Sports world reacts to Johan Cruyff's death
March 24, 2016
His first club, Ajax Amsterdam, expressed their sympathies at the former star's death.
Barcelona, who Cruyff played and managed, remembered the man who led them multiple titles and cups.
The Dutch national team, who Cruyff captained in the 1974 World Cup Final, also paid tribute.
The ultimate footballing legend, Pele, also sent his condolences with this message on his Twitter account.
Gianni Infantino, the newly-elected president of footballing's governing body, released this statement on behalf of FIFA.
Aston Villa, a team his Barcelona side defeated in the 1978 UEFA Cup, shared their happy memories.
Luis Suarez, who currently wears Cruyff's number nine shirt with Barcelona, said: "Thank you very much for all that you gave football, Ajax and Barca. RIP, Johan."
Franz Beckenbauer, who was on the 1974 World Cup-winning West German side that defeated Cruyff and the Dutch in the Final, said, "I am shocked. Johan Cruyff is dead. He was not just a very good friend, but like a brother to me."
German football star Lothar Matthäus paid his respects to Cruyff.
Despite the fact he never played in the German domestic league, the Bundesliga expressed their condolences.
Cruyff played in the United States with the Los Angeles Aztecs and Washington Diplomats in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the late 1970's and early 1980's. The American Embassy in the Netherlands mourned.
The NASL put up a photo of Cruyff as a member of the Diplomats, remembering him as "a legend and a giant of the global game."