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,

Described by one of his Ajax coaches as ‘like a kamikaze pilot’, Neeskens’s drive and ferocious stamina encouraged the aggressive press

Jurgen Klopp would diligently study his footage in his early coaching days and Johan Cruyff when asked about his dream eleven once said: ‘1 goalkeeper, 9 Johan Neeskens and a Cruyff up front’.