{"id":362175,"date":"2016-03-24T12:46:37","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T12:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/sports\/2016\/03\/24\/dutch-football-legend-johan-cruyff-dies-of-cancer-aged-68\/"},"modified":"2016-03-24T12:46:37","modified_gmt":"2016-03-24T12:46:37","slug":"dutch-football-legend-johan-cruyff-dies-of-cancer-aged-68","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2016\/03\/24\/dutch-football-legend-johan-cruyff-dies-of-cancer-aged-68\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch football legend, Johan Cruyff dies of cancer aged 68"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Holland football legend Johan Cruyff has died of cancer at the age of 68. The Dutchman, who on three occasions was voted the world player of the year, guided Holland to the World Cup final in 1974 and as a manager he spent eight years in charge of Barcelona.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn March 24 2016 Johan Cruyff (68) died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard fought battle with cancer. It\u2019s with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family\u2019s privacy during their time of grief,\u201d read a statement on the World of Johan Cruyff website.<\/p>\n

Just last month the former Ajax, Barcelona and Holland star, one of the main exponents, along with Rinus Michels, of the world famous Total Football \u2013 the Dutch style of play that involved players constantly interchanging roles \u2013 popularised in the 1970s but still playing a major influence on modern football,said he was \u20182-0 up\u2019 in his match with lung cancer.<\/p>\n

Cruyff, who was a heavy smoker until undergoing heart surgery in 1991, made his illness public in October last year. He was regarded as one of the game\u2019s greatest players. He led Ajax to three consecutive European Cups from 1971 to 1973 and was the linchpin for Holland as they were beaten 2-1 in the final of the 1974 World Cup by West Germany. During the tournament his eponymous turn was first seen against Sweden and soon copied the world over.<\/p>\n