Johan Cruyff is a sporting pioneer of ethical leadership
“Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring,”
Johan Cruyff was not only one of the greatest footballers of all time but he later became a revolutionary manager. He won world player of the year three times as well as winning numerous trophies at both Ajax and Barcelona as a manager. After retiring as a player in 1984, he became a manager who would innovate football in a way that would lay down the foundations of coaching and philosophy for future generations. To this day, some of the best leaders in the world cite Cruyff’s management style as their biggest inspiration.
Cruyff will always be remembered for his role in “Total Football” which was first used by his mentor Rinus Michels. It is a system where no player has a set role, so if a player moves out of his position, he is replaced with another player to retain that organisation. It aims to promote a strong team ethic, attacking football and versatility. Cruyff as a player was able to demonstrate this playing from deep in midfield to all the way up front as a forward. As a coach he adopted this philosophy and raised the standards even higher as he conquered Europe with both Barcelona and Ajax.He regarded football as a beautiful game with a huge emphasis on keeping things simple.
