Johan Cruyff, Dutch football legend, dies at 68

Johan Cryuff

Cruyff (right) doing the famous "Cruyff turn" at the 1974 World Cup

"Football has given me everything in life, tobacco almost took it all away."

That was vintage Johan Cruyff, the legendary Dutch football player with mesmerizing skills and razor sharp wit. The words were for a Catalan health department advert but they also summed up the maestro’s life.

Cryuff, who made his name as a forward with Ajax and Barcelona, passed away in his home at the age of 68. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2015 but just last month, he said he felt he was "2-0 up in a match" against the disease and he was sure he would end up winning. Sadly, that was not the case.

After years of chain smoking, he had double heart bypass surgery in 1991. Immediately after the operation he gave up smoking and took to sucking lollipops. But the damage had already been done.

A statement on his website reads: “On March 24 2016 Johan Cruyff (68) died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard fought battle with cancer. It’s with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”

Cruyff is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history and he will be remembered for several things. He was the most famous exponent of the football philosophy known as Total Football – the Dutch style of play that involved players constantly interchanging roles.

As a player, he helped raise Dutch football from near obscurity to world recognition. He guided his country reach the final of the 1974 World Cup and was named player of the tournament. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974.

After winning eight Dutch League titles and three European Cups with Ajax, Cruyff moved to FC Barcelona 1973 for a world record transfer fee. He won La Liga in his first season.

After retiring in 1984, he became a highly successful manager with Ajax and later with Barcelona, winning four consecutive La Liga titles from 1990-91 to 1993-94.

He also coached Barcelona to their first European Cup triumph in 1992. He revolutionized football in Barcelona. The club’s recent successes have been traced to his influence on modern football. Both Ajax and Barcelona have developed youth academies based on Cruyff's coaching methods.

In a career that spanned 19 years, Cruyff scored 392 goals in 520 games. As a coach he recorded 242 victories in 387 matches, with 75 draws and 70 losses. But his influence on the game went far beyond just creating goals.

In 1999, Cruyff was voted European Player of the Century in an election held by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, and came second behind Pelé in their World Player of the Century poll.

Lamenting his death, the Dutch FA said: “Words can hardly be found for this huge loss. The greatest Dutch footballer of all time and one of the world's best ever.”

Lionel Messi, current world player of the year, was among the first to pay tribute to Cruyff.

“RIP Johan Cruyff. Your legacy will live on forever,” he wrote on his Twitter account.