1974 Ballon d’Or Winner: Johan Cruyff, A Celebration Of Total Football

In 1974, Johan Cruyff won his third Ballon d’Or. 

Only four other players in the history of football have achieved the incredible feat including Michel Platini, Marco van Van Basten, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

This particular year, Cruyff faced immense competition from West Germany’s legendary defender Franz Beckenbauer who had a truly standout twelve months. 

Yet European football recognised Cruyff’s magical contribution during the game’s ultimate tournament and acknowledged his ground-breaking brilliance.

A Celebration Of Total Football

Success In Spain

Johan Cruyff was already a global superstar by the time Barcelona came calling.

The Dutchman had played for a decade with Ajax and set the world alight. In 329 games for the club, Cruyff amassed 257 goals! He’d won six Eredivisie titles, two Dutch trophies and three consecutive European cup titles from 1971 to 1973.

His brand of skill oozed class, technical excellence and was often explosive.Following the turn of the 1970’s, Cruyfff had been elevated to the leading pioneer and poster boy for Dutch ‘Total Football’ that was finally being recognised and celebrated by everyone within the world game.

With two Ballon d’Or already under his belt and having conquered European football whilst in the Netherlands – it was time for a new adventure.

The Dutchman moved from Ajax to Barcelona in the Autumn of 1973 for $2 million.

During his first season he scored 24 goals in 38 appearances at Camp Nou, helping the Catalan side win their first La Liga title since 1960, finishing eight points ahead of rivals Atletico Madrid.

However, West Germany’s Beckenbauer posed a serious threat to Cruyff’s third Ballon d’Or coronation.

The enigmatic defender led his side to victory at the 1974 World Cup following a hard-fought 2-1 win over the hotly favoured Netherlands side featuring Cruyff. 

Beckenbauer also won the Bundesliga along with Bayern Munich’s first ever European Cup in a replayed final against Atlético Madrid.

Yet despite his stellar season and a remarkable year overall, Beckenbauer would finish as runner up to a man who many considered a ‘totally’ generational talent.

Total Football

Cruyff effectively led the Netherlands to their runners-up spot in the 1974 World Cup. 

Thanks to the team’s Total Football philosophy, they cruised all the way to the final, firstly defeating Argentina 4-0 with Cruyff scoring twice.

The Dutch beat East Germany 2-0 and Brazil by the same score line as Cruyff netted the game’s second goal to knock out the defending champions.

The Netherlands faced hosts West Germany in the final. Cruyff famously kicked off, the Dutch passing the ball around fifteen times before returning it to Cruyff, who then went on a run past German defender Berti Vogts. He was then fouled by Uli Hoeneß inside the box. 

Teammate Johan Neeskens scored from the penalty spot to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead before the Germans had even touched the ball!

However, Franz Beckenbauer and Co soon began to dominate the midfield and West Germany came back to win 2-1.

Yet only one man had left an unforgettable mark on the game, the world and football history too. 

Johan Cruyff was once again the finest player on the planet.

1974 Ballon d’Or Top 20

Trivia

• At the end of 1974, the awards for Johan Cruyff kept coming – as he claimed accolades such as Dutch Sportsman Of The Year and FIFA’s World Cup Golden Ball.
• Franz Beckenbauer won the accolade German Footballer Of The Year on four occasions – in 1974 along with 1966, 1968 and 1976.
• Third place Kazimierz Deyna shone for Poland during the 1974 World Cup, scoring three times across the tournament including a brace against eventual Champions West Germany, the Polish national side eventually finishing third.