One of the soccer teams I enjoyed watching while growing up was Holland and their amazing ability to play what they call “Total Football.” Out of that system came one of the top three players of all time, Johan Cruyff. He left Holland’s Ajax team for Barcelona and soccer in Spain hasn’t been the same since, producing such players Xavi, Iniesta and–though he’s from Argentina, his skills were developed in Barcelona’s La Masia–Lionel Messi, recently named Footballer of the Year, tying Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Michel Platini as the only three time winners.
Being released early this year is a new book on Barcelona, BARCA: THE MAKING OF THE GREATEST TEAM IN THE WORLD.
One fun excerpt:
If the 175,000 FC Barcelona members, or socios, queued up in an orderly line, night after night, to massage his tired feet, cook his dinner and tuck him into bed; if they carried his golf clubs round Montanya’s hilly 18 holes; if they devoted 50 per cent of their annual salary to him … it still wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to repay the debt that those who love this club owe Johan Cruyff.
Should be a great book when it’s released!
The video below is of the move he mastered and is his namesake, the Cruyff.