This portrait of Johan Cruyff draws on numerous interviews conducted by the authors between the years of 1974 and 1997. In these interviews Cruyff talks about how he learnt his trade and what it was like to play football for Barcelona and Ajax, two of the world's greatest club sides. He also talks about the philosophy behind "total football", the driving force behind the great Dutch side of the 1970s, and a style of football many teams attempt to emulate today. Cruyff also enjoyed eight years of success as manager of Barcelona before returning to Ajax, where, with his emphasis on youth and home-grown talent, he put together a team of great ability.