Little-known facts about the woman behind Johan Cruyff

Besides his illustrious career, the late Dutch legend also had a touching love story.

Legendary Johan Cruyff with his partner of nearly 50 years, Danny Coster. Photo: Heavy.

On March 24th, the football world was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former legend Johan Cruyff. In an announcement released on his official website, the late legend passed away at the age of 68, just one month before his birthday, surrounded by his wife of nearly 50 years, Danny Coster, and their three children: Chantal (46), Susila (44), and Jordi (42).

Johan Cruyff is known as one of the most influential figures in modern football, achieving tremendous success both as a player and a coach. However, not many people know that the recently deceased legend, while capable of yelling at his players or being hot-tempered with his teammates, was "defeated" by his wife. Danny Coster was the only one who could soften the voice of the former legend. They lived happily together from their marriage in 1968 until his passing. She and their children also stood by him throughout his battle against lung cancer since its diagnosis last October.

When Johan met Danny, he was a young player with "not a penny to his name," while his future wife was a beautiful, charming blonde, the daughter of a wealthy family. Despite this, they fell deeply in love and decided to marry when he was still penniless. In Martin Fox's book about Johan Cruyff's life, his father-in-law revealed: "When Johan married my daughter, he didn't have a penny. The truth is, he was constantly in debt." However, on their wedding day, the late former star still splurged, holding a lavish ceremony at the luxurious Hilton hotel in Amsterdam. Cor Coster, Johan Cruyff's father-in-law, was a Dutch businessman who had represented his son-in-law and also passed away from cancer in 2008.

The late Dutch legend and his wife on their wedding day. Photo: Heavy.

Then, every two years, the couple welcomed three more children: two daughters, Chantal and Susila, and their youngest son, Jordi. According to FourFourTwo, the Dutch legend's son was born via Cesarean section in 1974 to coincide with the time when he was given time off by Barcelona. Jordi also followed in his father's footsteps as a footballer, but with less fame. Born in Barcelona, ​​the 68-year-old former star's only son was named after Saint Jordi of Catalonia, but at that time, the dictator Franco banned all names considered symbolic in Spain, so Johan Cruyff had to bring Jordi back to the Netherlands to register his birth certificate to keep the original name.

Johan Cruyff's wife, Danny Coster, is believed to have had a significant influence on his playing and coaching career. When he decided not to participate in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, despite being very famous at the time, he explained that he had chosen to retire from international football in October 1977 due to the military junta in Argentina. However, in 2008, the former Dutch star revealed the real reason was his family. In his autobiography, Johan's former Barcelona teammate, Carles Rexach, stated that Danny Coster was behind his decision to leave the national team. Rexach also blamed the legend's wife for the Netherlands' failure to qualify for the 1970 World Cup, claiming that before the qualifying match against Bulgaria, Johan Cruyff had agreed to take her shopping in Milan. Upon returning, the late star was excluded from the squad for arriving late.

At the 1974 World Cup, Johan Cruyff and his teammates appeared in a photo taken by the pool at a hotel in Germany with a group of women after the Netherlands defeated Brazil in the semi-finals. At the time, there were rumors that the Dutch legend spent the entire night on the phone with his wife before the final, trying to explain to her that nothing had happened behind that photo.

After his heart surgery in 1991, the former star player was also forbidden by his wife from coaching the Dutch national team before the 1994 World Cup qualifiers, fearing the job would cause him further stress and be detrimental to his health.

The former football star with his wife and three young children. Photo: Muzul.

Johan Cruyff and his wife had a deep connection to Barcelona, ​​so they settled in Catalonia from 1973 and had their only son there, but there was a brief interruption from 1981-1988 due to a particularly traumatic incident. In 1977, the family of the Dutch legend experienced terrifying moments in their own apartment in Barcelona due to a kidnapping plot. Jordi recounted that his parents were tied up in front of their children and someone held a gun to Johan's head. For several months afterward, the entire family was accompanied by police for protection wherever they went. "The children went to school with the police; they slept in our house for about 3-4 months. I went to matches with a bodyguard. All of this changed your perspective; different values ​​emerge in certain moments of life," Johan recalled. The incident was the main reason why the former star's family decided to leave Barcelona and return to their homeland in the Netherlands, only returning in 1988 when he took on the responsibility of managing Barca.

According to Ngoisao.net