Ill-iad

Johan Cruyff, one of the best players of the one of the most tedious sports on earth, has died of cancer at the age of 68. The Dutch star won the Ballon d’Or, the stupid name FIFA came up with for their player of the year award, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, taking the Netherlands from obscurity to the final of the 1974 World Cup, where he received the Golden Ball as player of the tournament. With his club team Ajax, he won eight Eredivisie titles, three European Cups and one Intercontinental Cup, then he got sold to FC Barcelona, where he won La Liga and was named European Footballer of the Year in his first season. With the United States trying to con Americans into thinking soccer was worth watching, the North American Soccer League (NASL)’s Los Angeles Aztecs signed Cruyff. He won Player of the Year in his one season in LA, then spent a season with the Washington Diplomats. In 1999, Cruyff was voted European Player of the Century and was second behind Pelé in World Player of the Century polling by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics. He became a coach and advisor for Ajax and the Spanish national team, and was credited for spurring their successes in the 1990s and early aughts.