistence on always wanting to get things his own way possible cost Holland two World Cups. Ensuring that van Beveren and vd Kuylen didn't get selected for the 1974 world cup finals probably cost them that one, and not playing in 1978 probably cost them that one as well. His coaching career was possibly just as good as his playing career.
Those are good points; Allowing too much player influence can be an issue, and as good as they were in 74 (when I was living in the UK) and being absent himself in 78 (when I was in the US), it probably made the difference... It's very odd CRYUFF would pass up the chance to reverse the result of the 74 W. Cup in the 78 Tournament... If he were playing in the Recent and Current eras, my hunch is he would have played, but that may be of a case of wishful thinking more so than total accuracy, lol
Thanks Tomas ! I think it's only natural to continue the story, but i'm not sure from which perspective. Is it about Barcelona's dream team or is it about Cruyff's short but successful managerial career. Still not sure.
@@balon-english what about the lasting impact of his coaching tenure in the Barcelona philosophy? Maybe how he influenced both Rijkaard and peps coaching styles
@@balon-english I don't know if you've seen the documentary "take the ball pass the ball" on barcelona of the late 00s and early 10s they go into cruyffs influence a bit but I wanna see more of how he impacted it
@@balon-english I would pick the dream because its basically the foundation for everything barca is today. Would be interested to see how big cruyff impact was and how it still is today.
I am in awe of the level of research you put into your videos. Most videos, even documentaries by major media companies with all of their resources, focus only on the accepted narrative about these players and teams. They are tinged with a nostalgia bias that only touches on the more well known parts of their stories or their great successes. But your videos are a cut above the rest, so in depth and adding so many extra wrinkles to these tales that the the rest of us would have otherwise forgotten- you should be writing books and making major documentaries! We are lucky to have you on RUclips, and I hope your videos are discovered by many more.
Many thanks for your kind words Imran. Your point is absolutely true, most documentaries feel like fan-service in a way. They mostly show the glorious side of the subject. However, the newer ones in the last decade are very good to be fair. Asif Kapadia's work come to mind.
@@balon-english Ah yes I watched Asif Kapadia's documentary on Maradona and it was excellent. He did a couple of podcasts on Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show on the documentary. He goes into the details on gathering all these previously lost archival footage and tracking down the different leads to get as close to the truth as possible. I think you would really enjoy them given your own experience and passion for making these documentaries. Cheers!
EDIT: The man pictured as Gerrie Mühren is in fact his younger brother Arnold. Please excuse the mistake.
Hey guys, this is my attempt in explaining Cruyff's extremely interesting and complicated playing career in a 51 minute episode. Hopefully it covered (almost) everything that I felt is important to the legendary Dutchmen and at the same time keeps it's pace and avoid being boring. Enjoy!
To support the channel through Patreon:
www.patreon.com/balon
I hope we one day get a part 2 of the managerial career, this video was so good
Please do a part 2 :)
Miao miaho, very good documentary.
you're the best. thanks for the great content!
For me, it covered everything it should just deep enough for us to know him well (if we didn't know him at all before) and to complete that knowledge (if we already knew a little about him, just enough to start digging deeper on our own in case we wanted to!)
as someone whos truly passionate about football journalism and football as a whole, I find these videos incredibly educational and awe-inspiring in terms of editing, research and narration. Keep up the stellar work
Its not crow its only one man doing all this
Great he showed a different side of Michel as well. Even though he's widely considered as the best Dutch coach of all time (winning with Ajax then the EC with the Netherlands in 1988), actually most players that played for him didn't rate him at all (the list includes Cruyff, van Basten and other greats) and have said that if they carried out his wishes they'd never have won anything.
*Cruyff could be good, if some time later, Robert Lewandowski Would not show* *up on the football scene. This man (RL9) Craced all the German Records and* *show to his German Superiors the middle finger at the end.*
*That’s only Pole with lots of guys could have done Lol ...*
*Sorry, it should be >guts< not guys
this guy was overpraised. don't joke please
Please do a part 2 on his managerial side. I'm a Barca fan and I had goosebumps while watching this. It's beautiful man.
I'd enjoy that too. Cruyff's influence is certainly still felt today through the many players and coaches he impacted. Perhaps the most high profile being Pep Guardiola, who played on the "Dream Team" Cruyff built at Barcelona in the 90s.
After him being a manager at Ajax and Barcelona, he built a charity, Cruyff Foundation, and even the Cruyff University, where sports people can make sure they are well educated. At the end of his life he said he rather wanted to be remembered for that than as a footballer.
As a real fan he is also my favourite player
So great to hear man. I’m an Ajax fan and I love Barca too such a great alliance ❤
One of the best channels on YT about football. Better than 99,9% of them !!!!! Straight to the point, no baits, no annoying screaming voice, quality researches and superb presentation. Cheers from Brazil !
Do you know another Football channels like This? Please share with us, because I would like to study more about.
@@gabrielfortuce5654 Check out Football Iconic
@@gabrielfortuce5654 Football Iconic is great, TheRetroRoute too. Not in the same style but Tifo Football and Athletic Interest give some good insights into the world of football.
@@gabrielfortuce5654 Check out Tifo Football
@@gabrielfortuce5654 I'd also give a shoutout to HITC Sevens who do interesting lists and documentaries on obscure yet intriguing topics
"Playing football is simple but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is."
-Johan Cruyff
He was lucky, Gianni Rivera gave him a good lesson about simple football.
@Mike-my9gx Because you are ignorant. That nobody gave lessons of football to Pele, Eusebio and minors figures like Charlton, Best and Cruyff.
@Mike-my9gx that is nice , you are an ignorant and you pretend that the others are ignorant like you. Anyway, better being a nobody than being remembered as clown like Cruyff. It is not hate like yours, but self evident truth.
Yes .He made the football easy to be played much more collective with one touch of the ball playing back and ahead. Rest in peace mister Cruyff .
@Mike-my9gx, tu tá maluco que ele não é lembrado
The greatest personality of world football. As a player, as a coach, as a man.He changed the game.
Johan Cruyff has reached mythic levels, not just in his native Netherlands, but across the entire sport. The way in which he played the game and his magical dribbling skills were phenomenal , I only wish Dutch Soccer Team Won the 1974 World Cup.
Me too man, me too
Peace be with you brother
❤❤😊
He was no George Best
Ladies and gentlemen. Balon has done it again!
Football history documentaries have always been the same for the most part, but the content on this channel is something truly different and special. Balon is revolutionizing the football history documentary, and I can't wait to see what famous player, manager, team, season or match will be discussed next!
Very high praise, thanks !
Loved Johan Cruyff and saw him play many times. The Dutch Master. Thanks for this tribute to the great man, respect from Glasgow.
This is CS FROM The US: Same respect: Lived in Sheffield early on,
KEVIN KEEEGAN was my 1st Hero, respected ALAN BALL, and then
CRYUFF comes along' Stunning: All before I learned about GEORGE BEST
Sir Stanley, the Charlton Brothers, PELE, Eusebio, etc. Upon Returning
2the States, Football was nowhere @ the time on TV, w/ the exception
of the NASL, Pele / the NY Cosmos & the W. Cup, so I had to play
"catch up" on ROBSON, KENNY DAGLISH & the great Scottish
Rangers-Celtic Rivalry of that & on-going Eras where Y. Yube
comes in handy: And @ Day's End, as expected,
this Video shows CRYUFF stands pretty Tall w/ the
"All - Time Greatest of the Greats, past & present...
My absolute favourite of all the great players. Revolutionary in terms of pace, intelligence, desire, leadership, tactics and overall influence. Ajax and Cruyff changed the concept of tactical possibility that is still evolving 50 years later. He is electrifying to watch even after all these years.
Grande Jogador. Muita inteligência e sua vibração em cada gol MARCADO. Dificilmente iremos ver um igual
Absolutely, for me is the truly GOAT.
I love how so many of your documentaries tease a sequel. And that we have actually gotten some of those sequels!
Thanks Yamin !
I just enjoy doing mini teasers 🤣
@@balon-english does that mean we will also get a video on cruyffs managerial career ? :D
Valoare
I normally never comment on Fahad's videos mainly because they are so truly awe-inspiring that I just want to sit back and enjoy them, but this will be my only time and it's just to say Fahad you are truly one of the best content creators with relation to football. Everything about your videos is excellent from the research to the music selection to finding goals and events from way back in time they not many would be able to find...
Seriously شكرا Balón, I really appreciate your effort because the final product is excellent
Appreciate your words Ibrahim, thanks !
Indeed; This told the story w/ great effort to find / edit historic
footage, reveal strategies / the Evolution of "total football" and
CRYUFF's role in that Innovative strategy, that's quite prominent
in Today's Style of play: I'm CS FROM The US, btw, and when
living in England early on, football was Everywhere, but nowhere
on TV when I returned 2 the States @ the time, so the Gaps in
History are filled in w/ Documentaries like this, along w/ the
Google / Wikipedia searches & Y. Tube Videos that pop up:
This Video, as I expected, solidified CRYUFF's legend....
Outstanding Work on an Outstanding Player / All - Time Great
of the Greatest to Compete; Stunning career resume...
I was a 10 year old football fan and cried when Holland lost to W Germany in 74, but i knew i had witnessed the greatest player of that generation and possibly the greatest all round footballer. Complex man whom obviously broke down many barriers for the modern day prima donnas.
You saw the final in 74 and you never thought that Beckenbauer was the best all around footballer on the pitch? He was central to the German offense and defense. With the exception of his attack into the penalty area and the subsequent penalty in the 2nd minute, Cryff did not make much of a difference that day.
@@omnivorous65 By '74 I think Beckenbauer was starting to be past his very best. But what he did show was his supreme intelligence and ability to read the play and stifle the dutch. I stand by it, i know you cannot compare eras, but i think Cruyff is the greatest all round footballer. Two footed, great header of the ball and by '74 could play and start attacks from anywhere on the field. In an all time greatest 11 the toss up would probably be between Bobby Charlton and Beckenbauer, I would select both.
I was 8 , I cried like a baby .
@@jimstewart2141 As a defender? I always thought Baressi was a shoe in, But I have never seen Charlton or Beckenbeur, so maybe I am wrong. And I do have a bias against English players, would not put any English players in my top 30.
For much of my playing career i wanted to be Baresi probably the greatest 'Libero' a position Beckenbeur I think defined in his latter years, but was more the Gentile or Costscurta man marker. Great great players. Of course almost impossible to compare eras, but you have to wonder who have been better. @@ryanergo754
For me is the truly GOAT. A truly genius, that revolutionated the football.
The Original Diva 🤣🤣🤣
yes he revolutionized very well, especially in Monaco in 1974 he gave an UNFORGETTABLE lesson!!!
and brazilians didn't forgot him till today! an absolute legend and a genius of the sport. RIP, Cruyff.
Amazing video.
I hope there is a part 2 telling the managerial life of Cruyf 🙌🏽
i second this
I third this
I am subscribing just to hopefully receive this notification
absolutely need a part 2
Agreed; I was looking for it (Part 2): Maybe w/ the other
material they're doing it's taking time to prioritize a Part 2
release: I'm thinking the Footage is going 2 be easier to
gather w/ o Copyright issues & so on, and w/ the
Demand out there, it should pop up @ some point...
One of the best / well - framed Bio - Docs I've ever watched;
Immediately Subscribed
well before the end of the piece.
The most influential football player/manager of all time, truly an icon.
The trivela, the Cruyff turn, so many exponents of his game today. Without Rinus, there was no Cruyff, without Cruyff, there was no Rinus. A Total Football relationship, full circle. Beautiful.
Without Ajax and Cruijff (that is how it is written in Dutch), Barca would have been nowhere near where there used to be.
But now they seem to forget that, bringing shame to the name of Johan.
One of the very best videos about Johan Cruijff!
It manages to show his greater qualities: Different from most other "Best Footballers Ever", the gift of this midfielder wasn't even so much his own individual skill, but rather the fact that he always made the other players in his team rise above themselves.
He changed Dutch and International football in the process. Pity you're not addressing his career as a trainer ...
Great work as always! I think it would be cool to have a video on Alfredo Di Stéfano. He's quite forgotten nowadays, unfortunately. He was a total footballer like Johan Cruyff and was considered by many footballers as the greatest player of all time until Pelé came. Di Stéfano was also part of the legendary 1940s River Plate team and the Colombian gold rush. Then, he went on to win 5 consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid and even got 3 assists in a 5-3 win against Pelé's Santos.
and the transfer drama for him between real and barca
Modrić
i never knew that Cruyff such a heroic person.
what a man, what a man!
Soo good. As a Barca fan since 2008 (yes, shamelessly the Pep era), I have always heard Cruyff's name echoing around the sacrosanct Camp Nou walls. But man, seeing this truly opened my eyes to his legacy. Brilliant Fahad. Thanks a lot.
Pep would credit Cruyff for the philosophy he has on how football should be played. La Masia was also effectively implemented by Cruyff who based it on the Ajax football school. I think Cruyff is the most influential figure in the history of football when you consider what he did as both a player and coach/manager.
As a Feyenoord fan I am proud he played at our club!
Masterpiece as usual. My favourite channel related to football, no otheer channel comes even close especially the way your videos are made and the way you narrate it
You should also check out reymar and football iconic
As someone who's lived most of his life in East-Amsterdam I can only say I'm glad I took the time to listen to Mr Al-Thekair narrate this well-crafted video. My time as an active football fan is over, but this vid helped me remember how my life was once captured by football and all it encompasses. Cruijff is still a source of (obviously misplaced) pride. I miss the time when life was less serious.
Subscribed :)
Great documentary on a sublime player. Probably in the top 5 of all time. He could control the game from deep and score freely. RIP.
One of the best ever. The reason so many players wear number 14. Rest in Peace.
Great video. The Dutch WC 1974 team deserves a whole video on its own. The pressing they played, the total football, the 'flying keeper', the introduction of the offside trap.
Saw him live once: his personality on the pitch, with the ball, was remarkable. He feared noone. For me he was one of the very best.
2 days ago I was wondering when he was gonna drop a video
One of the VERY BEST football documentaries I've ever seen! My childhood (football) heroes where Gerd Müller, Colin Bell AND Johan Cruyff, and your take on JC (!) is great, you really made me enjoy sitting down with 3 cups of coffee on a Sunday morning. Great ride. Thank you for the storytelling. Great voice too.
Can we just applaud Ajax for looking out for their young players like Johan after his father passed away they offered his mom a job so they can be financially stable
Man..Just Respect....A football documentary but drives me to the cruyff era❤️❤️.Salute to you..
The reason he didn't go to the 1978 World Cup was because of the military dictatiorship in Argentina at the time. Those where the "values" he was talking about. It's another of the great things about Johan Cruyff.
What a brilliant video. So well done, produced, designed, narrated and presented. Thank you. As for Cruyff, what a legend.
True definition of passion of the game, what a man he was and what a legacy he left
Yet another exceptional video! I'm really amazed by how well you're able to tell these great football stories. The editing is perfect and you deserve every single view. Sending love from Johan's Netherlands 🧡
An incredible documentary. That was amazing! Your storytelling and the portrayal of narratives is well researched and nicely visualised. Especially your research to the footage of certain games. To identify and order the goals to the right teams MUST BE incredibly painful, because most teams were still in amateur status until the beginning of the 70‘s. Which means little to no commercialization, which means no one did care about footage at all.
To Johan Cruyff himself: What a fascinating football personality. A revolutionary on the football pitch, a (relative) conservative person outside the pitch. The chainsmoker who could run for days. The successor of Alfredo Di Stefano and basically the father of Lionel Messi (in terms of his False 9 era). But more importantly: A fantastic footballer, a more fantastic football manager, but more importantly a football philosopher. The one who brought success to his respective stations (Ajax, Barca and the Netherlands itself, even though he never coached them. But his impact was incredible), but were still dependent on him, because of his expertise. An arrogant genius, which work you can only have for the highest respect. Thank you again Balon for your incredible work (I hope you rest well during your video uploads). I can’t wait what you have in store for us next!
Now we need a 2nd part on this and thanks balon for this incredible work ....keep going we'll support u till the end
Absolute masterpiece. Much appreciated making a doc on my favourite player ever he is too underappreciated
Great vid! My grandfather was a neighbour of Cruyff in Watergraafsmeer. Took me back 🙏
This makes me want to see a video on Guardiola next. On his career as a player and as a coach, on which Cruyff had a great influence.
Another excellent video. Thanks so much for these; brilliantly put together, no hyperbole or annoying soundtracks or cliches. Can't wait for the Cruyff the manager video!
This is absolutely fantastic. As a passionate Dutch Football fan, I can say I was glued from start to
finish and I’m absolutely proud of your efforts mate. Great hour spent ❤
This is CS FROM The US; I Remember, on the heels of seeing
KEVIN KEEGAN & Liverpool win the FA CUP, & ALAN BALL from
Arsenal, the Amazing JOHAN CRYUFF; He, along w/ those guys,
changed lives, as did NEESKENS, & the cast of characters on the
Dutch side w/ Innovative Football; Before I knew who PELE Was
and since that time, he stands Tall if not Taller as one of the
"Greatest of All Time Greats" w/ PELE & others, no question:
I was back in the States when they lost the WC Final 2 ARGENTINA,
and w/ little or no Football on US TV other than the W. Cup,
and the PELE / NEESKENS led NY Cosmos of the NASL, I missed
the European Club / Cup Play Era, which is where Y. Tube /
Documentaries fill in gaps: I expected CRYUFF's Resume
to be as Impressive, as his W. Cup exploits & efforts, and it
exceeded it in amazing fashion; An even Bigger Hero
than he was Growing up:
That says it all....
JOHAN CRYUFF is not only a
Dutch Legend,
but an International Icon...
I'm SO thrilled you covered my all-time favorite player. Great content, keep up the stellar work!
I have never seen a more captivating piece of football documentary like this. Wow! Thank you and good luck to the entire team.
your videos are world class, as someone who loves learning about football history, this truly helps me, you are very underrated for the type of videos u post and the class of em.
Thank You So Much Balon-English Channel for this informative behind the scene bio about the Dutch Master Johan Cruyff!
Another great video balon! 50 mins felt like nothing. Truly one of the best channels on RUclips! I hope you all get the recognition you deserve soon!
Can you please make a series on world cup tournaments please 1970s till now, history, struggles, finance, rule changes, political angles everything.....just the way you are doing all these videos. It will be absolutely awesome. I simply love your content and the way you present it. Please continue with your great work. Best wishes.
I love what Cruyff done for football.
We are still feeling his influence with the likes of Barcelona under PEP, and now with Manchester City.
The Dutch team of the 1970s with player's like Rudi Krol, Arie Haan, Cruyff, Rensenbrink, Neeskens and Johnny Rep were incredible to watch and reached 2 World Cup Final's, which they unfortunately lost.
TRUE; This is CS FROM The US: I was living in England when
the Dutch lost the 1st, in the States when they lost the 2nd
to Argentina, where there was little Football on US television,
other than the W. Cup & the NASL, headed by PELE
& his NY Cosmos, where NEESKENS played for a bit as well;
I missed the Club Play & the KENNY DAGLISH / Brian Robson Era
@ that time, which is where Y. Tube & Videos like this fill in the gaps;
But as I expected, this documentary solidified
the Legend of CRYUFF that he was when I was in England,
on the heels of seeing KEVIN KEEGAN & ALAN BALL,
before learning about GEORGE BEST, PELE,
and GORDON BANKS,
along w/ Previous Greats like the
CHARLTON BROTHERS, and SIR STANLEY
@@csracingreport2024 Yeah, Cruyff is definitely held up as 1 of the all time greatest footballer's along with the likes of Pele, Beckenbaur, Platini, Maradonna, Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi and other great player's.
As a football fan, I follow a lot of channels that have football content. This channel is easily the best, no contest. The amount of research that goes into every single video and the way you put it all together is amazing and inspiring. Best of luck, it's just a matter of time until you get million subscribers.
P.S. "Do we know the TOTAL story?"
I see what you did there....
this is so amazingly well done, this channel is a gem. Lovely and amazing video, learning and remembering things about Cruyff is always the biggest pleasure. He's my favorite player ever, such a beautiful video and history.
You will live forever
Amazing work Fahad. Cruyff will always be the godfather of Dutch football.
Simmer83 Cruyff is in fact the godfather of modern football in this world. Not only Dutch football.
We are truly blessed for the fact that these videos are free. They're so good they should be on Netflix. Keep on going Mr Fahad 💪👍
Helping Feyenoord f.c. winning the Dutch League over Ajax f.c. in the 1983 / 1984 Season was the icing of the Brilliance of Johan Cruyff , the #14 Dutch Superstar! For the many Barcelona f.c. Fans of the 1970s ... Johan Cruyff was their Superstar idol too! ... Sadly , Johan Cruyff has left all of us on the 26thMarch2016 due to lung cancer ... He was 69 ... May Johan Cruyff be Blessed to a Better World & Realm ...
These videos have truly, truly reignited my love and passion for football. Especially the Arsenal video, that sent shivers down my spine and made me start to tune in and support Arsenal again. Thank you Balòn, for the amazing and jaw dropping content.
Amazingly done again Fahad! You could even make his time managing Barcelona as a part two. Thank you for your hard work creating these videos and keep it up!
With Beckenbauer and Pele, a true legend of modern football ! Big respect !
Awesome review of this legendary footballer, one of the very few who set a before and after in football, not only as a player as we can see here but as a manager as well. I really look forward for your documentary of his years as a manager as well, no doubt itll be superbly well done as this one was!
Man, you are so amazing. I love your work. All the best from the USA.
The godfather of modern football ❤💙
I just googled Dutch football history and found this video and your channel, top notch. The archival footage and journalistic efforts to tell a great story are world class. Subbed
Amazing account of easily one of the greatest if not the greatest player ever, definitely the most intelligent footballer ever, Brilliant documentary on Cruyff
One of the most iconic characters of all time is certainly much more than a football star, much more than his leader. The football leader who revolutionized football, reinterpreted the philosophy of football, multiplied the pleasure of watching football, is Johan Cruyff.
You know a guy is godlike when you make a 50 mins video to describe about his greatness and even that can't fully explain his genius. Loved the video
Along with Brazil 1970 the 74 Dutch team and Ajax 68 to 74 were poetry to watch. Crujff, Neeskins, Krol, Pele, Tostao, Gerson, Revallino and Jonhny Rep. The Dutch were skilled and very very tough
Just simply a sublime footballer ☘
Great video. So comprehensive, I've never watched a documentary of yours that wasn't outstanding. Read his book a few years back, great read I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in football.
I never knew this man until i started watching football seriously (2013) and supporting Manchester City and Guadiola. I now know him more especially when Pep says that Cruyff is his role model. Your videos are top notch
Man this guy's life's turn of events make you think like life can throw anything at you but just keep on going forward no matter what
I've seen him winning the Dutch league in his year at Feyenoord, just by telling his teammates what to do, and where to walk. He wasn't able to play a whole match, or do a real sprint anymore, but his football intelligence was enough to do it.. His was higher than all of the top players we have now these days. I still see him pointing with his finger, while he's putting everyone in the right position ;-)
Sir I’ve only just found your channel and I’m blown away with this production! Beautifully put together, I’ve already watched your Van Baston Vid and wow, you are extremely talented and I hope somehow your work makes it on to prime time television, this is the sort of work we men want to see, the joy, the heartache and all the emotions in between, it’s the perfect viewer’s experience bravo Sir 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
This was great. Truly inspiring work and a fantastic tribute to one of footballs legends. Thanks for uploading!
This channel is addictive and pretty much the best sports channel on RUclips in my humble opinion 👍
Hey Fahad, brilliant as usual
Amazing to know he won the double playing for arch-rivals Feyenoord as well!!
Awaiting eagerly for the next parts for both Cruyff as well as CR7 you did earlier
Cruyff, Pele, Zidan, Maradona, Franz B and many other players created what we are enjoying. We thank them all.
The music selection in all these videos make these documentaries deeply compelling.
Music selection is a process that I take very seriously and is on par with the other key ingredients to make an episode. Appreciate your comment !
@@balon-english your music selection brings all the emotion to all of these soccer (football) documentaries… one video in particular is the Barcelona video where you talk about Barca’s historic remontada against Atlético Madrid.. and you let the video footages speak for themselves with no narration.. just in their purest form…. keep up the great work with the music.
This is the best summary of Cruyuff's career I have seen to date. Great research and editing. The narration was even paced and captivating. Good job.
Cruyff in his come back in holland was amazing. Dutch kids just too young to see him star in 74 could nos see him play 2 seasons for ajax again. Weekly. When cruyff steps on to the pitch another dimension opens. I have seen it those seasons. An older superplayer from a lost glory era bought back to the dutch league showing and reminding everybody what football can be and how good he was.
A highly skilled striker, world class manager and an absolute master tactiction.
I was a massive J. Cruyff fan, back in the day.
He definitely deserves concideration for greatest footballer of his time. Thank you! I loved this video so mucn I had to subscribe!
Johan Cruyff is the best football(soccer) player ever!!!!!! Great documentary Fahad. Thanks a lot!
Wow, I thought I knew Cruyff. My father and my uncles had told me so much, yet this video was so educational. Learned so much! Well done and thank you!!
I just finished watching this and wow, one of the best watches ever. What a well put together documentary 👏🏻👏🏻 a part 2 on his managerial career is needed
I never got over the 1978 world cup because Cruyff was missing. I understand why now.but it just left a void when i was small and how wonderful the Holland team was which now i could name more than the present team of Holland because they had there special number neeskens no 13, Cruyff no14, krol no5, hann no9.
This is beyond beautiful. The last one minute gave me goosebumps thinking about the impact of Cruyff's impact on football after he quit playing.
Literally the best channel for football videos. Anyone who has any interest with the beautiful game needs to watch these videos
One of the best documentareis on Johan I have ever seen. Incredible work!
can't believe how i remained this interested for 50 mins. Great work put into this video. I genuinely think Cruyff just as a player is top 3 OAT. Ballon d'ors, national team, longevity, single handedly carrying teams, barca and ajax, and ofc the techincal ability which is second to none; even inventing the turn
Thank you so much for posting. This video is priceless to those who admired Johan.
Pele cracked all the top parameters at the highest level but Cruyff cracked number 1 parameter by some distance which is a Spiritual Depth. And on top of that add Cruyff as an Imaginative and Philosopher of the game with his Genius all round playing abilities and management skills, which made him the ultimate GOAT of the Game.
The master, the provocateur and the architect. There will be never another like Johan Cruyff.
What a video! Thanks to creator of the video. I've always being big fan of Cruyf. Enjoyed it watching.
Would love to see a part 2 on his managerial career!
Excellent documentary of the footballing career of the player I regard as the best ever. It doesn't just cover his wonderful footballing ability and football intelligence, but also his complex personality which divided so many people. I thought it was very well balanced. Unfortunately his personality and insistence on always wanting to get things his own way possible cost Holland two World Cups. Ensuring that van Beveren and vd Kuylen didn't get selected for the 1974 world cup finals probably cost them that one, and not playing in 1978 probably cost them that one as well. His coaching career was possibly just as good as his playing career.
Those are good points; Allowing too much player influence
can be an issue, and as good as they were in 74
(when I was living in the UK) and being absent himself in 78
(when I was in the US), it probably made the difference...
It's very odd CRYUFF would pass up the chance to
reverse the result of the 74 W. Cup in the 78 Tournament...
If he were playing in the Recent and Current eras,
my hunch is he would have played, but that may be
of a case of wishful thinking more so than total accuracy, lol
Beautiful. It truly is incredible how you can bring these stories to life. Are you planning a part 2 of Cruyff as a manager
Thanks Tomas !
I think it's only natural to continue the story, but i'm not sure from which perspective. Is it about Barcelona's dream team or is it about Cruyff's short but successful managerial career. Still not sure.
@@balon-english what about the lasting impact of his coaching tenure in the Barcelona philosophy? Maybe how he influenced both Rijkaard and peps coaching styles
@@balon-english I don't know if you've seen the documentary "take the ball pass the ball" on barcelona of the late 00s and early 10s they go into cruyffs influence a bit but I wanna see more of how he impacted it
@@balon-english can you make one for baggio as well?
@@balon-english I would pick the dream because its basically the foundation for everything barca is today. Would be interested to see how big cruyff impact was and how it still is today.
One of the best videos I’ve ever watched
My favourite football player and coach. Genius.
I am in awe of the level of research you put into your videos. Most videos, even documentaries by major media companies with all of their resources, focus only on the accepted narrative about these players and teams. They are tinged with a nostalgia bias that only touches on the more well known parts of their stories or their great successes. But your videos are a cut above the rest, so in depth and adding so many extra wrinkles to these tales that the the rest of us would have otherwise forgotten- you should be writing books and making major documentaries! We are lucky to have you on RUclips, and I hope your videos are discovered by many more.
Many thanks for your kind words Imran. Your point is absolutely true, most documentaries feel like fan-service in a way. They mostly show the glorious side of the subject. However, the newer ones in the last decade are very good to be fair. Asif Kapadia's work come to mind.
@@balon-english Ah yes I watched Asif Kapadia's documentary on Maradona and it was excellent. He did a couple of podcasts on Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show on the documentary. He goes into the details on gathering all these previously lost archival footage and tracking down the different leads to get as close to the truth as possible. I think you would really enjoy them given your own experience and passion for making these documentaries. Cheers!
that ending was GOOSEBUMPS