Written like a picaresque novel, Auke Kok’s bestselling biography of Johan Cruyff tells the story of how this national hero grew to be a global icon.

With access to unique documents and drawing from hundreds of interviews, historian and journalist Kok aims to paint a picture of this great footballer and what made him tick. He follows his development from school truant, to Ajax star, family man, captain, trainer, football philosopher and commercial pioneer.

‘Auke Kok’s new 640-page biography of Johan Cruijff is deeply researched by someone who knows Dutch football inside out, nicely written, and manages to get inside Cruijff’s very bizarre head.’ David Winner

‘Kok convincingly shows how Cruijff, because of his quick thinking and acting, was usually miles ahead of everyone else.’ Het Parool

‘Not only readable and comprehensible to those uninitiated in football, but also critical and balanced.’ Nederlands Dagblad

Translated from the Dutch by Liz Waters

Published in the UK by Simon & Schuster, 2022