CRUYFF CLASSICS RELEASES RETRO LOS ANGELES AZTECS SHIRT

We all know Cruyff for his years at Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national team. Images of famous wins, impossible goals and beautiful dribbles, repeatedly shown on television, were etched forever in our memory, long after Johan retired.

However, stories about his time playing for the North American Soccer League are much less known.

At the age of 32, Cruyff signed a lucrative deal with the Los Angeles Aztecs.

He had previously been rumoured to be joining the New York Cosmos but the deal did not materialise; he played a few exhibition games for the Cosmos. 

In his first game, fresh off the plane and badly jet lagged by the long trip and nine-hour time difference with his native Netherlands, Cruyff had scored twice in his first seven minutes and gave an assist before coming off.He stayed at the Aztecs for only one season. That season Cruyff would take the league by storm, scoring 13 goals on his way to picking up the NASL’s Most Valuable Player award.