1971 saw Dutch maestro Johan Cruyff finally receive much deserved recognition for years of consistent brilliance.
The 24-year old became the first ever player from the Netherlands and Ajax to win the Ballon d’Or since its humble beginnings in 1956.
It was a truly resounding win. Cruyff’s margin of victory was beyond convincing, accumulating 116 points, compared to Inter Milan’s Sandro Mazzola (57) and Manchester United genius George Best (56).
Many in the footballing world argued that his Ballon d’Or award had been a long time coming and that his performances in recent years warranted top spot.
In 1971, the long awaited European Prince was finally crowned.
Overdue Recognition
Cruyff had always been on the fringes of Ballon d’Or greatness although not for the want of trying.
In fact, the Dutchman had succeeded in scoring 30 goals or more over four consecutive seasons, lifting as many league titles and two domestic cups. But year after year he was overlooked.
In 1967, Hungarian striker Florian Albert won the prize in a season scoring almost a goal per game and a year later George Best claimed the honour following his European Cup heroics with Manchester United.
1969 belonged to Italian midfielder Gianni Rivera who lifted the European Cup with AC Milan and in 1970 it was the turn of prolific West German forward Gerd Muller. Cruyff finished no higher than fourth in both 1969 and 1970.
However, the Dutchman had been performing at an elite level from late teens into his early twenties and yet without the Ballon d’Or on his CV.
But 1971 would finally prove the year he’d be unmatched.
A European Class Act
Other players lit up Europe in 1971.
Ballon d’Or runner up and attacking midfielder Sandro Mazzola won Serie A with Internazionale and scored ten goals in the process.
George Best had been typically majestic. During Manchester United’s 1970/71 campaign he found the net 21 times in 40 appearances and also scored four times across Northern Ireland’s Euro 72 qualifying campaign including a hat-trick vs Cyprus.
But Cruyff was now mature and established. He registered 27 goals for Ajax across just 37 games during the 1970/71 season, scoring 21 goals in the Eredivisie and finished second behind only Feyenoord’s Ove Kindvall as top goalscorer.
Cruyff won four caps for The Netherlands, scoring six times in total with five of his strikes arriving in two Euro 72 qualifying matches against Luxembourg both home and away.
In 1970/71, Ajax missed out on the Eredivisie title to Feyenoord, losing by four points but did secure the Dutch cup, beating Sparta 2-1 to win the honour for the sixth time.
It was Cruyff’s displays on the European stage that separated him from all rivals. He scored the opening goal in Ajax’s European Cup first leg vs Celtic and helped drive the Dutch side into the final vs Panathinaikos. They beat the Greeks 2-0 to claim their first ever European Cup. However, it wouldn’t be his last time lifting the trophy.
Because Cruyff was only just entering his prime.
1971 Ballon d’Or Top 20
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Club(s) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Ajax (Netherlands) | 116 |
| 2 | Sandro Mazzola | Italy | Internazionale (Italy) | 57 |
| 3 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United (England) | 56 |
| 4 | Günter Netzer | West Germany | Borussia Mönchengladbach (West Germany) | 30 |
| 5 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich (West Germany) | 27 |
| 6 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich (West Germany) | 18 |
| Josip Skoblar | Yugoslavia | Marseille (France) | ||
| 8 | Martin Chivers | England | Tottenham Hotspur (England) | 12 |
| 9 | Piet Keizer | Netherlands | Ajax (Netherlands) | 9 |
| 10 | Bobby Moore | England | West Ham United (England) | 7 |
| Ferenc Bene | Hungary | Újpest (Hungary) | ||
| 12 | Yevhen Rudakov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv (Soviet Union) | 6 |
| 13 | Giacinto Facchetti | Italy | Internazionale (Italy) | 4 |
| Mimis Domazos | Greece | Panathinaikos (Greece) | ||
| 15 | Pirri | Spain | Real Madrid (Spain) | 3 |
| Dragan Džajić | Yugoslavia | Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia) | ||
| Berti Vogts | West Germany | Borussia Mönchengladbach (West Germany) | ||
| 18 | Terry Cooper | England | Leeds United (England) | 2 |
| Francis Lee | England | Manchester City (England) | ||
| Wolfgang Overath | West Germany | 1. FC Köln (West Germany) | ||
| Wilfried Van Moer | Belgium | Standard Liège (Belgium) |
Trivia
- Johan Cruyff controversially missed out on the 1972 Ballon d’Or despite winning a domestic treble with Ajax. Had he been victorious then the Dutchman would have won the accolade four times in a row from 1971 to 1974.
- Following Inter Milan’s Serie A title in 1970/71, Sandro Mazzola failed to win another honour during the remainder of his playing career, eventually retiring in 1977.
- In 2020, George Best was named on the left wing within the third “Ballon d’Or Dream Team” in which readers of France Football voted online for their greatest ever winners of the prize. Johan Cruyff featured in its second team.
