Hendrik Johannes Cruijff, known as Johan Cruyff, was a Dutch football (soccer) forward who was known for his inventive playmaking. He was born April 25, 1947, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and died March 24, 2016, in Barcelona, Spain. He was named European Footballer of the Year and received various other awards (1971, 1973, and 1974).

Cruyff joined the Ajax soccer club's youth development squad when he was ten years old. He made his senior squad debut when he was 17 years old. He was transferred to FC Barcelona in 1973 after helping Ajax win six league titles, four national cups, and three European Champion Clubs' Cups (now known as the UEFA [Union of European Football Associations] Champions League). Barcelona, led by Cruyff, won the Spanish League title in 1974 and finished second in 1976 and 1977.

In an age when the European game was dominated by 'total football,' a style of play devised by Dutch coach Rinus Michels that emphasized all-around skill, versatility, and inventiveness, Cruyff, along with Franz Beckenbauer of West Germany, was regarded as the world's best player. Cruyff made his international debut for the Netherlands at the age of 19 and went on to score 33 goals in 48 games. The Dutch team, captained by Cruyff and including Johan Neeskens and Ruud Krol, put on a remarkable exhibition of total football in the 1974 World Cup campaign, earning them the nickname 'Clockwork Orange' (a name based on the novel but adopted from the team's orange shirts).

Cruyff's exceptional brilliance earned him the tournament's Golden Ball (Most Valuable Player) title, despite the Netherlands losing to West Germany in the championship match.

Cruyff played for numerous American teams between 1979 and 1980, including the Los Angeles Aztecs and the Washington Diplomats, and was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the North American Soccer League in 1979. In 1981, he returned to Ajax, but after a contract disagreement, he joined Feyenoord two years later. He won his seventh Dutch title and fifth national cup there. Cruyff led Ajax (1987) and Barcelona (1989) to European Cup Winners' Cups after quitting as a player in 1984.

He won the European Champion Clubs' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup with Barcelona in 1992, but he was fired in 1996. In 2009, he left football to lead the Catalan national team, a job he retained until 2013.