Johan Cruijff - from the perspective of a youth player
Witschge: "When I played in the C1, and later in the B1 and A1, Johan would sometimes stand at the sidelines watching. In the eighties more trainers and even players from Ajax 1 did that. Sometimes he would walk into our dressing room at halftime. He would first listen to what our coach had to say. Then he would tell us what he noticed. The tempo often had to increase, or we had to play the ball better to a teammate’s feet. He saw things differently than others."
"Sometimes he came into the dressing room when things weren’t going well. But also when a match was too easy and we were just freewheeling. Especially in the B1 and A1 we had a good team. You took those tips seriously, of course. You had to. 'Otherwise I'll have you taken off', Johan would warn us. Secretly I think he also enjoyed that freewheeling. He could be hard on you, put your feet back on the ground. The fact that he wanted to help us in that way is something beautiful."
"I made my debut for the first team while still playing for Ajax A1 (now Ajax U19). I did deserve a contract, but didn’t get one yet. Cruijff wanted Bryan Roy and me to keep playing in the A1 a bit longer. With a contract, that wouldn’t have been possible. ‘Just wait a little,’ he said. The money we missed out on that year, we received a year later anyway. That’s how he kept the young talents around."
"I also remember an assignment Johan once gave me in the youth academy. He told me to play every ball three meters ahead of a teammate. That way my teammates were forced to run faster. Otherwise the ball would go out. ‘Just do it, no one will blame you,’ he assured me. The tempo did indeed go up. But my teammates did look at me strangely. Still, that was my assignment. And you just did it. As a youth player you more than look up to a man like that."
Johan Cruijff - from the perspective of a debutant and Ajax 1 player
"Before I was allowed to debut in an away match against AZ, I had sat on the bench once or twice. You hope all that time to be allowed to come on. Secretly you keep watching the manager. Hoping that his head will turn your way. When that finally happens, a shock runs through you. 'Witschge, warm up', Cruijff shouted into the Alkmaarderhout in October 1986. I’ve never really suffered from nerves. Also never felt pressure on the pitch. But my debut was a moment. With Johan as my coach."
"Right before I entered the field for my first minutes, the coach was short and clear. ‘Go enjoy playing. You know what to do.’ That was pretty much all he said. Later that 1986/1987 season I mainly played my matches again with the A1. But I trained more and more with the first team."
"Especially during pre-season, you were sometimes completely slaughtered. That was real hard work. Especially during training camps. At 07:00 we had a running session, then we trained again at 10:00 and 14:30. In the evenings we often played another match. After pre-season was over, the training sessions became more ball-oriented and less heavy. Johan then had us do lots of positional games and rondos. He often joined in himself - and he was still one of the best."
"During those exercises you had to stay super focused. Otherwise the coach would destroy you, start pestering you. How he did that? By constantly nagging you. Or by deliberately playing balls too short or to your wrong foot. That made you look bad. In that moment it annoyed the hell out of you. But afterwards you understood Johan did that on purpose. Only to make you better."
Johan Cruijff - as manager of FC Barcelona
"When Johan took me to FC Barcelona in 1991, he was still exactly the same coach. Even there he could still compete extremely well in positional games and rondos. As a coach he was this skinny little guy. But fast! Unbelievably fast."
"I didn't have it easy in a time when the club was only allowed to field three foreign players. My competitor Michael Laudrup was one of the absolute top players in Europe. It was tough. Sometimes I could take his position, but not often. Johan had my best interests at heart. Especially when I had a difficult period because I played less. He talked to me a lot."
"When I was in the starting eleven, he tried to prepare me as well as possible. I remember that right before a match he offered me some kind of liquorice drink. Something natural. I had to take it, because he said it would make me play even better. I think it was pure psychology, meant just to give me a better feeling, haha."
Johan Cruijff - the best coach of my career?
"Johan let me debut and took me to Barcelona. That alone made him incredibly important in my career. I also played under Louis van Gaal. He was a top coach too. Johan and Louis both cared deeply about footballing details, but they were two very different coaches. From certain details you could tell Johan had been a world-class player himself. As a coach you command even more respect when you’ve been world-class as a player."
"He was already extremely innovative back in his day. For example, playing the ball ahead of a teammate, or already knowing where it would go next. Also in certain types of ball control. Everything always had to be in motion, accelerating. You were never allowed to stand still. Johan always took good care of his group. He made sure you lacked nothing and also concerned himself with bonuses and fines."
"With Johan as manager you could earn good money. But if you didn't play well, he'd take that money right back. We sometimes took part in indoor tournaments. Whoever didn’t play well, didn't share in the bonus. Or only got a small part. You knew that in advance. In that way too he kept you sharp. Made sure you never slacked off."
"Johan was a unique man in everything he did. Outside football he was very simple - in the sense that he always remained very down-to-earth. A family man too. Someone who was always there for others. When we moved to Barcelona, he helped us move. He unpacked boxes and bought sandwiches. Those things create a special bond. Every day with Johan was special."
"Like me, Johan enjoyed life. Together with our wives we sometimes went out to eat in Barcelona. Or we would bump into each other in a beach café after morning training. Johan didn’t feel the need to have meetings all day at the club. He let others do that. Cruijff always had his own vision and walked his own path. I love that attitude."
Ten years without Johan…
"Johan has been incredibly important for Ajax. As a footballer he made the club great. And later again as a manager. Beyond Ajax, he was also a symbol for all of Dutch football."
"Johan passed away ten years ago. It feels like such a short time… Yet I still have the feeling he could walk around the corner any moment. As if he might just appear here again. If that happened, I wouldn’t even be surprised. It’s strange, but I have that same feeling with others who were important in my life. My late father‑in‑law, for example."
"When you see old footage or remember moments involving people who shaped your life, it gives you goosebumps. A lump in your throat. Those are the people you owe so much to."
