Review by Booklist Review
Cruyff, one of the few soccer players creative and influential enough to have a move named after him (the Cruyff Turn) and the key figure of the free-flowing Total Football movement that electrified the world of soccer in the 1960s and '70s, offers a portrait of himself as a player, manager, advisor, philanthropist, husband, and father. Claiming not to remember many of his moments of on-field glory, he moves quickly through his youth, development, and then stardom with European giants Ajax and Barcelona; brief stints with the Aztecs and Diplomats in the U.S.; and spells with Levante, Ajax again, and Feyenoord. He comes across as uncompromising yet humble, hoping he will be remembered not just as a football player, but as someone who was trying to improve all the time. Time and again he reiterates the importance of playing attractive soccer for the entertainment of the fans this, he says, is just as important as winning. The later parts of the book, detailing club politics and boardroom fights, in particular his tempestuous relationship with Ajax, are likely to interest only hard-core fans of Dutch soccer. However, sprinkled casually throughout are nuggets of tactical wisdom that today's practitioners would do well to heed: the penultimate chapter condensing his philosophy of the game should be read by every aspiring professional. Written with de Groot as Cruyff was dying from lung cancer (he succumbed in March), this offers fascinating insight into the mind of a legend but the definitive biography is yet to be written.--Graff, Keir Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
No one challenges Cruyff's (1947-2016) legend; he did not invent football, but he changed it dramatically, a point he isn't shy making in this autobiography. Dutch football player and manager Cruyff is best known for being an advocate of the concept of "total football"-where players become interchangeable parts. Cruyff's influence and popularity as a player are without peer in Europe. As a manager, he was widely admired for his work with the Special Olympics and training programs for youth soccer. His belief in "total football" led his Dutch club team, Ajax, to great success, and his work laid the foundation for Spanish international championships. This account is a rambling progression of insights and stories exploring Cruyff's career at the epicenter of international football. This story offers fascinating observations, including his mind-set of playing with your head and having your legs there to assist. VERDICT A wise addition for libraries whose collections support sports and sport history.-Boyd Childress, formerly with Auburn Univ. Libs., AL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
