Cruyff “Emotional” after tributes

Johan Cruyff has thanked supporters for their “emotional and heartbreaking” response after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Cruyff was thankful for the support shown for all cancer sufferers and admitted he does not yet have a full prognosis as medical tests are still ongoing.

He is now undergoing further tests to understand the extent of the disease.

“The way in which a reply is posted via a variety of media in my situation, was emotional and heartwarming”.

“I’m very proud of the appreciation demonstrated by all the reactions”, Cruyff wrote in De Telegraaf on Monday.

“That does not mean I’m happy about what happened to me”, he continues. “Such as the actions of the fans and clubs to not only applaud me, but all cancer patients”. I think it’s very strong that it’s drawn wider.

Spanish media broke news of the 68-year-old Cruyff’s condition on Thursday, not long after he had consulted doctor in Barcelona, where he lives. It’s really annoying that it has been leaked so quickly, because the only thing I know now is that I have lung cancer. “I know the name, not the surname”.

In earlier days, Cruyff was often seen sporting a cigarette from the side of his mouth and was known to light up at half-time or as soon as he stepped out of the showers.

And the man who was pivotal in getting Holland to the 1974 World Cup final, winning three consecutive European Cups with Ajax, before playing and managing Barcelona where he won the European Cup in 1992 as boss, as well as being awarded three-time Ballon d’Ors, had one more tribute paid him at the weekend.

He steered the club to four league titles and their first European Cup during his eight years in charge, as well as laying the foundations for the club’s heavy focus on youth development and defining a style of play that ran through all levels at the club.