48 Johan Cruyff Quotes on Success (FOOTBALL)

Top 10 Most Famous Johan Cruyff Quotes (BEST)

“Technique is not being able to juggle a ball 1000 times. Anyone can do that by practicing. Then you can work in the circus. Technique is passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your team mate.”
Johan Cruyff

Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.

Football is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins.

You have got to shoot, otherwise you can’t score.

“Football is not about suffering. It’s about enjoyment. Control the ball, be friendly with it, try to attack, try to score goals. Of course defending is part of it, but you can defend in a lot of ways.”
Johan Cruyff

Before I make a mistake, I don’t make that mistake.

Choose the best player for every position, and you’ll end up not with a strong XI, but with 11 strong 1’s.

The most important part are the fans, that people going home are happy. It’s their time off, and you should give them something to enjoy. — The most important part are the fans, that people going home are **happy**. It’s their **time** off, and you should give them something to enjoy.

In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.

13 Johan Cruyff Quotes About Football

”When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average… So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball. That is what determines whether you’re a good player or not.”
Johan Cruyff

I always threw the ball in, because then if I got the ball back, I was the only player unmarked.

We must make sure their worst players get the ball the most. You’ll get it back in no time.

“There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring. In the tactical area, I think I just have more than most other players.”
Johan Cruyff

Football is a game you play with your mind.

If you have the ball you must make the field as big as possible, and if you don’t have the ball you must make it as small as possible.

There are very few players who know what to do when they’re not marked. So sometimes you tell a player that attacker is very good, but don’t mark him. — There are very few players who know what to do when they’re not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don’t mark him.

There is only one ball, so you need to have it.

“It’s disappointing to see how football, the world’s No. 1 sport, is not No. 1 when it comes to development. It seems to me that a wealth of practical football knowledge is being squandered.”
Johan Cruyff

Football should never be a worry. It should be exciting. When a child plays football outside, he doesn't need to worry. Professionals should be the same. — Football should never be a worry. It should be exciting. When a child plays football outside, he doesn’t need to worry. Professionals should be the same.

To win you have to score one more goal than your opponent.

When I don't have control of the ball, what do I do I press to get it back. It's a way of defending. — When I don’t have control of the ball, what do I do? I press to get it back. It’s a way of defending.

Footballers from the street are more important than trained coaches.

12 Johan Cruyff Quotes that will Make You Think

“Someone who has juggled the ball in the air during a game, after which four defenders of the opponent get the time to run back, that’s the player people think is great. I say he has to go to a circus.”
Johan Cruyff

Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring.

Players that aren’t true leaders but try to be, always bash other players after a mistake. True leaders on the pitch already assume others will make mistakes. — Players that aren’t true **leaders** but try to be, always bash other players after a mistake. True leaders on the pitch already assume others will make mistakes.

I’m not religious. In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before they enter the pitch. If it works all matches must therefore end in a draw.

“After you’ve won something, you’re no longer 100 percent, but 90 percent. It’s like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there’s a little less gas inside.”
Johan Cruyff

Speed is often confused with insight. When I start running earlier than the others, I appear faster.

There’s only one moment in which you can arrive in time. If you’re not there, you’re either too early or too late. — There’s only one moment in which you can arrive in **time**. If you’re not there, you’re either too early or too late.

Players today can only shoot with their laces. I could shoot with the inside, laces, and outside of both feet. In other words, I was six times better than today’s players.

“If you take golf, you have a teacher for the drive, a teacher for the approach play, and a teacher for the putt. That’s three specialist coaches for one player. In football, one coach looks after 25 players.”
Johan Cruyff

Italians can not beat us, but we can certainly lose against them.

It's unbelievable. I changed the way Barcelona played. Now, Spain have had to change. — It’s unbelievable. I changed the way Barcelona played. Now, Spain have had to **change**.

The romance of English football is fantastic, but it has lost its identity under the influence of other cultures. — The romance of English football is fantastic, but it has lost its identity under the influence of other **cultures**.

6 Johan Cruyff Quotes About Money in the Football World

“This is the great crisis in football now. It’s not just Rangers; it’s a lot of clubs. Big clubs always create more debt despite the huge income they have. It’s almost an achievement, isn’t it? They make so much money, and yet, still, their debts rise and rise and rise. How does that happen? It’s absurd.”
Johan Cruyff

Why couldn’t you beat a richer club I’ve never seen a bag of money score a goal. — Why couldn’t you beat a richer club? I’ve never seen a bag of **money** score a goal.

“Football is now all about money. There are problems with the values within the game. This is sad because football is the most beautiful game. We can play it in the street. We can play it everywhere.”
Johan Cruyff

Ajax was spending too much money; they were buying players that were too expensive. If you get 100 per cent, you can't spend 120 per cent. It's quite easy. — Ajax was spending too much **money**; they were buying players that were too expensive. If you get 100 per cent, you can’t spend 120 per cent. It’s quite easy.

“Everybody could use the money, but you don’t play for it – you play with your heart – and that’s a big difference you see in Barcelona. Everybody wants to play there; everybody wants to enjoy themselves. It’s maybe a small percentage, but maybe it’s the difference.”
Johan Cruyff

In the Premier League, the money is a problem, but I don't really know how to control it. — In the Premier League, the money is a problem, but I don’t really know how to control it.

7 Johan Cruyff Quotes About Life

“All these countries like Holland and Scotland, they create their own problems. They are always complaining, but they don’t solve anything. Don’t look at what you don’t have; look at what you can create.”
Johan Cruyff