There are footballers who cause admiration, revolutionaries on the field and in the street who become idols in moments of great social and political charge, surely none as influential for Barcelona fans as Johan Cruyff. Such was his ascendancy that in 1974, a year after his arrival at Barça, the flying ace had a lot to do with the signing of Johan Neeskens. Both were icons of that triple European champion Ajax, watchword of the Clockwork Orange, world runner-up in Germany 1974 and later the fashionable couple of FC Barcelona.
Times when there was talk of the “Dutchization” of Barça after the team’s coach had been Rinus Michels (1971-1974). The story did not end well because the Blaugrana could not win the long-awaited European Cup (1974-1975) after being eliminated in the semi-finals by Billy Bremmer’s Leeds. The defeat pointed out a few, and not precisely Neeskens, who never seemed guilty of anything but rather a victim of everyone, acclaimed in every game because he broke his heart and took the penalties to bursting to the clamor of the Camp Nou fans.
Cruyff was admired, Neeskens was loved, even though some knew him as the other Johan or Johan II. Neeskens died suddenly and many Barcelona fans felt a prick in their hearts for those years they lived, when there was a division of opinions in the stadium, because some had become accustomed to whistle at the selective footballers in the effort while others hailed the hard-working ones, the division of all life; on one side the Pujolets and on the other the Martí Filosía or Rexach. Neeskens did not divide, but was invoked and chanted repeatedly at the Camp Nou.
The cry of “Neeskens yes, Núñez no” still echoes in some corner of Plaça Sant Jaume, the scene of the Catalan celebrations, of course also of the 1979 Basel Cup Winners’ Cup. The president, elected in 1978, was so surprised that he threatened with resigning, angry at the rejection of the fans, who disapproved of Neeskens’ departure after learning of the signing of Allan Simonsen in 1979. Neeskens burst into tears uncontrollably, opened his shirt and threw his tie at the fans in full celebration of that title that many Barça players would not change for a Champions League.
More than 35,000 followers traveled to Basel on an initiatory trip through Europe for many Catalans who unapologetically exhibited their senyeresat the Saint Jakob Stadion. The streets of Barcelona were filled the day after to receive the champions, finally overflowing Plaça Sant Jaume. The focus was on Neeskens while the president of the Generalitat, Josep Tarradellas, tried to convince Núñez not to leave the Camp Nou box. Núñez continued until 2000 and Neeskens left with that Cup Winners’ Cup and a Cup won in 1978.
Neeskens lived his Barcelona fandom trapped between Hugo Cholo Sotil and Simonsen. “Mom, we’re champions!’” Sotil said over one of the Molinón phones after winning the 1973-74 League. That wonderful Cruyff team aspired to take a leap in quality the following season to win the European Cup. This explains the signing of Neeskens after the club claimed to have a guarantee from the federation that it could also maintain Sotil’s registration. The Peruvian went a year without playing, neither as a foreigner nor as a native, and Barça lost with both Johans.
There were no reproaches for Neeskens. Many of those who considered themselves footballers played for a long time with those white anklets that Neeskens showed. Everyone, without exception, wore their shirts untucked and practiced tackling, like Neeskens. Many Barça fans carried a photograph of Neeskens in their purses. And there were also those who for the first time left their sideburns as long and their hair as short as Neeskens. Cruyff’s smell was as unmistakable as Neeskens’ sweat. All heart.