evilmonkey85's review against another edition
4.0
This book shows how (Johan Cruyff’s journey started from attending Ajax Football Club with his father who supported Ajax and stepfather who worked as a groundsman, trimming the grass to repainting the lines.
As young Johan was encouraged by his influential football-loving father and his close proximity in Akkerstraat to the De Meer Stadium before, he died at the age of 45 of a heart attack. He was more concerned after the death of his father whether he would make it through his 40s and 50s. When he had serious heart problems at 45, he thought 'This is it.' Only medical science, which was not available to help my father, kept me alive.
This gave a young Johan an opportunity to play with some of the players. This lead Johan playing for the youth team at Ajax lead him to play professionally for Ajax, Netherland nation team, Barcelona, Los Angeles Aztecs, Washington Diplomats, Levante, and Feyenoord. Whilst playing the US Johan Cruyff learnt and he got to experience how the players were managed in the US by the North American Soccer League and how players could move from one club to another, compared how players in the UK and European teams had contracts with the clubs.
While he was playing for the Washington Diplomat’s President Kennedy’s wife inspired Cruyff to do some charity work with her, Cruyff was frustrated at first as he didn't want to do any charity work and just play professional football but helping a child with down-syndrome and teaching him a few footballing tricks changed Cruyff's mind and from that is where the Cruyff Foundation was born which today is managed his daughter Susila.
When Cruyff took over as manager at Barcelona he saw and noticed supporters had lost faith in the club and no would come to watch a game. This hurt Cruyff the most as he remembered a full stadium when he played for Barcelona. He managed a young Ronald Koeman and Pep Guardiola along with his own son Johan Jordi Cruyff who letter joined Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson at the time and now retired and a director at Manchester United. Cruyff brought back support and made the Nou Camp Stadium full with full seats as well as restoring the trophy cabinet with trophies at Barcelona from Champions League and La Liga Cups. Ronald Koeman manages Everton & Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona and now at Manchester City.
The success that Cruyff had created at Barcelona and putting everything he had learned in the United States didn't quite work at Ajax as he wanted Ajax to have the success and the same management strategy that he has used at Barcelona. The Politics from the directors at Ajax was the main issue that Cruyff failed to Ajax to play Cruyff's way. Having had successful spells as a manager at Ajax that led to him being fired and Louie Van Gaal appointed as a manager at Ajax, Cruyff wasn't happy that team he loved as a child, played professional football for and even managed had sacked him. After constant battles with management, he decided to retire and put his concentration towards the Cruyff Foundation and School. Here he created an academic training/coaching program which was really successful and used by Guss Hiddink while he managed the Netherlands National team.
Johan Cruyff died on 16th March 2016 leaving behind a legacy as a player, manager and for the Cruyff Foundation players from Eric Cantona, Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman, Dennis Bergkamp, Rudd Hulliet who have played under Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, Ajax or for Netherlands national team. and Even his son Jordi who manages a team in the Israeli league uses the same management skills to this day that his father used.
A true legend to every football lover truly recommend reading this book
As young Johan was encouraged by his influential football-loving father and his close proximity in Akkerstraat to the De Meer Stadium before, he died at the age of 45 of a heart attack. He was more concerned after the death of his father whether he would make it through his 40s and 50s. When he had serious heart problems at 45, he thought 'This is it.' Only medical science, which was not available to help my father, kept me alive.
This gave a young Johan an opportunity to play with some of the players. This lead Johan playing for the youth team at Ajax lead him to play professionally for Ajax, Netherland nation team, Barcelona, Los Angeles Aztecs, Washington Diplomats, Levante, and Feyenoord. Whilst playing the US Johan Cruyff learnt and he got to experience how the players were managed in the US by the North American Soccer League and how players could move from one club to another, compared how players in the UK and European teams had contracts with the clubs.
While he was playing for the Washington Diplomat’s President Kennedy’s wife inspired Cruyff to do some charity work with her, Cruyff was frustrated at first as he didn't want to do any charity work and just play professional football but helping a child with down-syndrome and teaching him a few footballing tricks changed Cruyff's mind and from that is where the Cruyff Foundation was born which today is managed his daughter Susila.
When Cruyff took over as manager at Barcelona he saw and noticed supporters had lost faith in the club and no would come to watch a game. This hurt Cruyff the most as he remembered a full stadium when he played for Barcelona. He managed a young Ronald Koeman and Pep Guardiola along with his own son Johan Jordi Cruyff who letter joined Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson at the time and now retired and a director at Manchester United. Cruyff brought back support and made the Nou Camp Stadium full with full seats as well as restoring the trophy cabinet with trophies at Barcelona from Champions League and La Liga Cups. Ronald Koeman manages Everton & Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona and now at Manchester City.
The success that Cruyff had created at Barcelona and putting everything he had learned in the United States didn't quite work at Ajax as he wanted Ajax to have the success and the same management strategy that he has used at Barcelona. The Politics from the directors at Ajax was the main issue that Cruyff failed to Ajax to play Cruyff's way. Having had successful spells as a manager at Ajax that led to him being fired and Louie Van Gaal appointed as a manager at Ajax, Cruyff wasn't happy that team he loved as a child, played professional football for and even managed had sacked him. After constant battles with management, he decided to retire and put his concentration towards the Cruyff Foundation and School. Here he created an academic training/coaching program which was really successful and used by Guss Hiddink while he managed the Netherlands National team.
Johan Cruyff died on 16th March 2016 leaving behind a legacy as a player, manager and for the Cruyff Foundation players from Eric Cantona, Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman, Dennis Bergkamp, Rudd Hulliet who have played under Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, Ajax or for Netherlands national team. and Even his son Jordi who manages a team in the Israeli league uses the same management skills to this day that his father used.
A true legend to every football lover truly recommend reading this book
whizalen's review against another edition
2.0
I was SO disappointed in this book. I'd wanted to read it for a while, and was really let down. He breezed through everything so fast, I couldn't figure out where he needed to get to. I wanted him to really delve into his stints at Barcelona, breaking down tactics over time and trainings ideas, etc. But we don't get any of that, it's a lot of, "I did this, and then this and that was nice, then I did this and I learned a lot and then went here." Just very, very biographical without a ton of personal depth
arizavala's review against another edition
5.0
Fo any soccer fan, if this one of your first books related to soccer, it will give you a new perspective in the way you see and appreciate soccer. Entertaining book.
mscarle's review against another edition
1.0
Not an autobiography, but rather a brief and detail-free look at early life, playing career, and management followed by page after page of score-settling and self-aggrandizement and endless detours into tactics and philosophies on life and business. A miserable read.
doniniesta's review against another edition
4.0
"You can't analyse someone else until you can analyse yourself, otherwise you always use your own standards to analyse others when in fact you should be using theirs." - The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Johan Cruyff
A really interesting read for a football fan, especially if you want to know the intricacies behind the dealings between the board and the field in a football club.
A really interesting read for a football fan, especially if you want to know the intricacies behind the dealings between the board and the field in a football club.
strawfly14's review against another edition
3.0
Como autobiografía, se me ha quedado corta. Y mira que me da rabia, ya que fue el precursor de lo que es el Barça hoy en día, y la persona a la que debo mi nombre. Pero es que como biografía se me ha quedado muy escasa... Se centra demasiado en aspectos técnicos, en la gestión y en su organización, en vez de en su parte futbolística y la cantidad de anédotas que nos podría haber contado... Pero bueno, no está mal y al ser la obra póstuma de Cruyff (al menos en España), había que leerla sí o sí.
beardybot's review against another edition
3.0
"At the heart of what I have learned as a player is that, above all else, you need four things: good grass, clean changing rooms, players who clean their own boots and tight goal nets. Everything else - skills and speed, technique and goals, will come later."
This, if I recall, is on the first page, and, unfortunately, is the peak of Cruyff's insight.
My Turn is vaguely interesting and is easy to read, but I can't say more than that. If you like football biographies, then this will work for you, as it does for me. If you're looking for wit, great storytelling, or real insight (as you could find in a Harry Neville, George Best or Alex Ferguson book, respectively,) you might be disappointed.
This, if I recall, is on the first page, and, unfortunately, is the peak of Cruyff's insight.
My Turn is vaguely interesting and is easy to read, but I can't say more than that. If you like football biographies, then this will work for you, as it does for me. If you're looking for wit, great storytelling, or real insight (as you could find in a Harry Neville, George Best or Alex Ferguson book, respectively,) you might be disappointed.
matwolinski's review against another edition
4.0
Raczej "futbolowy testament" lub wykładni filozofii futbolu niż faktyczna biografia.
Zajmujące.
Zajmujące.
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