Johan Cruijff

Full name: Hendrik Johannes Cruijff
Date of birth: 25/04/1947 

Johan Cruijff was born in Amsterdam on the 25th of April 1947, and joined the famous Ajax youth programme only ten years later. He made his first team debut at the age of 17 in 1964 against GVAV. He started as he meant to go on, scoring Ajax’s only goal in their 3-1 defeat. This was the worst season in the club’s history - they finished 13th. Cruijff established himself as a favourite centre-forward in the first team, and the following season Ajax won the league, with Cruiff scoring an incredible 25 goals in 23 appearances, including three hat tricks. From then on, Cruijff became a living legend to Ajax fans. 

The following seasons were even more successful - he scored 33 times and Ajax won both the league and the KNVB, the Netherlands equivalent of the FA Cup. He won the title of Dutch footballer of the year in the '66, '67, and '69 seasons. The '69 season saw Cruijff’s Ajax win another league and cup double. This season also saw Ajax reach the finals of the European cup, but they were defeated 4-1 by AC Milan. At the beginning of the season, Cruijff suffered a serious groin injury that was to recur at various intervals throughout his career. During his absence, Gerrie Muhren wore his number nine shirt. When Cruijff returned, he wore the number 14 shirt, and decided to stick with it for the rest of his career. 

In those days, players were usually allotted a shirt numbered 1 to 11 depending on their starting position. It was highly unusual for a regular starter to wear the number 14. He also began wearing the number 14 during his international appearances. This became something of a trademark - there is a documentary about him entitled ‘Number 14’, and it is frequently referenced in biographies. 1971 was also an extraordinarily successful year for Cruijff’s Ajax, who defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley. This season saw Cruijff named European player of the year for the first time. To dispel speculation that he would move clubs, he signed a seven-year contract at the end of that season. However, after winning two more European Cups in 1972 and 1973, he signed to Barcelona for six million guilder. 

Always willing to express his political beliefs publicly, he made himself popular among Catalans by declaring that he could never play for Real Madrid because of its association with the Fascist leader General Franco. He helped Barcelona to their first ‘La Liga’ championship in 14 years in 1973/74, and was named European footballer of the year for good measure. During his tenure at Barcelona, Cruijff scored his most famous goal, known popularly as the ‘Phantom’ goal, because of its seemingly supernatural quality. Somehow, Cruijff managed to jump in the air with his back to goal, and use his heel to score past a beleaguered Atletico Madrid goalkeeper. 

Like so many of Europe’s best known players of the 1970’s, Cruijff was lured to the United States to play exhibition matches for the New York Cosmos and eventually signed a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Aztecs. After a season with the Aztecs, he switched coasts, and signed for a season with the Washington Diplomats. By this time the campaign to elevate the status of soccer in the eyes of US sports fans had more or less run its course, and Cruijff returned to the Netherlands in 1981.

A 34 year old Cruijff signed to Ajax but the club decided not to extend his contract after the end of the second season. This angered the Amsterdam-born Cruijff, who moved to arch rivals Feyenoord in protest. He helped the club to its first league and cup double in over a decade. At the end of the 83/84 season, after making 33 appearances and scoring 11 times for Feyenoord, Cruijff retired after 20 years as one of the most prolific strikers in the world.

Cruijff also enjoyed a distinguished career as an international, playing a central role in the famous 1974 Dutch team that came second place in the FIFA World Cup Finals, where he was named player of the tournament. They lost the final 2-1 to their West German hosts, after Cruijff coordinated one of the most famous pieces of attacking football in history, which ended with the Netherlands scoring a penalty. Although Cruijff helped the Netherlands to qualify for the 1978 World Cup, he refused to participate in the actual tournament as it was being held in Argentina, which was in the grip of a right-wing military junta, which had seized power during a coup two years ago. Without him, the Netherlands lost in the final again.

Cruijff is the embodiment of ‘total football’, a style of play developed by Ajax coach Rinus Michaels. The style arose in opposition to the physical aspect of the game prevalent at the time, emphasising the importance of technical skill and awareness. Cruijff and his Ajax team-mates were able swap positions at the drop of a hat - he was particularly fond of taking defenders unawares by moving out from his central position to the wings. He commented; "Total football is to do with your way of thinking, character - everything is involved. The Dutch team at that time was made up mostly from Ajax players. We could change position easily, and that's total football... the first defender was the centre forward, which was me. We had a change of mentality on the field where we thought we could achieve anything." 

Cruijff reprised his role as a football technician in managerial roles at Ajax and Barcelona. He led an all-star Barcelona team to victory against Sampdoria at the Wembley European Cup finals in 1992. He is Barcelona’s most successful manager to date; the club won 11 competitions under his stewardship. In 1999 he was named European footballer of the century, and is widely regarded as one of the top five players ever to of played the game.

Individual Honours

• KNVB Lifetime Achievement Award: 2006
• Laureus World Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award: 2006
• Selected as the Golden Player of the Netherlands by KNVB: 2003
• Dutch Supercup named after him (Johan Cruijff-schaal): 1996
• Dutch Golden Shoe Winner: 1984
• Dutch Sportsman of the Year: 1974
• European Footballer of the Year: 1974, 1971

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1964-1973	Ajax	240 (190)
1973-1978	F.C. Barcelona	143 (48)
1979-1980	Los Angeles Aztecs	27 (16)
1980-1981	Washington Diplomats	32 (12)
1981	Levante	10 (2)
1981-1983	Ajax	36 (14)
1983-1984	Feyenoord	33 (11)
1966-1978	Netherlands	48 (33)

Sir Bobby Charlton

Full name Sir Bobby Charlton CBE

Date of birth 11/10/1937

Introduction

Bobby Charlton was perhaps the most famous Englishman of his age. He survived the Munich Air Disaster of 1958 to become the most recognizable face of legendary Manchester United and England squads, including the England team that won the World Cup in 1966. Now knighted, Sir Bobby Charlton remains known today as a technically superb player and a true gentleman.

Biography

Robert Charlton was born in Ashington, Northumberland in 1937. His four uncles Stan, Jack, George and Jimmy, his mother’s cousin, Jackie Milburn, and his brother Jack were all professional football players, so it was little surprise that Bobby became a footballer himself. He was scouted and played for England schoolboys and Manchester United’s youth team at the age of 15, and played his first match for the senior team in 1956, after spells training as an engineer and doing National Service in nearby Shrewsbury.

Charlton joined a rolling squad known as the Busby Babes, on account of their being an unusually youthful and prodigiously talented squad under legendary manager Matt Busby. However, in 1958, after two seasons securing his position in the team, Charlton’s life was to be dramatically affected by the events succeeding a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade. On February 6, the team was due to fly back from Munich in order to reach England in time to fulfill their league games. The weather was horrendous and the plane had difficulty taking off, but after a number of checks were carried out, the team got back on board. The plane had barely taken off when the wing and tail caught fire after hitting some obstacles on the ascent, and it crash-landed. 23 of the 44 footballers, journalists and crew members on board were killed, including Tommy Taylor and David Pegg, with whom Charlton and his team mate Dennis Viollet had swapped seats.

Charlton suffered cuts to his head and severe shock. He was the first to leave hospital and became, at the age of 20, something of a veteran of United’s decimated team. Unsurprisingly, United failed to do very well that season, but Busby built up another team with new players including George Best, with Charlton a stalwart. The psychological repercussions were harder to gauge and repair, and the crash remains one of the defining events of Charlton’s life according to the man himself.

However, his career continued to flourish and Bobby would eventually join his brother Jack in England's squad for the 1966 World Cup, reaching and competing in the final against West Germany. Although neither Charlton scored, England won 4-2 in the tense, uneven match, and Bobby had taken part in English football’s greatest triumph to date.

The culmination of his club career came in 1968, when Charlton and United went on to win the European Cup that had destroyed the Busby Babes. In 1969 he was awarded the OBE and in 1970, after earning his 100th cap for England, he was selected for the World Cup squad, where he played his last game for the national side. Sadly, Charlton’s later years at club level were marred by long-running feuds with his United teammates. Finally, he retired in 1973.

Charlton met his wife Norma at a dry cleaners in Manchester and they married in 1961. They have two daughters, Suzanne and Andrea. He has avoided the controversial love life that dogged many footballers of his generation, but tabloids speculated instead on cracks in his relationship with his brother Jack. Bobby has admitted that their relationship is strained, citing the conflict between his loyalties to his wife and his mother as key.

Retirement

Like many footballers, Charlton has become something of a polymath in his retirement. Initially taking semi-retirement as a player-manager at Preston, he went on to manage Wigan Athletic. However, today’s football fans recognize him largely as a sometime BBC pundit and as a member of Manchester United’s board of directors. He has also made money from advertising, from international footballing schools and DVDs and other enterprises.

Bobby Charlton was awarded the CBE in 1973 and was knighted in 1994. He continues to be an active member of the footballing community on a number of boards, helping promote sport at home and abroad, and as a commentator figure in the media.

Statistics

• England Caps:106
• Goals Scored for England: 49

• Appearances for Manchester United: 754 (239 goals)
• Appearances for Preston North End: 38 (12 goals)

Clubs

• Manchester United (Youth) - 1953 - 1954
• Manchester United - 1954 - 1973
• Preston North End - 1973 - 1974
• Waterford United - 1975

• England - 1958 - 1970

As a manager

• Preston North End - 1973-74 (player manager)
• Wigan Athletic - 1976

They said

‘His story is the best in English football’ - John Giles, former team-mate

‘The greatest thing for a manager is to trust the talent. Bobby Charlton never betrayed that trust. It was a privilege to have him play for you.’ - Sir Matt Busby, former manager

‘Bobby Charlton’s career was miraculous’ - Sir Alex Ferguson

He said

‘Some people tell me that we professional players are soccer slaves. Well, if this is slavery, give me a life sentence.’

‘It would be possible to list a thousand good things that have happened to me before I deal with the moment I regained consciousness and faced that scene at the airfield. But I know I couldn't begin to define my life before going back there.’

‘Now, when I look back on my life and remember all that I wanted from it as a young boy in the North East, I see more clearly than ever it is a miracle. I see one privilege heaped upon another. I wonder all over again how so much could come to one man simply because he was able to do something which for him was so natural and easy, and which he knew from the start he loved to do more than anything else.’

Senior Club

Years	Club	Appearances	Goals
1954-1973	Manchester United	606	199
1973-1974	Preston North End	38	8
1975	Waterford United	31	18

National Club

Years	Club	Appearances	Goals
1958-1970	England	106	49

Individual Awards and Honours

• 1966 European Player of the Year
• 1966 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
• 1974 Professional Footballers' Association Merit Award
• 1974 Awarded CBE
• 1984 Appointed director, Manchester United
• 1994 Awarded knighthood

Eric Cantona

Full name: Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona
Date of birth: 24/05/1966

Has there ever been a more ‘French’ Frenchman in football than Eric Cantona? He is perhaps one of the most iconic men to have ever played the game - a loose canon on and off the pitch, with his tall frame balanced by finesse, flair and skill the like the English game had never seen before. Ooh Ahh said fans of Cantona and he certainly gave them something to ooh and ahh about.

Biography

So the Nike advert goes, Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona was born in a big year for English football, 1966. His parents moved from Paris to the south in Marseille, where Eric began to hone his love of the beautiful game. His father was a huge influence on him and pretty soon Eric was attracting the spying eyes of the talent-scouting clubs, who took boys as professionals at only 14.

In 1981, when Eric was 15, he joined the Auxerre youth team. There he was spotted by the French national youth team too, but Eric had to do his duty to France in more ways than football back then. The time had come for him to complete his year of national service in the army.

Eric completed his stint but kept up the football throughout and went straight to Auxerre upon his return and right into their first team. After a promising period with Auxerre, a bout of illness led to him being dropped before going to Martigues on loan and then in 1988 to Marseille. Eric remained at Marseille until 1991, but during this period he was loaned to a couple of other clubs before finally being taken by Nimes in 1991.

The fires of the Frenchman’s belly were starting to bubble up. His temper on the pitch, which had been a huge part of his rocky eight years in French football, now made him a trouble-maker at Nimes and it was French legend Michel Platini who suggested Eric should move to the more aggressive game over the English Channel.

Calais to Dover…to Yorkshire

Eric was going to sign for Sheffield Wednesday but it was rival Yorkshire club Leeds United who nabbed the Frenchman. He became a vital part of the Leeds side that won the last ever 1st Division before it became the Premier League in 1991/92. As Platini predicted, Cantona enjoyed the English ethos and discovered quite the goalscoring touch for the Whites, none more so than in the 1992 Charity Shield, where he bagged a hat-trick against rivals Liverpool.

Sadly Leeds Utd failed to cut it in the new Premier League in the following season and their beloved French star Cantona left the club in Nov 1992 and joined giants of the English game Manchester United for what would become one of the biggest bargains in football - only £1.2 million. Man Utd needed a goal scorer and in Cantona they certainly got that. 

The number 7 shirt

It’s questionable whether the complete dominance Man Utd had on the English game in the nineties would have been possible had it not been for ooh ahh Cantona. He appeared in 143 games for the Red Devils between 1992-97 with a fine return of 84 goals. He made an explosive start at Old Trafford and, in the first two seasons arriving from Leeds, Eric helped United win the next two league titles, the FA Cup and picked up the individual reward of 1994 PFA Player of the Year.

His skill was immense and the partnerships he had with wingers such as Ryan Giggs and fellow striker Mark Hughes made United an unstoppable force. But it wasn’t long before those fires were ignited once again and an incident at Crystal Palace in January 1995 would become a defining moment in the man’s entire career.

Not everybody was Kung Fu fighting

Fan abuse directed at players is the norm, but Cantona took issue with a certain Matthew Simmons at Crystal Palace. Finally snapping after being sent off, Cantona would deliver the most infamous kick in football, directed at Simmons. Cantona received a year long ban and 120 hours of community-service for assault. United consequently lost the league title to Blackburn that year.

Press speculated that Eric would be sold after this incident but manager Sir Alex Ferguson had faith in his star Frenchman and he was rewarded for his belief. Eric returned to form and he scored on his first game back against Liverpool. Manchester United went on to win the league title that year again.

Cantona helped United to 6 out of 7 league titles as well as numerous other cup wins. However in 1997 Eric announced his early retirement aged only 30. It came as a surprise to everyone but Eric. He simply felt he had archived enough so he hung up his boots and turned down his collar.

Man Utd 1 - 0 France

Cantona’s international playing career remains a mystery. His club form was never replicated for his nation. His debut was way back in 1987 but it wasn’t until he was made captain in 1996 for the qualifying stages of the European Championships that he seemed likely to shine. Sadly, his kung fu exploits meant he was banned from playing that year for France too and when he returned, even though it was in time to join his team mates for Euro 96, the French coach Aimé Jacquet made the (arguably correct) choice to stick with the emerging Zinedine Zidane.

Eric told fans and press that he was supporting England and not France during the competition. He would never play for his country again.

Off le pitch

Cantona’s colourful character meant he was always as popular outside football as much as on the pitch. When he retired Eric began a career as an actor and appeared in a number of short films and feature films in France. His biggest acting role came alongside Cate Blanchett in the historical film Elizabeth.

His cheeky flair was also perfect for advertising and sports giants Nike snapped him up to front their cool new adverts that featured other top footballers. However, Cantona has also taken to some rather more strange exploits, for example as coach of the French Beach Football side, taking them to their own World Cup in 2006, where they finished third.

Eric remains one of the most talked about and unique players the game has ever seen. In England and in the Manchester United number 7 shirt (with that collar turned up) he was a magician. He made the ball do the hard work, as his father had once taught him. He was what the French would call, la pièce de la résistance.

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1983 - 1988	Auxerre	81 (23)
1985 - 1986	Martigues (Loan)	15 (4)
1988 - 1991	Marseille	40 (13)
1989	Bordeaux (Loan)	11 (6)
1989 - 1990	Montpellier (Loan)	33 (10)
1991	Nîmes Olympique	16 (2)
1992	Leeds United	28 (9)
1992 - 1997	Manchester United	144 (64)
1987 - 1995	France	45 (20)

George Best

Full Name: George Best
Date of Birth: 22/5/1946

Although his off-field antics somewhat dominated tabloid headlines, George Best was primarily a footballing icon and one of the finest players in the history of the game. The genius of George Best was unquestionable; he was a prolific goal scorer and was almost untouchable for defenders due to his lightening pace and two-footedness. With Manchester United, he celebrated a truly golden period between 1963-74 and led them to the European Cup title.

Best also gained a massive celebrity profile, largely owing to his unhindered party lifestyle during the late 1960s and early 70s. He was in fact dubbed "the fifth Beatle" by the British press because of his long hair, good looks and rock n’ roll lifestyle. In 1965, he appeared on Top of the Pops, such was the level of his pop culture status.

Professional Career

Best began his professional career at the age of 15 when he was signed to Manchester United by then manager Matt Busby. Busby was sent a telegram by scout Bob Bishop who had seen Best play for a local boys team in his native Northern Ireland. The telegram simply read: "I think I’ve found you a genius".

He made his debut appearance for Manchester United against West Bromwich Albion on September 14th 1963 at the tender age of 17. He subsequently scored his first goal two weeks later against Burnley and went on to rack up 6 goals for the club by the end of his first season. The following season Best and United claimed the title.

Best really began to get media recognition for his footballing genius when scoring twice in the 1966 European Cup quarter final tie against Benfica. "El Beatle" resounded all across the tabloid press the following day. The following season 1967-68, Manchester United returned to the competition and met Benfica again, this time in the final. United walked away with the European cup, winning 4-1, and Best walked away with European Player of the Year. In the same year, he was awarded the Football Writer’s Association Player of the Year.

Manchester United hit the peak of their success in the seasons between 1965-68, but things began to decline soon after, both for the club and for George Best - he would finally depart in 1974 at just 27 years old. During his time with United, Best nevertheless managed an incredible 178 goals in 466 appearances in all competitions between 1963-74. He was the club's top scorer for six consecutive seasons, and was the First Division's top scorer in the 1967-68 season. He famously scored 6 goals in one game against fourth division Northampton town.

For his country, Northern Ireland, he earnt 37 caps and scored 9 goals between 1964-78. Best scored one of the most infamous “goals” in football for Northern Ireland against England when Gordon Banks tried to kick the ball downfield, Best liberated the ball from his hands and kicked it over his head. The pair scrambled for the ball but Best beat Banks with his pace, nodding the ball into the net. The goal was disallowed on grounds of ungentlemanly conduct by a referee who had his back to the ball, much to the dismay of Northern Ireland players and fans.

Following the golden years of his football career with Manchester United, Best spent a brief time on loan to Stockport County in 1975, before moving to Cork Celtic for the 1975-6 season. He then had a brief resurgence for Fulham in 1976-77, before spells at the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Francisco Earthquakes in the US League, and Brisbane Lions in Australia. The period of his career after 1974, however, was largely marked by a rapid decline in his presence on the field and overshadowed by his extravagant off the pitch activities.

Post-retirement

After Best’s official retirement from the game in 1984, a career in which he made 621 professional appearances and scored 220 goals, he largely remained in the public eye for the wrong reasons. In 1998, however, he became a Sky Sports TV football pundit and in 2004 expressed a desire to return to direct involvement in football by agreeing to join Portsmouth FC as a youth coach.

Fame off the pitch

George Best was famous for his talent on the football field, but he quickly became a real media favourite, with reporters closely following his rather lavish life in the party scene. Best’s celebrity status swelled in the booming sixties Manchester scene. In fact, such was his love for drink and the party, that by the late 1960s he already owned two Manchester nightclubs, alongside numerous fashion boutique outlets. George Best was perhaps the first "playboy footballer". He would go out drinking with women to all hours and then be weaving around defenders on the football field the following day. Best led a lifestyle that was perhaps initially controllable, but later cut short his football career and eventually led to his death.

Towards the end of his career, from the early 1980s onwards, it was increasingly obvious the extent to which alcoholism was affecting his career and general life. In 1984 he hit an all time low, serving a 3 month jail sentence for drink driving, assaulting a police officer and failing to answer bail, spending Christmas of that year behind bars.

In September 1990, Best appeared on Terry Wogan’s chat show, in which was clearly drunk, confessing to Wogan that he "liked screwing". Later he made a public apology, attributing his behaviour to one of the worst phases of his alcoholism. Media focus on Best maintained intensity between 2002-05, beginning with his liver transplant at King’s College Hospital in 2002, followed by tabloid pictures published of him drinking alcohol again in 2003.

George Best died on 25th November 2005. He had spent almost 2 months battling against a kidney infection provoked by immuno-suppressive drugs used to prevent the rejection of his liver transplant and in the end succumbed to a liver infection and multiple organ failure.

A minute silence was to be held for all Premier League games over the weekend of his death, but many clubs turned this on its head by holding a minute clapping to celebrate the life of the great footballer. Tributes were made at Old Trafford by Sir Bobby Charlton, his son Calum and former team mates at the first game after his death, coincidentally against West Bromwich Albion, as of his debut 42 years previously.

100,000 people attended his funeral in Stormont, Belfast in spite of the rainy weather. The service was relayed live on BBC One, UTV, RTÉ, ITV News, BBC News 24, Sky News, Sky Sports News, EuroNews and MUTV. As a tribute, Belfast airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport on 22nd May 2006, the day that would have been his 60th birthday. Such tributes testified to his monumental and lasting influence on the sport and its fans worldwide.

Individual Honours

• European Footballer of the Year: 1968
• Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year: 1968
• Professional Footballers' Association ALL STAR Award Winner: 1977
• Professional Footballers' Association Special Merit Award for Services to Football: 2006

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1963–1974	Manchester United	361 (138)
1974	→ Dunstable Town (on loan)	3 (0)
1975	Stockport County	3 (2)
1975–1976	Cork Celtic	61 (29)
1976	Los Angeles Aztecs	23 (15)
1976–1977	Fulham	33 (7)
1977–1978	Los Angeles Aztecs	32 (12)
1978–1979	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	26 (6)
1979–1980	Hibernian	22 (3)
1980–1981	San Jose Earthquakes	56 (28)
1983	Bournemouth	4 (0)
1983	Brisbane Lions	1 (0)
1984	Tobermore United	1 (0)
1964–1977	Northern Ireland	37 (9