Johan Cruyff has a very special way of looking at soccer, and an equally distinctive way of talking about it.
It was Cruyff’s vision on the field that made him one of the greatest players of all time—seeing passes that no one else could see, but also being aware of the ebb and flow of a game and knowing how to control it. So when Cruyff talks, people listen.
A Cruyff quote grabs your attention not just for its insight, but also for the supreme certainty with which he delivers it. He may seem arrogant, but that’s only because he thinks he knows everything.
The 25 quotes below, taken from throughout Cruyff’s days as a player, then coach, then pundit, offer a window into the way Cruyff sees soccer—and they just might change the way you see the game.

1. Technique is not being able to juggle a ball 1000 times. Anyone can do that by practicing. Then you can work in the circus. Technique is passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your team mate.

3. Choose the best player for every position, and you’ll end up not with a strong XI, but with 11 strong 1’s.

4. In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.

5. Why couldn’t you beat a richer club? I’ve never seen a bag of money score a goal.

6. I always threw the ball in, because then if I got the ball back, I was the only player unmarked.

7. I’m ex-player, ex-technical director, ex-coach, ex-manager, ex-honorary president. A nice list that once again shows that everything comes to an end.

8. Players that aren’t true leaders but try to be, always bash other players after a mistake. True leaders on the pitch already assume others will make mistakes.

9. What is speed? The sports press often confuses speed with insight. See, if I start running slightly earlier than someone else, I seem faster.

10. There’s only one moment in which you can arrive in time. If you’re not there, you’re either too early or too late.

11. Before I make a mistake, I don’t make that mistake.

12. When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average … So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball. That is what determines wether you’re a good player or not.

13. After you’ve won something, you’re no longer 100 percent, but 90 percent. It’s like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there’s a little less gas inside.