Dii Editorial Q1 2026: Learning from Johan Cruijff!

When I went to High school in the sixties (!) in the Netherlands, a young football player emerged from the, then, victorious Ajax team. I have no idea if you remember him or have heard of him, but he finally made it to the top-5 star players of all times, after Messi, Pelé, Maradona and Ronaldo!

Johan was not only a world class, authentic football player, he was also the inventor of “Cruyffisms”, a unique paradoxical wisdom, often hilarious, but widely celebrated in the Netherlands and adapted in the English-speaking world. Johan grew up in Amsterdam in a time of purety and modesty, where he learned playing football in the street. There he developed a blend of street wisdom and football virtuosity. He freely shared his wisdom at any occasion with a  full-blown Amsterdam accent. Just offering you a bit of relaxation in these turbulent times, enjoy a treat of his most legendary quotes. As you can see his life lessons can perfectly be applied to Dii’s no nonsense mission: ‘no emissions’😉

Classic Cruyffisms (from Google):

        •        “Every disadvantage has its advantage.”
        •        “You only see it once you get it.”
        •        “Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.”
        •        “I’ve never seen a bag of money score a goal.”
        •        “If we have the ball, the other team can’t score.”
        •        “Before I make a mistake, I don’t make that mistake.”
        •        “You have to shoot, otherwise you can’t score.”
        •        “If you can’t win, make sure you don’t lose.”
        •        “Italians can’t beat you, but you can certainly lose to them.”
        •        “In my teams, the goalkeeper is the first attacker and the striker is the first defender.”
On Quality and Style:
        •        “Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring.”
        •        “It’s better to go down with your own vision than with someone else’s.”
        •        “Technique is not being able to juggle a ball 1,000 times. Anyone can do that by practicing. Then you can work in the circus.”
On Time and Speed:
        •        “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.”
        •        “What is speed? The sports press often confuses speed with insight. See, if I start running slightly earlier than someone else, I seem faster.”

I would conclude, “if we don’t play, ever more emissions will remain in the goal”😊