Johan Cruyff - Megalomaniac

Just thought I'd bring you this short (and classic) Cruyff snippet from news of the Netherlands hopes of jointly bidding with Belgium for the 2018 World Cup.

It's common practise for federations to get famous (/ex-)players and coaches to act as ambassadors for their bids (e.g. Pele, Beckham, etc), and so it came as no surprise that Harry Been, the secretary of the KNVB (Dutch Football Association), wanted Cruyff to be involved in the publicity surrounding the bid.

Cruyff, being Cruyff of course, says he's ready to be involved as long as HE has control over the submission process of the bid. In a quote form Voetbal International magazine he says:

"In principal I am positive about such initiatives in the Netherlands. If I can help them, fine. I am of course obstinate. I had the chance to train Holland in the past, but that went wrong because they didn't allow me to choose my own staff. I only want to take on the responsibility if I get the full power of decision-making."

And that is Johan Cruyff in a nutshell for you - arrogant, obstinate, outspoken, but also gifted and legendary. Whether it's Ajax, Barcelona or the Netherlands, he's always got something to say, and apparently something to contribute as well.

Let's see how his involvement works out, but could you imagine Pele or Beckham being put in charge of their countries respective bids? HAH!