Johan Cruyff is such a giant of the game, generations of footballers and coaches will continue to feel the ripples created by the total football philosophy he espoused, long after every iota of the mortal coil has been exhausted. Every club that values the creative usage of space and its constant replenishment on the pitch owes a magnitude of debt to Cruyff. He changed the sport, he changed the appreciation of the sport, he changed the apprenticeship of the sport. So it is fitting the Laureus World Sports Award gala presented him with a special spirit of sport award posthumously received on his behalf by Jordi Cruyff. This is the tribute to his father:

“I have seen people between the ages of five all the way to sixty mourning his death. That just proves that he didn’t just show people how to play football, but rather he showed the world how to be a human as he was always ready to help those in need.”

Laureus World Sports Academy chairman Edwin Moses said: “He represented everything that was good about sport.”