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FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Ed McCambridge

'We didn't win, but beautiful football was our legacy': the late Johan Neeskens in one of his last-ever interviews - on Total Football, Johan Cruyff and heartbreak in 1974

Johan Neeskens Johan Cruyff Football Total Football FourFourTwo Rinus Michels Ajax Netherlands FC Barcelona Holland
Johan Neeskens of the Netherlands, 1974.

Back in May, I wrote a feature for FourFourTwo about the iconic Netherlands side of 1974 – the story of how 'Total Football', with its positional interchange and heavy-pressing, changed the beautiful game forever. 

When mapping out potential interviewees, one man topped the list: Johan Neeskens. The former midfielder was now the most recognisable living remnant of that team following the passing of his former team-mate Johan Cruyff and manager Rinus Michels. 

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