The Most Savage Player Ever

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⏱ Timestamps
00:00 The Rebel
00:47 The Story of Two Stripes
03:17 The Battle for Power
06:12 The Legacy - How Cruyff Changed The Game
🎬 About
Athletic Interest is a video essay series that investigates business stories from the world of sports.
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📚 Sources
[1] footyanalyst.com/two-stripes-...
[2] Johan Cruyff: My Turn: The Autobiography.
[3] talksport.com/football/247257...
[4] bleacherreport.com/articles/2...
[5] www.ad.nl/nederlands-voetbal/...
#football #adidas #athleticinterest

[@Jaxymann]

Bowles wearing a Gola boot on one foot and an Adidas boot on the other to get sponsorship money from both of them is an absolutely galaxy-brain move 🧠

[@dodibenabba525]

Didn't know that! 😂😂

[@darrenmarch1317]

So he's the first bitch diva

[@gm2407]

Bet it was frustrating to run in as they probably felt different on each foot. But yeah £450 was a lot of money in 1973. Equivalent to £13,700 in the value of 2022 £ in economic share. So with inflation for the last two years, that is probably £16,500 in 2024 money. Assuming 10% inflation each year for the last 2 years, which spending power has effectively been.

[@marcoperez6772]

gangster move lmao

[@abhishekalfred3452]

The most influential figure in football as a player , coach and philosopher

[@Ridwaanito]

"So Bowles did the only logical thing, he played with Gola boot on one foot and Addidas boot on the other and £ 450 on his back pocket".

[@Aishas_daughter_]

“People keep bothering you until you’re a genius” true words spoken

[@lpg187100]

This goes also for Kanye West

[@kevinsang]

"some are asking serious questions." Goes on to show Baloteli asking, " Why always me?" 🤣🤣🤣

[@apegraham9819]

I was like damn 🤣😂

[@JustBrowsing23]

@@apegraham9819 TBF, I think it was in response to the racist chants he used to get.

[@yomomma98989]

​@@JustBrowsing23 are you "seriously" saying that Balotelli was the only athlete to suffer from racism? So how is "why always me" a serious comment "genius" ? 😂

[@devanshtiwari2067]

Who else wanted a full length documentary from athletic interest ❤️🎇🎉

[@8bviews91]

What's tha song at the end

[@devanshtiwari2067]

​@@8bviews91don't know bro

[@paras64789]

​@@8bviews91arms of gold

[@Culereterno1899]

On this!? no brother you won't like it as a Madrid fan

[@devanshtiwari2067]

@@Culereterno1899 the only thing I don't like is idiotic English fans and Barca fans

[@paulocesargoncalves5145]

thank you for this video. While younger generations discuss till exaustion who is the goat, you make things matter. Cruyff was head and shoulders above everyone else.

[@abiramithevar1685]

Johan Cruyff is Einstein of Football. Pioneering one of the best system to play football.

[@martijn_yt]

It was actually a business conflict between him and the Dutch national football association due to the evolvement of professionalism in dutch football at that time. It was never a problem at club level. At that time, players received almost no financial compensation for playing at the national level, while the football association did start to make money with marketing the dutch team. Cruyff was one of the first dutch footballers with a personal marketing contract (with Puma). He believed (rightfully so imho;)) that it was a breach of contract if he would promote a competitor while playing tor the dutch team. This conflict actually lasted almost his entire career and is one of the reasons he only has 66 caps ;)

[@MrReese]

1:04 It was actually Rinus Michels who invented Total Football, not Cruyff, who was only known as the player who embodied it on the pitch. Michels coached Ajax initially from 65 to 71 and Barcelona from 71 to 75 (as well as the Dutch national team in 74), Cruyff was his key player most of the time.

[@AthleticInterest]

True, we simplified that part to make the story evolve faster :).

[@MrReese]

@@AthleticInterest Not a good choice to make up wrong facts in my opinion. You could have just said "who embodied Total Football" instead of "invented". We expect more of you than giving us wrong info ;).

[@aayanpratimdeb]

@@AthleticInterestcould’ve used words like popularised, this is just blasphemous misinformation

[@yourihommen5527]

I mean, if you really want to do nitty picking, Credits to the Hungarians and Austrians... Michels didn't invent it, he build upon a succesful blueprint from the past and popularized it..

[@MrReese]

@@yourihommen5527 I know he didn't invent it from nothing, but he adapted and optimized it in a way that made it work so well. Also, being Austrian myself I can say that we cannot take any responsibility for Total Football :D.

[@eetjebordop1487]

A dutch legend

[@dot-hj6jo]

A football legend

[@niranjanrajesh1058]

What a massive understatement

[@Eric.cartman7]

A dutch guy whos a world superstar

[@thegearboy3240]

a football legend ❤

[@mainsmain]

A racist as well

[@aneezmuhammed4654]

Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake: Johan Cruyff Player, Philosopher, Coach 🧡🇳🇱🙌

[@AthleticInterest]

Not your average footballer 😉

[@basengelblik5199]

Cruyff was able to tell any football experts that they didn't get it. Every expert would listen to his explination. The guy was just never wrong.

[@sichelgaito]

One of his most famous quotes: "Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake."

[@vukktri]

I remember when Jordan refused to show the Rebook sign on his USA Olympics jersey because he was sponsored by Nike so he covered it with the USA flag

[@babibau2781]

Rest in peace legend....thank you for everything.

[@devanshtiwari2067]

As usual terrific content and the consistency is admirable I have seen this channel grow from few hundreds to more more than half million subscribers

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks for being part of the ride!

[@apegraham9819]

@@AthleticInterest I love to watch every episode because you don't BS around the topic. You go straight to the issues you want to discuss. Big ups to you and the whole team. But why a video or a photo of C.Ronaldo was not used in the entire episode? 🤣😂

[@8bviews91]

What's tha song at the end

[@8bviews91]

Plz telll

[@devanshtiwari2067]

​@@8bviews91don't know bro

[@hiheyhello999]

You @athletic interest do amazing content, have been a fan for quite some time. Absolutely love your analysis and marketing know how, keep it up and hope your channel grows till it becomes what you have always visioned for it.

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you!

[@CocuTheAlligator]

It would be incredible seeing an 1 hour documental , that talks about bussines of players , clubs and companies, but on every sport

[@apegraham9819]

Maybe this is their chosen style to deliver content and we have to deal with it, unfortunately. But I think I love it more this way... it's simple and treats the topic within few minutes.

[@nirvaya]

Athletic Interest should consider making such videos on Nebula.

[@rajasnaik9081]

Modrics grandpa 💀

[@weatherwithyou4122]

Thanks for clearing that up! I remember watching WC 74 as a 12 yr old, wondering why he had only 2 stripes. At that time no British team wore Adidas ( as far as I know) . I really liked the design, our kits seemed antiquated. I liked the three stripe design. Couldn’t understand why the great man only had 2

[@jvlicious]

Wow. Pre-dated the Jordan towel incident by quite a bit 💪💪 Legend

[@Hamza_inayat]

The story about Bendtner and his Underpants deserves a video in it self 🤣😂

[@bachpham6501]

"Some are asking serious question" 😂

[@muhammedgamal5871]

Cruyyf was exceptional in everything, one of his kind in terms of impact

[@armanmansuri5723]

Cruyyf*

[@mokumsfinest7828]

@@armanmansuri5723cruyff*

[@Raven-nx8su]

@@armanmansuri5723 If you want do it right its Cruijff

[@rakha7301]

That last message was powerful

[@ousman997]

Your stories are always unique

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you!

[@GunnerHewrote]

Gola and Adidas: Wear our boots we'll pay you Stan Bowles: I'm gonna do what's called a pro gamer move

[@iamneutral1]

Super awesome video, luv it soo much. And if you think of doing another sports video may i suggest Cricket you can do Domination of big three teams on international level (India, England and Australia) controlling the sports or you can do The rise of. IPL and it's effect on traditional cricket and how other countries started their own cricket primer league after seeing the success of Indian primer league.

[@McFlashh]

Cruyff is the coolest guy in football history.

[@seanriley6911]

Loved Cruyff, grew up watching him on TV for the great Ajax, got to see him play in 75 at Elland Road along with Neeskens. He played well but was outclassed that night in the European Cup semi, Paul Madeley was magnificent that night, was Bremner. The 2-1 victory was superb but I still went home enjoying seeing Cruyff live but was disappointed by his petulence, trying to manage the referee and was suprised he had a dirty side to him too, he could handle himself. He was overshadowed by an absolute Leeds United, we went on to draw in the Camp Nou to qualify for the final, then the rest is history. He was a legend and was a World Great at the time.

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

Such an interesting story! Your channel always brings up unexpected yet fascinating content! 😎🍿🙏

[@raspberryPi1337]

Buen trabajo, enhorabuena

[@CocuTheAlligator]

It’s incredible to see how good you guys do

[@piterbaroi]

4:49 i donno why but this line is soo funny 😂

[@boombapandsoul]

never mind that puma was the company raised by two brothers from germany who later splitt of into rivalling brands . 1 of the dash brothers holding on to puma and the other adolf "adi" Dash starting his own brand named: AdiDas ...

[@danielrussell9416]

Dassler. Rudi owned Puma, Adi owned Adidas.

[@daytradingnl4734]

Biggest football personality in the history of football. At first a fantastic player who “saw” the game like mozart did music or newton did physics. Besides that a great coach and inspirer who could explain football. After that an analyst and adviser who was responsible for different eras with the best football in history. 70s, 90s but also 00s when barca played with many “small” and technical players. And besides all that he also did great work with his foundation.

[@danielastuti2662]

What a great vídeo!

[@AthleticInterest]

What a great comment! 😉

[@joowsty]

he not only changed the way business is conducted in football, he also changed the way football is played today. the playing style he introduced in the 1974 world cup and at ajax and Barcelona is still the most dominant playing style up to this day. and also besides that he changed the way clubs are run, using mainly former players in all important functions (event management jobs). and besides that, he was among the best 5 players to ever play this game, maybe technically a little behind ppl like maradonna or messi, but tactically the best by far. also the only top 5 player of all times to be a succesful coach. for me he is the number one best player football has ever known because all of this, so the complete picture. maybe even the best sportsman of all time.

[@lucamuller1672]

Loove how you include Federer all the time ❤

[@Nickk81]

One of my favorites 🖤

[@mayra6vidrich]

Another excellent video. Please do one explaining how the Saudis changed golf, thank you :)

[@dondesmond7969]

1st just have more money than anyone else. 2nd find players who spend it faster than they earn it and have no shame about legitimizing a brutal dictator. 3rd add lots of water so the grass grows. 4th pretend it's not just ruining the game itself. 5th do the same to any other sport that'll take your money.

[@giulianoongaro339]

There'a another example of a player not wanting to use the main sponsor of his national team: Michel Platini, who agreed to wear the Adidas outfit but not the shoes(he had a massive contract with the brand "Patrick"). So he played with his Ptrick shoes but with the Three stripes drawn on them.

[@kupus6622]

I wish I knew that when I was a kid. I had a pair of Patrick's, not cause platini wore em tho. they were only pair I could scrounge outta lost property bin..the royal piss was taken outta me for 2 years.

[@allertschallenberg1857]

But from a marketing point of view, that's the opposite of what Cruijff did..

[@bharatavarsha10k]

Whoa! Didn't know JC has this business acumen till date! Thanks AI ❤

[@iandope]

Puma had the biggest name playing for them in history. Maradona, Pele, Eusebio, Cruyff etc.

[@jfsproductionuk]

I have wathed some of your videos and the editing is just amazing! does your editor sell courses??

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you! They will be flattered! 😄

[@santanuguhait]

He is a concept which we see implemented in every Barca game.

[@JOJYsa7]

Great videos love your work ❤ Would love to see a piece about novak djokovic most successful of the sport and great mentality.

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks very much! Appreciate all suggestions too 🙂

[@johnpacino007]

Bold move back then. I watched him a lot throughout the 1970s. Hands down, the best European player I've seen.

[@McFlashh]

Best player pre-80s

[@johnpacino007]

@@McFlashh Just a beautiful, balletic player in motion. Post 1970: Him & Maradona are the two best players I've seen across, both club football & international football ( world cup ). Most other players post 1970; Either were great at club level, but not as consistently great at world cups. ( Messi - Cristiano ). Or great at world cups, but their club career's weren't as consistently great ( Zidane).

[@McFlashh]

@@johnpacino007 Messi has been consistent at international level too, he has been to two World Cup finals, won one as well as winning player of the tournament, Copa America and a Finalisma. He’s done more for Argentina than Maradona did, while playing against better teams. And currently what Messi is doing in the MLS is record breaking, many superstars went and never played like how he is. Pele went there in a much easier era (especially in America) and struggled for his standards. Also his technical ability was overrated.

[@johnpacino007]

@@McFlashh It took Messi, 5 world cup tournaments to finally to put together a real convincing world cup campaign to win it. ( If he's the goat, as millennial's, Gen Z & older, certain over 60 + years old, ex football players, industry plant, TV pundits, keep trying to ram down my throat ). He should have been unto to his 3rd world cup trophy win at 35 to equal Pelé's world cup trinity trophy haul & not at that stage of his career winning his 1st one. 🤔🤷‍♂️ And that was against the poorest set of European nation teams, I've ever seen assembled at a world cup. Germany, Spain, Belguim, Portugal, were poor. Italy didn't even qualify. France had two of their world cup winning midfielders absent, as well as the current ballon d'Or holder Benzema. So were severely weakened in midfield, which eventually caught up with them at the final. Brazil & Uruguay; Terribly underwhelming. Holland inconsistent. Messi's also lost a massive 4peat, FOUR final's. ( Copa Final's: 2006, 2015, 2016. World Cup Final: 2014). This is just totally unheard for any previous players, cited as great's of the game. He's a great player no doubt. But a player that comes with way too many flaws, air-brushed out, by his disciples, to make their goat narratives stick. Won't bother with Crisitiano world cup tournaments. That one's a joke. Like i said. Post 1970. Maradona & Cruyff remain the finest player I've seen across both club football & world cup football.

[@westington1]

@@johnpacino007 so you’re a football fan and know the history of the game but think world cups are the definitive way to judge a players greatness? You know Cruyff didn’t win the Euro’s or the World Cup either? It’s a team sport, you can’t say a player ‘lost’ a final. That Dutch team Cruyff was part of that lost the 1974 World Cup (and the 1978 final too) is still remembered as being a great team - whereas the winners of those world cups aren’t remembered in the same way. Cruyff was the best player in that 74 World Cup and the Dutch were arguably the best team for most of the 1970’s, despite those losses in the finals. You know football is a team sport, and that world cups and euros don’t define greatness. Many players we’d never talk about have won lots of international honours, and many more considered great haven’t won anything at the international level. Mbappé has two World Cups already but I don’t think anyone can (or will likely) seriously be arguing for him in the GOAT debate. I’m not saying Messi definitively is the best ever btw, it’s just an opinion and you can recognise that there’s a good argument for it, recognise that it’s a view put forward by an overwhelming amount of pundits, ex and current players and managers and still not agree and have your own views - but trying to disprove it by focusing on certain failures and pointing to them as proof doesn’t work at all geez.

[@rumplyYT]

Cruyff is just badass

[@mohammeds5458]

Best two sport documentary is your channel and ballon channel i hope both of you collaborate together in future.

[@user-nn8ju1yk8y]

Changed the game in more ways than one

[@resurrectionist1]

And some are asking serious questions while cutting to Ballotelli...Athletic Interest and their comedy 🤣

[@lgarcia67]

I may be picky but he did not invent total football. The Hungarians did that much earlier with a player whose last name is Puskas (yes, that Puskas award is named after him). The Netherlands learned the tactics and Rinus Mitchel implemented it. Cruyff played in the system under Mitchel, learned it, and brought it to Barcelona where it was renamed Tiki-Taka; but it is the same thing.

[@keenanbarron6618]

Ferenć Puskas, the Golden Left Foot. Good work mentioning the man!

[@dodibenabba525]

Cruyff wasn't a footballer, He was an artist and chose the medium of football.

[@ramitchatterjee9626]

amazing. we need more content on cruef!

[@AnwarAlkz]

Addias owner and puma owner are brothers it seems more like a family thing he was made part of

[@baq5261]

Damn didnt even know that

[@klausbrinck2137]

Yeah, they had a fight, that´s why they split the company in two.

[@leeturton9254]

You can get a copy of his 74 shirt with the 2 stripes and number14 on the back...i've bought one...pretty cool top

[@nielsvanlobberegt6420]

Funny detail, the photo of a smoking Cruyff is not Johan Cruyff, but the actor Reinout Scholten van Aschat who played Johan Cruyff in a series about his life.

[@mikeyluk5113]

I watched the ‘74 World Cup on closed circuit tv at the Washington Coliseum.. The 2 stripes weren’t enough for the Dutch.

[@kevjards]

Stan what a genius. Used to play for my home team Carlisle Utd before we sold him i think to QPR.

[@odnilniloc]

All that aside, boy could he play football. A true genius!

[@shino8854]

Glad he stood up for Puma, I love Puma ❤

[@Mythsolev]

what a legend.

[@DragonAssassin77]

Master ,Maestro and Legend

[@israelayoade]

Johan Cruyff!!!! The legend. Mbappe did something similar in the last WC no?😄

[@leebush4053]

In the 1980s and 90s Germany and France had it contracted that the players when on international duty they had to wear adidas boots.

[@funkymcnugget]

Wout van Aert is allowed as the only Jumbo Visma rider at the Tour De France to wear a redbull helmet as his personal sponsor, because of his free roll status within the team. So the Cruyff Adidas conflict still happens to this day!

[@AthleticInterest]

We should make a video about Wout van Aert, he is amazing.

[@viscaelbarca4035]

Good video 👍

[@HappyGrower]

Wait… where's the sponsor? Great content!

[@sonodaplugprod.9931]

This is a great narrator 👍. Which accent from the uk is this?

[@AthleticInterest]

Just outside the UK... Germany! 😉

[@shubhojitghosh69]

Nice video athletic interest.

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks a lot, Shubhojit 😊

[@Honeybarbecuepumpum]

Fir those not initiated that say he didn't do anything at Barcelona as a player, keep in mind when he arrived at the beginning of the 1973 season Barcelona were in 14th Place, by December they were first and on February 17th 1974, they defeated Real Madrid 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to win the league for the first time in 14 years with five games in hand. Guess who was the team's man Superstar during all of this success? Exactly.

[@devanshtiwari2067]

Johan cruff and the German two stripes would become a great movie title

[@davidneary5772]

Bravo,,, JOHAN,,

[@user-jy3io4iz2p]

Cruijff is a legend but I really like what Bowles did too 🤠

[@ciaran8062]

you didn't mention Adidas and Puma were started by 2 brothers rivalry...opened original factories in same town in Bavaria. Don't you think this would have added to the Puma coup?

[@ZLND_Mang3xA]

“It wasn’t business for Cruijff it was principle”

[@glenntaylor9144]

Absolutely brilliant. Well done.

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks, Glenn!

[@togayagari]

Bro went from savage player to brand business

[@uuuuu9313]

Well it turns out him not wearing three striped t shirt brought more eyeballs to Adidas rather than other players

[@peterhoulis1184]

He was / is a legend

[@BadAss_691]

Socrates , Cruyuff these guys are philosophers that football misses

[@WritingGeekNL]

1:00 Except the Arena was built in the 1990s and Ajax played in De Meer during his time.

[@gabiedubin]

and what a genius he was

[@nvdxflexjames449]

Godfather of modern football

[@KlipsenTube]

Wasn't the founder of Puma (and co-founder of Adidas) the brother of the other co-founder of Adidas? A Danish handball goalkeeper insisted on using a different brand of shoes than the shoe-sponsor of the national team. His argument was, his feet were most comfortable in the shoes of his choice - but he was told to use the official brand or not play.

[@RanggaKusuma-]

love this content!

[@AthleticInterest]

Great to hear! 🙂

[@louwdl9000]

It only seems ridiculous if a player would make such a small adjustment to the kit because of the brands already knowing this could happen (because of Cruyff) and they prevent it by regulation.

[@judasthepious1499]

Bowles is the real OG 🔥

[@songsnewsmienskipbyarendar9064]

The fact that Adidas even in 2014 started a trial about these two stripes. shpws us how low the standards of big business are.

[@Von01]

Amazing storytelling..

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you! 📖

[@Dante__09]

Bro please make a video on Marco Van Basten

[@brownwarrior6867]

Celtic Captain Billy McNeill famously wore a pair of blacked out Puma Boots with 3 stripes hand painted on his boots in the 1967 European Cup Final in Lisbon. Cruyff wasn’t the first rebel in football 😉

[@marcsugi]

Well, because it's Puma vs Adidas. Two brothers who became a fierce rival because of one woman (Adi Dassler wife).

[@siddharthsingh7378]

Father of modern game❤❤

[@robbwhite13]

link for the two stripe shirt? google not useful for dinding it and the site is ...

[@jonpetter8921]

Adidas trefoil kits in the 70 were iconic...

[@omarbahrour]

Love it, committed and unwavering, just like MJ

[@eyitayofajimi7041]

Love this video also this is even bigger than Jordan using the USA flag to cover the reebok Logo

[@itz_yeastic]

bro really included gandhi's picture as a ":maverick:"