Nummer 14 Johan Cruijff

Being Dutch, it is not a surprise, that this documentary has a special place in my heart. Although at one stage (early 1970s) 90% of the world's population presumably knew who Johan Cruijff was, I think hardly anyone in the United States knows Cruijff or what he stands for. Elected #2 Soccer Player of the 20th Century, he put Holland on the map as a sporting nation. At his best, Cruijff was the best player in the world in the biggest sport of the world, we call it football, in the US they call it soccer (although their 'football' is mainly played by hand). He played football like no one before. Faster, smarter, better. He introduced the concept of total football, that could only be performed by teams like Ajax and the Dutch National Team ('The Orange Machine'). The film (Nummer 14) is about Cruijff's and Ajax' most successful year, 1972 in which they won whatever they wanted to win (Dutch Cup, Dutch Championship, European Champions Cup, World Cup). The film is a manifesto of the early 70s and, thus, contains a lot of nostalgia for football fans of my age (...) all over the world. The music is a bit sentimental though. But what a player...