Dutch football legend Johann Cruyff has unfortunately passed away at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer.
Cruyff passed away on Thursday, his family revealed in a statement. A heavy chain smoker during his hey days, he contracted lung cancer, a diagnosis he revealed to fans last year.
“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.” The statement read.
Cruyff was more than a playing legend though, he elevated himself to the status of demi-god after his retirement. He, along with Renus Michel, invented the concept of Total Football, which transformed the Dutch side Ajax, and which he later brought to Barcelona. The club’s current dominance is built on the foundations Cruyff’s philosophy laid on the world of football, and on the Spanish club.
As a player, he won three consecutive European Cups with Ajax from 1971, and helped the Dutch reach the 1974 World Cup final- he also coached Barcelona to their first European Cup triumph in 1992.
An extremely talented player with the ball, Cruyff is generally considered as one of the greatest players of all time. His status as a coach also means he is one of football’s biggest overall legends. The tributes pouring out for him since his demise attests to that.
May he rest in peace.

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