More than 50 years have passed since “Jopie” played 30 minutes in Argentina before limping off with an ankle injury, but it was plenty of time to leave his unique mark. Even today, the top bookmakers offered via agent are attentive to any player who shows even a glimpse of Cruyff’s power and style of play. Complicated task when we talk about the second-best player of the 20th century.
Minutes after opening the scoring against Club Atlético Independiente, the Ajax idol saw his match cut short due to a sprain. Sitting on the hard wooden bench of the stadium, Johan Cruyff was informed that the injury that had just kept him out of the Intercontinental Cup final would need to be treated and that he could not continue.
Legend has it that he asked for his reward; a package of Camel. Meanwhile, the rest of the Ajax squad continued to protest against Dante Mircoli’s action, and despite the effects of the flu, which still persisted, he lit a cigarette and witnessed the remaining minutes in Avellaneda in the middle of a blue haze. This was the only official appearance of the legend on a South American field.
How it all started
Both as a player and as a trainer, wearing the red and white for Ajax, the blue and garnet for Barcelona or the unmistakable electric orange of his native Netherlands, Cruyff earned a permanent spot on the world of football. However, oddly enough for one of the most celebrated and decorated men in the game’s history, the Dutch is perhaps best known for what couldn’t have been: the 1974 World Cup final, where hosts West Germany destroyed the title hopes and Cruyff’s dream.
Two years before that first loss in the World Cup final, the process that would make the Netherlands one of the greatest teams ever seen was already underway in Amsterdam. After Ajax’s 1972 European Cup victory over Inter, the reward was a trip to South America to meet another continental giant. Club Atlético Independiente had won their third Copa Libertadores in 1972, but the Intercontinental Cup title was a difficult task, losing twice in successive years.
Meanwhile, Ajax had refused to participate in the Intercontinental Cup the previous year, meaning Cruyff’s men also had their first chance to officially become the best team on the planet. On September 6, 1972, in front of 60,000 fans at Independiente’s home, the European and South American champions met in the first leg and the star of the Dutch giants made his debut on Argentine soil. Today, this match would be the dream of any team of professional tipsters when it comes to making their sports predictions.
How it ended
It only took five minutes for the home crowd to fall silent. Ajax number 14 got past Miguel Ángel López as the two battled for the ball and, with one touch he hooked his shot past Independiente goalkeeper Miguel Santoro and into the net. Santoro later mentioned that “Cruyff was electric, a lightning…” However, the Dutch star told a more humble version, admitting that he had illegally grabbed López’s shirt to gain an advantage: “Pele does it too and nobody points him out,” Cruyff said.
The fact that Cruyff did not score another goal that day is perhaps due to Dante Mircoli. The Rome-born forward had spent seven years with Independiente, and in 1972, he had become the second European to win the Libertadores after Croatian Estudiantes striker Christian Rudzki. Nevertheless, after the match, he rose to fame as the man who knocked Johan out of the Intercontinental Cup.
Mircoli doubted how much damage he really did to the star and that, having scored a goal, he was looking to get out of the game. More worrisome for the Dutch team, which drew 1-1 in the second half, was the state of the turf and Independiente’s generally uncompromising style of play.
An indelible memory
Whatever the truth about Cruyff’s injury, three weeks later he was able to face Mircoli and played the full 90 minutes as Ajax cruised to a 3-0 win and the Intercontinental Cup. Although The Red did not win, fans and football lovers will always remember this cup. We do not know how soon we will have the opportunity to witness a match of the same importance, but as Cruyff said “Money must be invested on the field, not in the bank” so wait no more and check the pros of using a betting agent. The opportunity to win may present itself at any time.