In 1999-2000, despite the arrival of Quinton Fortune as another understudy for Ryan Giggs on the left wing, Cruyff played eight times in the league for United and came just two games short of a title winner's medal as they were crowned Premier League champions for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Despite widespread belief that Laudrup joined arch rivals Real Madrid in an attempt to " get back " at Cruyff, the decision was based on the fact that Madrid had been struggling for a long period and were eager to return to supremacy, like Barcelona were when he decided to join them.

In 1988, when Cruyff was fourteen, he followed his father back to Barcelona, as the latter had been appointed Barcelona's head coach.

Cruyff spent the 2007 – 08 season playing with Metalurh Donetsk, where he played mainly as a centre back.

Cruyff himself laughed off the tribute saying the club had to let its best player play with number 14.

In the early 1980s, Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff played half a season for the club, retiring three years later.

After joining Maccabi Tel Aviv, Earnshaw believes joining the club will make him a better player once he returned to Cardiff City and says he has a chance to work with the club's Sports Director Jordi Cruyff.

Johan Cruyff, who had wanted Blanc and persuaded him to sign for Barça, was sacked on the very day Blanc agreed to join the club.

Eventually, the Board, including Florentino Pérez relented, declaring that a " man like that would always have a place in my club ", while Johan Cruyff described McManaman at the time as the most useful player in the " Galaticos " because he was " everyone's best partner on the pitch.

Although he remained at the club for another three seasons and United won four trophies during that time, the 1996-97 Premier League was the only winner's medal that Cruyff collected at United.

Cruyff continued to play for Alavés until the club was relegated at the end of 2002 – 03.

In April 2012, Cruyff signed an agreement with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv on becoming their new Sports Director at the end of the 2011 – 12 season.

Key players in the squad from this period included Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Peter Houtman ( who later became the Feyenoord stadium announcer ).

What later would become known as tiki-taka developed and evolved from the football style propagated by Johan Cruyff during his tenure as manager of Barcelona from 1988 to 1995, This developed and upgraded system has more recently been employed by the Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012-winning Spanish teams of Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque, as well as by FC Barcelona under then manager Pep Guardiola.

In 1994, he completed a controversial move from Barça to Real Madrid after he fell out with Johan Cruyff.

This tactic required players who were extremely versatile, such as Johan Cruyff, who could play every position on the pitch apart from goalkeeper.

Musgrove had made expensive forays into the transfer market bringing in four new players in the shape of Karl-Heinz Granitza ( from Hertha Berlin ), Arno Steffenhagen ( from FC St. Pauli ), Horst Blankenburg ( who had played in the great Ajax side of the early 70 ’ s alongside Johan Cruyff, and company ) and Jorgen Kristensen ( another former Hertha Berlin man ).

Lyttelton's principal weapon as a forward was a unique and generally successful goalscoring technique that appears, from contemporary sources, to have been a primitive version of the 1970s Cruyff turn.

Van Basten, keen to show Kalou's worth to the Dutch team, obtained support from influential football figures, including Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.

In 2010, Cruyff announced his retirement from professional football and joined AEK Larnaca as Director of Football.

On 3 November 2009, it was agreed that Johan Cruyff would become the coach of the side, taking the reins officially from 9 November 2009.

Manager Johan Cruyff gave him his professional debut on 14 December 1986 against Roda JC ; the game ended in a 2 – 0 victory for Ajax.

* 1989: Barcelona 2 – 0 Sampdoria-Johan Cruyff became the first manager to win the CWC with two different teams, having managed Ajax in their 1987 final victory.

When Barça hired a fourth foreign star player, Brazilian striker Romário in 1993 it meant the four foreigners would rotate as the three foreign players allowed in each match, and when Laudrup wasn't selected for the 1994 European Cup final 0 – 4 loss to Milan ( amid conflicts with Cruyff ), his time at Barcelona was over.

In October 1983, he dazzled the White Hart Lane crowd with a phenomenal second-round display as Spurs won 6 – 2 on aggregate against a Feyenoord Rotterdam side containing the legendary Johan Cruyff.

* Netherlands – Johan Cruyff

Cherry marked Dutch legend Johan Cruyff out of each leg as Leeds reached the final, but after missing subsequent League matches through suspension, manager Jimmy Armfield did not recall him for the final in Paris against Bayern Munich, which Leeds lost 2 – 0.

On 2 November, he played against Manchester United in the Champions League, and Cruyff set up the first goal for Hristo Stoichkov, as Barcelona won 4 – 0.

Cruyff then scored on his next two appearances, helping to 2 – 2 draws against Everton and Blackburn Rovers.

Cruyff scored his only goal for the Netherlands during the final stages, on 13 June, in a 2 – 0 win against Switzerland at Villa Park, and was one of six Dutch footballers to be selected for the Dutch national team while never having played in the Eredivisie, the other capped players being Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Rob Reekers, Willi Lippens, Wim Hofkens and Jeffrey Bruma.

Cruyff also played for Catalonia, scoring on his debut, a 5 – 2 win over Barcelona at the Nou Estadi de Tarragona, on 25 June 1995.

Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff decided to play Lineker on the right of the midfield and he eventually lost his place in the first team.

Johan Cruyff returned to Barcelona as manager in 1988, and assembled the legendary Dream Team.

Cruyff introduced players like Josep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero, Txiki Beguiristain, Goikoetxea, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário, and Hristo Stoichkov.

Laudrup then moved to arch-rivals Real Madrid after a fall-out with Cruyff, and helped them end Barcelona's run in 1995.

After the success of Cruyff, another Dutchman-Ajax manager Louis van Gaal-arrived at the Camp Nou, and with the talents of Luís Figo, Luis Enrique, and Rivaldo, Barcelona again won the title in 1998 and 1999.

Cruyff advised him not to join Real Madrid, one of the teams said to have been interested in him.

He was again voted the European player of the year, becoming the third player after Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini to win the award three times.

He entered the match as part of a double substitution that also introduced Johan Cruyff.

Dutch forward Johan Cruyff was the system's most famous exponent.

Although Cruyff was fielded as centre forward, he wandered all over the pitch, popping up wherever he could do most damage to the opposing team.

Johan Cruyff always talked about where people should run and where they should stand, and when they should not move.

The system developed organically and collaboratively: it was not down to coach Rinus Michels, his successor Stefan Kovacs or Cruyff alone.

Cruyff summed up his ( Total Football ) philosophy: " Simple football is the most beautiful.

In the 1974 final, Cruyff kicked off and the ball was passed around Oranje thirteen times before returning to Cruyff, who then went on a rush that eluded Berti Vogts and ended when he was fouled by Uli Hoeneß.

The 1970s marked a turning point for Barcelona with the signing of a new player, Johan Cruyff, in 1973.

George Best, Johan Cruyff, and many other notable players graced the soccer field during this period in Los Angeles soccer history, for clubs such as the Los Angeles Aztecs, California Surf and the Los Angeles Salsa.

In June 2011, Davids was elected to the new supervisory board at Ajax alongside Johan Cruyff.

Liverpool's performance in the 1966-67 European Cup was poor and, after struggling to overcome FC Petrolul Ploiesti in the first round, they were well beaten in the last 16 by Ajax who, inspired by 19-year old Johan Cruyff, were a great team in the making.