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Ajax To Honor Cruyff
(Soccer365.com) - Ajax plan to retire the number 14 shirt in honour of former player and coach Johan Cruyff.
The tribute is planned as Holland legend Cruyff approaches his 60th birthday.
"Johan Cruyff was of immense worth to Ajax and gave the club a worldwide name and fame," said chairman John Jaakke.
"Whoever thinks of the number 14 thinks of Johan Cruyff. That is why we will freeze his number as a homage to a unique football player - Johan 60, 14 forever."
The number 14 shirt will be framed and put on display at the Amsterdam ArenA.
Cruyff, who turns 60 on April 25, laughed off the tribute, saying: "That is no honour, is it? You must let your best player play with number 14!"
The tradition comes from America, where star players in baseball, basketball, ice hockey and American football have been honoured in this way.
FC Utrecht decided in December 2005 to never again use the number four jersey in memory of defender David Di Tomasso, who died last season.
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Comments
i've been watching and played this game my whole life,and i can say without a doubt: Johan Cruyff was the best I ever saw, truely a complete player,the best of the best.Maradona,Pele',Beckenbauer,Baggio,etc...some of the greatest ever,but Johan is the cherry on the cake.
Posted by: wolfen | April 19, 2007 02:06 PM
Oh by the way I believe you guys spelled his name wrong it's Cruijff,if i'm not mistaken.
Posted by: wolfen | April 19, 2007 03:09 PM
Cryuff & Beckenbauer were the true leaders of their era along with Pele. When I was very small I had the chance to see Cryuff play & though from what people said he being past his prime he was by far the best player on the field. He seemed to be thinking a dozen moved ahead of everybody else & he could do it all & play anywhere on the field.
Posted by: Scotty | April 19, 2007 04:06 PM
Hi scotty did you see him with the aztecs or the diplomats,I saw him with the diplomats and in europe with Ajax and barcelona,once again in my eyes the best of the best,not a weak point.
Posted by: wolfen | April 19, 2007 04:34 PM
Very true. I've never seen a player with a more complete game.
As for the spelling, Cruijff is the true Dutch spelling, but you'll often see it spelled with a "Y" outside of that.
Posted by: Heath Young | April 19, 2007 05:10 PM
scotty, hey I thought you were 16 man. Cruijff retired in 1984, that's 23 years ago. So unless you were watching highlights on the internet you never saw him play. (i reccomend searching for 'Cruyff' on youtube btw, great stuff). either that or you're much older than you say, which i would not be surprised.
Posted by: the kopper | April 19, 2007 05:21 PM
Hey Kopper. Thanks for the heads up on the Cruyff vids on you tube. You're right, really great stuff. Does anyone know if Barcelona honored him in the same way that Ajax is planning to? Soccer doc, do you know? If not, they probably should, he did a lot for them as a player and as a manager.
Posted by: yoyo | April 19, 2007 05:56 PM
Yes I am 16. I saw him play in some chairity game in Europe some years back when I was younger. It's that chairity he is head of for children & even though he's way past his playing day's he was still the best & most skilled player out there. Wolfen I have seen old tapes of Cryuff when he played in Los Angeles & one of my old club coaches out here actually played with him in Los Angeles in 1979.
Posted by: Scotty | April 19, 2007 06:58 PM