It's unbelievable. I changed the way Barcelona played. Now, Spain have had to change.
Interpretation
Johan Cruyff emphasizes the impact of his influence on Barcelona, which in turn affected the Spanish national team's style of play.
In this quote, Johan Cruyff reflects on his role in revolutionizing the playing style of FC Barcelona, indicating that his innovative approach not only transformed the club but also compelled the entire Spanish national team to adapt to this new method. This highlights the significant influence a visionary player can have on broader football tactics and culture.
In practice
During a speech about innovation in sports, one might quote Johan Cruyff to illustrate how a single individual's vision can reshape a whole team's approach.
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.
It's disappointing to see how football, the world's No. 1 sport, is not No. 1 when it comes to development. It seems to me that a wealth of practical football knowledge is being squandered.
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.
If you look at other countries, you see they have different values: defend more, pass the ball out more, winning is holy. In England, you could say that sport itself is holy. They say, 'Look, guys, it's about more than just winning.'
If you take golf, you have a teacher for the drive, a teacher for the approach play, and a teacher for the putt. That's three specialist coaches for one player. In football, one coach looks after 25 players.
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.
If you win through bad sportsmanship that's no real victory.
The technocracy of professional sport has managed to impose a soccer of lightning speed and brute strength: a soccer that negates joy, kills fantasy and outlaws daring.
Nothing jazzes me up like football. I've acquired more passion of the years, not less. Not to love it wouldn't make sense.
A cricketer's life is a life of splendid freedom, healthy effort, endless variety, and delightful good fellowship.
Players lose you games, not tactics. There's so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes.
There was no publicity. You had to like it. There was no pressure, just great competition. The attitude of the coaches and players was exceptional.
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