Johan Cruyff, one of the greatest footballers in history, died on Thursday at the age of 68 from lung cancer, his family announced.
The Dutchman "died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer", said a statement on Cruyff's official website.
"It's with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."
Cruyff won three European Cups as a player with Ajax Amsterdam and Ballon d'Or titles in 1971 with Ajax and 1973 and 1974 with Barcelona, where he starred from 1973 to 1978.
Johan Cruyff is considered one of the best four players in history alongside Pele of Brazil, Diego Maradona of Argentina and France's Michel Platini.
With his precision passes, speed, technique and goalscoring ability, Cruyff set new standards as a player.
Johan Cruyff was the incarnation of Total Football that took the Dutch team to the World Cup final in 1974. He inspired a new generation of footballers.
"Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is," he once said.
As a coach,Johan Cruyff led Barcelona to their first European Cup title in 1992.FC Barcelona won four consecutive league titles and their first ever European Cup in May 1992 at Wembley, beating Sampdoria of Italy 1-0.
Johan Cruyff won European championships three times 1971-1973 with Ajax as a player and once with Barcelona as a coach.As a coach he had 242 victories in 387 matches, with 75 draws and 70 losses.
Johan Cruyff was European player of the year three times and, in 1999, was named Europe's best player of the 20th century.
Johan Cruyff is survived by wife Danny, daughters Chantal and Susila, and a son Jordi, who also played soccer professionally.
He invented total football. We were not fortunate to see him play as there was no media coverage in his prime. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
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