Johan Cruyff's Style

Johan Cruyff could do anything he wanted. In some way he did, if it's true that the greatest player in Dutch history has tried any kind of adventure, on and off the field. According to the Guardian, Cruyff was the first true football superstar, in the beckhamian meaning of the term. For a certain period of his life, we knew everything about him. His marriage, on December 2nd of '68 with the beautifl Danny Coster, became a media event and his financial investments too.

His career, his life, are remembered by many in every single detail. As his reject to Real Madrid, the team of dictator Franco, in order to go play with the "independent" Barcelona. Or when he had to fly to Holland to register the name of his son Jordi - although born in Catalonia - being banned in Spain all possible expressions of the Catalan culture. Johan Cruyff never istened to anyone apart from himself. Johan Cruyff, as well as the greatest revolutionary in football history was also an incredible style icon, who made the 70s more charming, like George Best had done nearly 10 years earlier.

Among the many things that Cruyff has been during his career, there is also his role in the eternal struggle between Puma and adidas, the two rival brands par excellence, born from the political divisions between the two Dassler brothers. During the World Cup of 1974 in fact, Holland had found a sponsorship agreement for its split with the "three stripes". But of those three stripes jersey Johan he saw only two. The number 14 in fact refused to wear that shirt if he had not allowed to tear away one of the three iconic lines. It was, in some ways, the first time that JC produced something of his own.

The official reason was the pharaonic agreement with Puma, whose Cruyff became the global face. Too clean his face, too dressy his bearing, to avoid to make him a symbol of a company that tried to counter the domination imposed by the alliance of Adi Dassler with Joao Havelange, president of FIFA. It became a symbol of style also marked Puma jacket with which Johan, alongside the inseparable wife who also served as a manager, retired his first (of three) Golden Ball in 1971.

When they appeared together in public, Danny and Johan always aroused shots, attention. They became a glamorous couple, at a time when glamor was beginning to want to emerge, in the only city in Spain could afford to go out sightseeing. It was not unusual to see Johan dressing his roll neck, slender body and regal bearing. Long hair, very tiny, until he ceased to play. He loved cars. In the Sandro Ciotti unforgettable documentary of 1976 "Il Profeta del gol", Cruyff said, "I like to drive for the 20 km that separate the training camp from my house, it relaxes me. I love the cars. " And in many Johan photo footage is there, with his shirts from the collar so wide, his pants too paw and safe air.

A few months ago Cristiano Ronaldo has said that once he retired, he will not continue to stay in football. Nor as executive nor as manager. He wants to devote himself to his brand of cultivation, launched recently with a luxury clothing line. If today - and for today we mean the post-Beckham - it can be considered almost normal, in 1979 they were not so many to take seriously the football players who wanted to jump into fashion. The inexhaustible curiosity to Cruyff went so far.

He was said dissatisfied with the quality of mainstream products that were around. After trying to convince some of his brand idea to do (especially) shoes, Johan turns to his friend Emilio Lazzarini, who works just as shoe designer. Begin to produce boots that should not only be comfortable but also stylistically perfect. He called "Luxury football". Cruyff Classics was born then, and in the 80s was worn by Van Basten, later by Denis Bergkamp. The brand is growing more and more, expanding areas of interest and coming - during the Seoul Olympics of 1988 - to dress the whole Dutch delegation. From football, sport in general at casual pace is shorter than you might imagine. At least for someone like Johan.

In 2012, Cruyff Classics undergoes a major re-branding that's situated in a very specific market segment, from luxury football they move towards the Cruyff Clothing, clothing line that the netherlands draws "inspiration from the total football". Jackets, polo shirts in addition to its line of shoes, now started. Decide to sell them only in England, Spain and Holland. At home.

Johan could do everything, and indeed he did. He thought to be immortal until only a month ago, when on his well-kept website had made a statement saiyng " I’m winning my race with cancer by 2 to 0." For one, damn, time he was wrong.