People always say that history is written by the winners. We have heard that they have won a World Cup can be considered the best in history. This make me laugh, because there is a gentleman who did not need to lift the trophy of world champion to rub shoulders with the gods of this sport. It is not a story, it is true; but it's good to start like in all the stories.

On April 25, 1947, a little boy was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This child was raised 500 meters from the Ajax stadium, a club that became his first home. He started playing in the streets like all children and with only 10 years old he entered the lower divisions of the club to climb steps at a fast pace. He went through all the minor categories and reached the first team with only 17 years old, he was already Johan Cruyff.

His debut was on November 15, 1964 and how could it be otherwise, converted his first goal with the white and red Ajax shirt. This young man, who looked more like a fifth Beattle than a football player, began to sneak in among the best. First of his country, since he was 10 years in Ajax. He scored impressive goals and helped the Amsterdam team achieve dream titles. For example, he was named 4 times as the best player in the Netherlands and 2 times was the top scorer in the local league. In matters of team won 3 European Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 6 Erediviese and 4 Netherlands cups. They even gave him 2 Gold Balls that took him to the gates of the football gods.

But Johan still had to wait. We travel in this story at the time and place in we go to Barcelona, ​​year 1973. The culé club bought the Cruyff transfer to try to win a league that had not won for 14 years. As happened to him in Ajax, in his debut with Barcelona he scored two goals. It was on October 28 of that year and the catalan team managed to start a comeback in which they lost no games since the arrival of the Dutchman and managed to win the long-awaited league. Again goals and more goals, one more spectacular than the other. Hooks and that speed that characterized him made him distinguished as the best player in the world with another Golden Ball, becoming the first to win three times this award.

There were 5 seasons that he wore the blaugrana uniform, to leave in 1978 to play football in the United States. There he left everyone with his mouth open because of his speed and ability to play football. He got goals that are to see again and again. But when you leave your house very young, you always dream of going back and that's what Johan did. He played two more seasons at Ajax, the club that was his home. He was again named the best in the league and managed to win two more champions for his beloved club.

But like all genius, this had a special character and did not go well with Ajax. He decided to end his career as a player in the eternal rival, Feyenoord where he won the league and the cup. Now yes, satisfied decided to hang the booties forever. As we saw so far, he won everything: Leagues, European Cups, Intercontinental Cups, Gold Balls; although everyone claimed to win a World Cup.

We are going back in time, we moved to 1974; in this case to the World Cup in Germany. It was a unique opportunity, not only for him but for everyone in Holland to become gods of football. In this tournament he scored 3 goals in the 7 games he played. We say "he played", but when you see him on the pitch he did not run, he skated, he slid with a class and elegance never before seen.

He took his country to the final with the idea of ​​snatching the title from the hands of the locals and take that step that everyone expected. In the final the "Mechanical Orange" started with everything, putting together a play at the beginning of the match from the mutad of the court and Cruyff appeared. He began to leave Germans scattered around the field until they made the penalty that put his team with one hand on the trophy. There they believed themselves owners of that World Cup.

But on the other side there was another man who would not make it easy for Cruyff to enter the Olympus of football, one Franz Beckenbauer. Between round trips, yellow cards and goals; This Dutch flying, this skinny with the shirt '14' did not get the World Cup that everyone expected. The trophy remained in German hands.

Johan Cruyff 1992

This is where I laugh at those who say that to enter the Olympus of the gods of football you have to win a World Cup. He was second, but the doors opened wide to let in this player who floated on the pitch and who knew everything about this beautiful sport.

And to prove it he had an idea, to teach it from the substitute bench. Just like when he played, first Ajax did it and then Barcelona. He won everything. He got titles that will remain forever in his memory, like that first European Cup of Barcelona in 1992. But beyond the titles, his greatest legacy was a philosophy of game has been the inspiration of the best teams that have stepped on a field of play.

This is the story of a man who, as we said at the beginning, did not need to win a World Cup to be among the greatest in the history of world football .