Top 10 Ballon d'Or winners of all time

#4 Johan Cruyff (1971)

Johan Cruyff's legacy will remain unrivalled in the years to come

"As a player, he turned football into an art form. Johan came along and revolutionised everything. The modern-day Barça started with him, he is the expression of our identity, he brought us a style of football we love." —Joan Laporta

Famous as the orchestrator during his playing and managerial days, Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff was a mammoth influence on the game in his time. His contributions to football have already been written down with golden inks in history. Johan Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or three times in his career

It wouldn't be wrong to state that Johan Cruyff was the harbinger of a renaissance in the game. Armed with good pace and prolific dribbling skills, hardly any defender was able to catch him at his top speed. The cleverest of defenders easily fell to his 'Cruyff turn' technique. One of the greatest football giants to roam on the globe, Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or three times in his career.

In the year 1971, Cruyff was at the pinnacle of his game, outdoing every team he faced. Netting 27 times in 37 matches, the Dutchman beat Sandro Mazzola and George Best after amassing 116 points and winning his first Ballon d'Or while playing for Ajax. He also won the Dutch Eredivisie, European Cup and the KNVB Cup in 1971.

After retiring as a player, the Dutchman proved equally hard to beat as a manager. His famous 'Total Football' philosophy is the base of Barcelona's style of play. No doubt, Johan Cruyff's legacy and service to the game will always remain unrivalled in the years to come.