Euro 2016: A lookback at the greatest XI to have never won the Euros

Johan Cruyff – Left Winger

The late, great Johan Cruyff has to make this list. A man who pioneered a completely new style of football and made football an absolute joy, Cruyff was not just a part, he was the heartbeat of the legendary Netherlands squad from 1974-1976.

In terms of talent, technique and temperament, there is no doubt that Cruyff was Europe’s greatest attacking player of all-time. Whether it was pulling the strings from the wings, or more centrally as an attacking midfielder, scoring goals for fun as a striker or creating as a second striker, Cruyff was every manager’s dream.

Cruyff was the captain of the 1976 Netherlands squad which finished third in the Euros. A truly great footballer who culd play in any position across the forward line, Cruyff made football beautiful and it was an absolute joy for anyone to watch the way Cruyff and his Netherlands team played.

About the author

A Bengaluru lad through and through, Ashwin Hanagudu is a huge fan of Liverpool and unsurprisingly pledges his sworn allegiance to RCB in the IPL. With over 8+ years of experience in this field, Ashwin manages multiple verticals at Sportskeeda and as of July 2024 is the most-read author in the football section.

Apart from his duties at Sportskeeda, Ashwin Hanagudu is also an active table tennis player and has played multiple state ranking and national tournaments representing Karnataka.

A huge sports fan, some of the athletes and sportspersons he admires in no particular order are Virat Kohli, Steven Gerrard, Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu

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Edited by Staff Editor