The eighteenth winner of the "Golden Ball" - Johan Cruyff

Eightat tenandGolden Ball winner - Johan Cruyff

Another brilliant year that earned the midfielder a transfer to Barcelona

Johan Cruyff is a true asset to football and his contemporaries can attest to this as a game-changer. Already at the age of 26, the Dutchman managed to equal Alfredo Di Stefano's achievement and win a second Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best player in Europe. This happens on Christmas Day in 1973. Cruyff was already part of Barcelona at the time, but in the early months of 73 he was still a footballer for two-time European club champions Ajax.

Cruyff collected 96 points - just 20 less than the first ranking, which he won by a record margin. Both in 1971 and now The Flying Dutchman has over twice as many as the second. He is Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff, chasing Lev Yashin's 1963 feat. Zoff collected 47 points from the votes of 24 journalists from the countries that are members of the European football headquarters - UEFA. Third in the standings is Gerd Müller, and last year's winner Franz Beckenbauer remains in fourth place. 15 people out of a total of 22 who put Cruyff in the top 5 are of the opinion that he deserves the first position, two leave him second, three - third and two more - all the way to fourth place. According to only three, Dzoff should be the new winner of the "Golden Ball", only three leave him second, five - third, one leaves him fourth, and another three - in the fifth position. Only 3 points behind him is Gerd Müller, but the Bayern striker is not having an unusually strong season anyway. He is at the high level, which everyone knows.

Hristo Bonev is again in the rankings and this time he collects more points - 7, after three people voted for the Bulgarian striker, who changed CSKA Sofia to Lokomotiv Plovdiv, placing him second, fourth and fifth. However, Bonev remains only twelfth together with Giacinto Facchetti.

Johan Cruyff's years at Ajax peaked in 1973. After the European title in 1971, after the treble a year later, Amsterdammers managed to establish themselves as a real dominant, both on the domestic scene and in Europe. Ajax wins CASH for the third time in a row. An achievement that no one, apart from Real Madrid, who have won 5 consecutive trophies from the competition, has achieved. Yes, Ajax miss out on the national cup and a chance for a second treble in a row, but at least the team that eliminated that team gets to the honors. This is NAK Breda. In the championship, Ajax is again the champion. For a record sixteenth time, the team triumphed in the Eredivisie, but only 2 points ahead of Feyenoord. It seems as if the strong years of this team are passing, but not in KESH. After eliminating CSKA Sofia with a 6:1 aggregate score and two goals from Cruyff at the end of 1972, Amsterdammers face German giants Bayern Munich. The Bavarians are also defeated. A 4-0 rout in the Dutch capital with a final goal from Cruyff made the second leg a protocol, although the German team won it and Gerd Müller scored his 11th goal of the competition. An achievement that no one will surpass, although there are semi-finals and a final to come. Cruyff also played superbly in the battles with Real Madrid, won 2-1 at home and 1-0 in Spain, and although he did not sign off, it was to his credit that his side met Dino Zoff's Juventus. Whether it was because of Ajax's triumph in that match or his inimitable style, Cruyff is ahead of one of his biggest rivals on the football field and in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

In the summer comes the moment that will change the entire history of Barcelona. The Dutchman was lured to Camp Nou, where he immediately began to bring his wonderful moments. Yes, he didn't play for KESH and CSKA got their revenge on Ajax, becoming the first team to beat that Milan side in the final in 1969. Another reason to think that without the fantastic "Flying Dutchman" the Amsterdammers are far from the same team. Cruyff's transformation from attacking midfielder to striker is starting at a rapid pace, so the next Ballon d'Or is again expected to be easily won by the Dutchman.

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