Johan Cruyff is widely recognized as one of the greatest players of all time. This is somewhat surprising because he only won 48 caps in a 11-year spell with the Dutch team. Cruyff has started an international career as a disgrace for, although he scored on his debut against Hungary, on the next appearance he became the first Dutch player to receive a red card.His dismissal in a friendly against the Czech Republic earned him a suspension for one year from the Dutch federation. Cruyff, one of the pioneers 'total football', participated in a FIFA World Cup ™ tournament.
In 1974 he helped the Netherlands to the final, earning the penalty that saw them lead against West Germany before their opponents even touched the ball. However, the Dutch lost the game 2-1.
Cruyff brought an early end to an international career in 1977 at age 30, after successfully directing the Netherlands through the qualifiers for the following things FIFA World Cup. Despite various attempts to lure him from retirement, Cruyff did not add its count from 33 goals in 48 appearances - 33 of them as captain.
Cruyff two years ago revealed that one reason he chose not to play in the FIFA 1978 World Cup because his family has been involved in a kidnapping attempt in the previous year.
