GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Johan Cruyff: the case for the GOAT

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    Johan Cruyff: the case for the GOAT

    Forward · Netherlands · Born 25 April 1947, Amsterdam, Netherlands · Died 2016 · Career 1964–1984

    Visionary forward and playmaker, the on-pitch leader of Total Football. Won everything with Ajax, revived Barcelona and captained the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final.

    Career highlights

    Why Johan Cruyff could be the GOAT

    Cruyff changed how football is played. A brilliant, intelligent player who won three straight European Cups and three Ballon d'Ors, he then shaped Barcelona's philosophy as a coach, influencing the game's modern style more than anyone on this list.

    What fans say

    Johan Cruyff is #9 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 4–2 head-to-head record from 82 Men's football votes. See the full Men's football GOAT ranking

    Johan Cruyff head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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    Photo credits

      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.