His tongue was almost as quick as his feet.
The late great Johan Cruyff has sadly passed away and while he will always be remembered for his incredible skill, balance, and goal scoring, he was also a genius off the pitch.
His ability on the field was married to an incredible vision of how football should be played and how players should approach games too, as he moulded Barcelona in a style of football they have played for the last thirty years.
There have already been dozens of tributes to the late Ajax and Barcelona legend and here are his best 10 quotes from a remarkable career in football.
Simplicity itself.
https://twitter.com/fcbusiness/status/712986245794816001
He had that lovely Dutch arrogance.
"If I wanted you to understand it, I would explain it better." Johan Cruyff 1947-2016 #RIP #legend #genius #hero pic.twitter.com/sS3gs5bkQr
— Umbro Ireland (@UmbroIreland) March 24, 2016
He didn’t care much for money either.
Of all the great Cruyff quotes this one most timely: “Why couldn’t you beat a richer club? I’ve never seen a bag of money score a goal.”
— Richard Martin (@RichMartinMcr) March 24, 2016
He was committed to his style, and no-one else’s.
Yep, will always remember this quote of Johan Cruyff! pic.twitter.com/06ygjfTHlk
— Nishith (@Nicks103) March 24, 2016
We’re not sure what he means here but it sounds impressive.
https://twitter.com/silver_fox24/status/712983555358507008
Total football distilled into 15 words.
https://twitter.com/MESSlTEAM/status/670227756324622336
He had no time for showboating.
https://twitter.com/FCB1899GCM/status/657257376978898944
One to pin-up in every dressing room.
https://twitter.com/coachmccarty10/status/568567417590431744
Speed is not the same as being fast.
https://twitter.com/setiawanwirawan/status/349086745855410176
And one that modern coaches, and young players should take heart from:
“I find it terrible when talents are rejected based on computer stats. Based on the criteria at Ajax now I would have been rejected. When I was 15, I couldn’t kick a ball 15 meters with my left and maybe 20 with my right. My qualities technique and vision, are not detectable by a computer.”
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