Johan Cruyff was one of the most influential personalities in the history of the game. The former Dutch international, in many ways, revolutionized football; first as a player at Ajax and Barcelona and later on as a coach.
Sadly the iconic number 14 passed away in 2016 after losing a long battle with lung cancer.
As aptly put by former England international Gary Lineker, shortly after the tragic news, “Football has lost a man who did more to make the beautiful game beautiful than anyone in history.”
However, the legend of Cruyff will never be forgotten. An year after Barcelona honoured the legend with a statue at the Camp Nou, Cruyff’s home club Ajax has now done their part with the unveiling of Johan Cruyff’s statue at the main entrance of the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.
The Frisian sculptor Hans Jouta, an avid Ajax supporter, was given the honor of creating the statue of the legendary number 14.
The statue of @JohanCruyff ♥️🙏#vooraltijdnr14 pic.twitter.com/IixJDhy7IS
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 21, 2020
The tribute was actually a result of great efforts from the fans of the Amsterdam club as they collected the desired amount of 75,000 euros within three months to make it all possible.
With the sculpture now finally standing tall in front of the stadium, Jordi Cruijff, Johan’s son, who was not present himself for the unveiling, left a video message for the fans who committed themselves to the statue.
“A very great honor. Especially because it comes from the hearts of the supporters. I think my dad would be super proud of you as supporters. He has always loved you. A statue is forever. Wonderful, emotional and a great honor. When you walk past it, you see Johan Cruijff. ”
