Soccer Nostalgia: The Soccernostalgia Interview-Part 88- A video Interview and blog presentation with Mr. Jan Roskott of http://dutchsoccersite.org/ on Johan Cruyff’s Controversial transfer from Ajax to Feyenoord in the summer of 1983.

For this interview, I look back on Johan Cruyff’s Controversial transfer from Ajax to Feyenoord in the summer of 1983.

The Interview will be as a video link companion, while the Blog will be a presentation of the players.

The Interviewee is:

Mr. Jan Roskott of http://dutchsoccersite.org/

Mr. Roskottt’s contact info:

Email: jroskott@gmail.com

twitter: @DutchSoccerSite

Website:

http://dutchsoccersite.org/

https://www.facebook.com/dutchsoccersite

My contact information:

on twitter @sp1873 and on facebook under Soccernostalgia.

https://linktr.ee/sp1873

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1m8Oqmdq4H6ed0BRGTcEZh?si=9nibAqejR1aCD-8JM71iKQ&nd=1&dlsi=1ad3f9c9eee749aa

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soccernostalgia-talk-podcast/id1601074369?i=1000654253943

Johan Cruyff joining Feyenoord in the summer of 1983

It was a nostalgic move when hen Johan Cruyff rejoined his former club Ajax Amsterdam in the early 1980s.

After conquering Europe with Ajax, he had left the Amsterdam side, traveling the world to Spain with Barcelona, to the United States and back to the old continent and Spain with Levante.

Since then, Ajax were no longer the force they were despite winning a handful of League titles since. It was not just Cruyff but the majority of the 60s-70s stars had also departed.

During the 1980-81 season, while still a player with Levante, he acted as an advisor for Ajax Manager Leo Beenhakker.

It would be midway through the following season (1981/82), precisely in December 1981, that Cruyff, now in the twilight of his career, rejoined Ajax as a player.

His financial agreement was based on percentage of gate receipts. His arrival doubled the average attendance at Ajax.

He was recruited after Ajax had made a difficult start to the season. However, despite his age, Cruyff was still a galvanizing force.

He was able to guide and lift a relatively young side and win the Dutch League title for the (1981/82) season.

Photo From: France Football, Issue 1927, March 15, 1983

This young team consisted of players who would become household names in the near future. As far as the Dutch contingent, there was Frank Rijkaard, Gerald Vanenburg, Wim Kieft and soon to be unleashed a teenage Marco Van Basten.

There was also a group of young Danish players on the verge of making a splash on the continent, such as Soren Lerby, Jesper Olsen and Jan Molby.

In the following season (1982/83), Ajax and Cruyff repeated as Champions. Cruyff was injured early in the season. There was a feeling that upon his return, he was less interested in playing but in organizing and played as sweeper.

He then moved from sweeper to midfield to great effect and Ajax won the domestic League and Cup double at the end of the season.

Cruyff had increased attendances in his two seasons back at Amsterdam. At the end of this season, he requested a future position at the club in the technical domain to help develop the young players.

Despite Cruyff’s good performances even at 36 years of age, the Ajax board had enough of him and were unwilling to give him a new contract and meet his demands.

This would start a chain of events that would lead to the unthinkable with Cruyff joining arch-rivals Feyenoord in the summer of 1983.

He had a number of offers, including from French clubs, Bastia, Toulouse and Swiss side Lucerne with a lucrative Financial Offer.

However, Cruyff maintained that money was not his leitmotiv in his decision, despite the image that he was only interested in money (that by his own admission, he himself had also cultivated).

He added that if it was just about money, he would not have joined Feyenoord.

Photo From: World Soccer, February 1991

In this (1982/83) season, Feyenoord had been Ajax’s closest pursuers. The Rotterdam side had been chasing for the League title for nearly a decade (last title in 1974).

The side managed by Hans Kraay were seen a physical team, in contrast to the more technical game preached by Ajax.

It was during this season that it was announced Kraay would be departing. He had heart problems and in fact could not attend matches.

He was to be replaced by Thijs Libregts for the 1983/84 season.

The players and fans were furious of the board’s decision as Kraay was popular.

Libregts was PSV Eindhoven’s manager that season (1982/83) and in fact Michel Valke had joined Feyenoord on loan because he did not get along with him.

Valke would return to PSV at the end of the season.

Feyenoord legend Willem van Hanegem would also retire at the end of that season.

Nevertheless, Feyenoord still had the backbone of a strong team. The squad included Juup Hiele in goal, with Sjaak Troost, the Danish Ivan Nielsen, Ben Wijnestekers, a young Ruud Gullit, Andre Hoekstra, the Bulgarian Andrei Jeliazkov, Pierre Vermeulen and Peter Houtman.

Photo From: Foot Magazine, Issue 30, December 1983

(Ruud Gullit)

Photo From: Panini Holland 8384

(Feyenoord squad 1983/84)

Former defender Michel van de Korput also returned to Feyenoord (from Italian side Torino).

Feyenoord took advantage of Cruyff’s problems with Ajax to attract him to Rotterdam.

He was seen as the missing link for this team to be transformed into Champions.

In this summer of 1983, Feyenoord lured Cruyff by offering him a percentage of match receipts at home matches (if average attendances were more than previous season’s 23,148).

He would be paid match by match, but only if the match attendance in a given home match was more than the average attendance from the previous season.

Cruyff signed a one-year contract with Feyenoord on these terms.

Departing Ajax goalkeeper Piet Schrijvers predicted the outcome of the following season, upon Cruyff joining Feyenoord.

Schrijvers stated, “a player like Cruyff is just what they need in Rotterdam. Fighting spirit has brought them back to the top of Dutch Football. But to be champions you need somebody who can organize: Cruyff is such a player”.

Cruyff and Schrijvers (to PEC Zwolle) were not the only key players to leave Ajax in that offseason. Ajax also had to wave goodbye to Leo van Veen (to Utrecht), Soren Lerby (to Bayern Munich) and Wim Kieft (to Italian side Pisa).

The arrivals at Ajax included goalkeeper Sjaak Storm (back from loan at Excelsior), a young Ronald Koeman from Groningen and the Austrian Felix Gasselich from FK Austria (with the difficult task of replacing Cruyff).

The Cruyff effect was evident at both clubs for different reasons.

In the previous season, in July 1982, Feyenoord had sold 2,500 season tickets, in July 1983, that number had increased to 6,300.

At his former club Ajax, the absence of Cruyff was felt in their pockets as they were dropped from the prestigious pre-season Mundialito of clubs Tournament in Milan.

Ajax sued the organizers for the decision, but the promoters maintained that their agreement was contingent upon the guarantee of Cruyff’s participation.

As the season started, both Ajax and Feyenoord were in good form.

On matchday 7 (September 18, 1983), the sides met in Amsterdam. It was Cruyff’s first time back in Ajax as a Feyenoord player. Ajax won with the unbelievable score of (8-2). At this point, perhaps, some would have questioned Cruyff’s decision to leave Ajax.

Undeterred, Feyenoord continued to win match after match, and it became clear that this loss had been an anomaly.

Photo From: Foot Magazine, Issue 31, January 1984

(Former Ajax teammates, Arie Haan of PSV Eindhoven and Johann Cruyff of Feyenoord, 1983/84)

By the midway point of the season, Feyenoord had won 13 of their 17 matches with three ties.

At this point, Ajax and Feyenoord were neck to neck, just like the previous season.

It would be the return fixture between the two sides on February 26, 1984, at Rotterdam that would be the decider between the sides.

An inspired Feyenoord side won (4-1) with Cruyff scoring the second goal.

This was the turning point of the season and from then on Ajax would lose ground.

Photo From: France Football, Issue 2437, December 22, 1992

(Cruyff and Marco van Basten, February 26, 1984, Feyenoord 4-Ajax 1)

In the meantime, Feyenoord had also eliminated Ajax from the Dutch Cup to underline their domestic supremacy.

Feyenoord would march on winning the title (the first since 1974) on the penultimate match of the season on May 6^th, 1984, after defeating Willem II (5-0).

Feyenoord would win the domestic double by winning the Cup title as well defeating Fortuna Sittard (1-0) in the Final on May 2^nd, 1984.

Photo From: Kepes Sport 1984

Photo From: World Soccer, November 1983

Photo From: Sport Magazine-Foot magazine, Issue 20, May 12, 2004

Five days after the title win on May 11^th, 1984, Cruyff announced his retirement upon the end of the season at the age of 37.

He announced that his decision was irrevocable, as another season as a player would require too much energy and sacrifice. He added that he did not feel to have the strength to continue at that rhythm and since he hated mediocrity….

On May 13^th, 1984, in the last match of the season, Feyenoord defeated PEC Zwolle (2-1) with Cruyff scoring the first goal (his last as a professional).

He had honored his contract. Feyenoord were champions and the average attendance of Feyenoord had risen from 21,234 to 25,000 (Cruyff was somewhat disappointed as he was expecting an average attendance of 40,000).

Cruyff, the Footballer, ended as a winner. Soon, we would see Cruyff, the Manager, but that is another story….