Football is not about suffering. It's about enjoyment. Control the ball, be friendly with it, try to attack, try to score goals. Of course defending is part of it, but you can defend in a lot of ways.
Interpretation
Football should be played with enjoyment, not just suffering through defense.
In this quote, Johan Cruyff emphasizes that football (soccer) is fundamentally about enjoyment and creativity rather than solely focused on the struggles associated with defending. He encourages players to engage with the ball, to enjoy their time on the field, and to pursue offensive play—attacking and scoring goals—while recognizing that defending can be approached in various ways without sacrificing the joy of the game.
In practice
A coach might use this quote to inspire their team before a match, reminding them to enjoy the game.
Ajax is a multicultural club, and we have found that many talented immigrant players quit when they reach puberty. So we wanted to tackle this problem with someone from the same background who had come through it. And that was Edgar Davids. During one of our fights, I pointed that out to him. But it had nothing to do with his skin colour.
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The most important part are the fans, that people going home are happy. It's their time off, and you should give them something to enjoy.
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Can I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen mister, no man alive can throw any harder than Smoky Joe Wood.
The only football players in my time were fellows who really loved to play football. They were not in it for the money. There wasn't much money there. They would have played football for nothing.
When I was fighting, I would look to excite the crowds with a bolo punch or something taunting. Looking back, they were legal - but not sportsmanlike. I don't recommend another boxer try them. But we looked more to make the robot fights dramatic first and realistic second.
They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it.
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