Johan Cruyff Career stats, Ajax & Barcelona: Ajax 64-65 10 appearances 65-66 23 appearances 66-67 41 appearances 67-68

41 appearances 68-69 42 appearances 69-70 46 appearances 70-71 37 appearances 71-72 45 appearances 72-73 32 appearances 73-74 2 appearances Barcelona 73-74 26 appearances 74-75 38 appearances 75-76 38 appearances 76-77 37 appearances 77-78 45 appearances

4 goals 25 goals 41 goals 33 goals 33 goals 33 goals 27 goals 33 goals 19 goals 3 goals 16 goals 7 goals 8 goals 19 goals 11 goals

Cruyffs style of play It is evident from his goalscoring stats that Cruyff began his career as an out & out centre forward. His peak years, particularly at Barcelona, saw him scoring less goals but contributing more to the team as a whole although he was not as prolific in Spain (48 goals in 143 games), his all round game enthralled not only Barca fans, but the watching world too. So what was it that made him so special? Yes he scored goals, magnificent goals, but that wasn't his dearest attribute. It was the way he demanded the ball, the way he passed it and the way he dictated the play around him. He was the conductor in Holland's famous band of 'Total Football', a position he assumed at the Camp Nou as well. Quotes describing Cruyffs style of play tend to be resounding in this message. He is described in a way that seems more common of a midfielder heavily involved in his teams moves, a playmaker as much as, if not more than, a striker. Cruyff was known for his technical ability, speed, acceleration and dribbling but his greatest quality was vision, based on an acute sense of his team-mates' positions as an attack unfolded. The sports writer David Miller believed Cruyff superior to any previous player in his ability to extract the most from others. He dubbed him "Pythagoras in boots" for the complexity and precision of his angled passes and wrote: "Few have been able to exact, both physically and mentally, such mesmeric control on a match from one penalty area to another." The following is a promotional image for the Opta index statistics which shows Cruyffs touches in the opponents half against Argentina in the 1974 World Cup, (compared to those of Wesley Sneijder against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup, though I believe the comparison is irrelevant). This shows the sheer variety of positions he took up throughout the game and how unconventional his role as a centre-forward was, appearing in the box only four times.

Castrol Index an objectively analysed rankings system Similar to the Opta Index measures a players effectiveness and all-round contribution to their team and ranks them accordingly. A full explanation can be found here: http://www.castrolfootball.com/rankings/about/ The Castrol Index has been used to determine an all-time World Cup 11. Based on his overall rating of 9.82, Cruyff earned a place in midfield in this all-time 11. He was the highest rated player of the 1974 World Cup, having scored three goals and assisted three as well as creating 29 goal-scoring opportunities, the highest in the tournament, and completing 55 successful dribbles, also the highest in the tournament. This is representative of Cruyffs overall contribution to the team at the beginning of his peak in 1974. To compare to the highest rated players from the most recent World Cup, Sneijder was rated 9.56, while the top rated player, Sergio Ramos, was rated 9.79. This information provides little in the way of deciding upon actual values for Cruyffs stats but it shows that he contributed much throughout the team and demonstrates the range in which his basic stats will need to placed. Moreover this information gives some indication of the high level he is (theoretically) deserving of when deciding upon his dribbling, passing and teamwork stats (not accounting for the difficulties of the TW stat). Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9He8sPYUjmk Excellent footage of Cruyffs time at Barcelona. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5VFmhCd1K0 A compilation of all of Hollands goals at the 1974 World Cup. By the time the final came around, Cruyff had been directly involved in every goal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd8zi-DZSnQ Highlights of Holland vs Argentina at the 1974 World Cup, arguably Hollands best performance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8_jpvxpMI The first of 7 parts of the 1974 World Cup final. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRR63hfDqY0 The first of 6 parts of Hollands 1974 World Cup game against Brazil. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe3YcIVW4Lg A compilation of Cruyffs dribbling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GtwCfjI0Z8 A compilation of some of Cruyffs goals. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-M2_BJcCtHKA/barcelona_vs_real_madrid/ - A video highlighting Cruyffs involvement in Barcelonas 5-0 victory over Real Madrid which shows several facets of his play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpmwhF0syu4; - Cruyffs touches for Ajax vs Panathinaikos in 1971, arguably before his peak less of a playmaker at this stage.