Alright, let me share how I went about digging into Johan Cruyff’s trophy haul the other day. It wasn’t for any big project, just personal curiosity kicking in after watching some old match highlights. You see those players from back then, especially Cruyff, and you just wonder, you know, how much shiny stuff did they actually collect?
Starting the Search
So, first thing I did was grab my tablet while the kettle was boiling. Opened up a browser and just typed in something simple like “Johan Cruyff trophies list” or “what did Cruyff win”. Nothing fancy. You get a whole mess of results back, websites, articles, fan pages, the lot.
I tend to look at a few different sources. Sometimes one site misses something, or maybe gets a detail wrong. I definitely noticed right away that I had to split things up. There was Cruyff the player, and then Cruyff the manager. Two different careers, really, both packed with success.
Player Years: Sorting Through the Wins
I started scribbling notes, just rough points on a notepad I keep handy. For the player part, Ajax jumped out immediately. Makes sense, that’s where he really exploded onto the scene.
- Saw lots of Dutch league titles, the Eredivisie. Put those down.
- KNVB Cups, the Dutch cup competition, popped up several times too. Added them.
- And then the big ones – those European Cups! Three in a row with Ajax. Had to confirm that one, seemed almost too wild, but yeah, it checked out. Incredible stuff.
Then I looked for his time at Barcelona as a player. Found the La Liga title he helped them win after a long wait. That was a big deal for them back then. A Spanish cup, Copa del Rey, as well. Noted those down under a ‘Barcelona (Player)’ heading.
Almost forgot his later career! Popped over to Feyenoord at the very end. And would you believe it, won the league and cup double there too, with Ajax’s big rivals! Remember reading about the fuss that caused. Made sure to add that to my player list.
Managerial Success: The Next Chapter
Okay, switched gears to his manager time. Started again with Ajax. Saw he won the Cup Winners’ Cup with them, and a couple more KNVB Cups. Added these under ‘Ajax (Manager)’.
But Barcelona as manager, wow. That ‘Dream Team’ everyone talks about. This section of my notes got busy quick:
- La Liga titles – kept seeing them. Counted them up, four in a row. Amazing run.
- Another Copa del Rey.
- The European Cup! Their first one ever, the one at Wembley. Big moment in their history.
- Another Cup Winners’ Cup too.
It was quite the list building up. He really reshaped that club.
Putting It All Together
My notepad looked a bit chaotic by this point. So, I decided to type it out neatly. Just opened a simple text document. Used bullet points, made clear sections: Player Career (with sub-sections for Ajax, Barcelona, Feyenoord) and Managerial Career (Ajax, Barcelona).
While I was searching, I also saw his Ballon d’Or wins mentioned everywhere – three times he won that. Now, that’s an individual award, not really a team ‘trophy’ like a cup or league title, but felt wrong to leave it out completely. So I made a little side note for Major Individual Awards just to capture that.
Looking at the final organized list, it really hit home. The sheer volume of success, first kicking the ball and then calling the shots from the sideline. It wasn’t just fancy football; it led to actual, tangible winning. Quite satisfying to have it all laid out clearly. Just a little exercise for myself, but it really clarified his incredible impact on the game.
