Johan Neeskens, who has died aged 73, was the focal point of two Dutch masterpieces: the Ajax side of the early 1970s, with whom he won three European Cups by the age of 21; and the national team that lost the final of the World Cup in 1974 and 1978 but which,

Johan Neeskens, the former Ajax, Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder, passed away on 6 October at the age of 73.

Johan Neeskens, part of the Ajax and Netherlands teams that created “total football” in the 1970s and a key team-mate of Johan Cruyff, has died aged 73, the Dutch football federation said Monday.