First look images and powerful new footage have been released for upcoming documentary Cruyff, offering a glimpse into the rare family archive material that helps shape the story of legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff.
The new doc series captures the life, ideas and enduring global legacy of the football pioneer, offering an intimate portrait of the player, coach and thinker whose vision reshaped the modern game and continues to influence it today.
Produced by Box To Box Films (Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen, Diego Maradona) in association with Lusus (That One Word, Feyenoord, SUGA) Cruyff draws on unprecedented access to the family’s private archives granted to filmmakers for the first time, including unseen home movies, previously inaccessible research material and interviews with those closest to him.
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For the first time, Cruyff’s lifelong partner Danny and children Jordi, Chantal and Susila speak openly about his life beyond the pitch.
Across four episodes, the documentary explores how a fiercely independent and often controversial figure transformed football thinking, laying the foundations for the modern identity of clubs such as FC Barcelona and Ajax while inspiring generations of players and coaches who still dominate the game to this day around the world.
At the heart of the film are a series of deeply personal audio recordings Cruyff made in the final months of his life, reflecting on his career and the beliefs that defined him. These previously unheard recordings form a narrative thread throughout the documentary, offering audiences the rare opportunity to hear Cruyff reflecting on his life in his own words.
The documentary also features intimate interviews with many of the most influential figures in world football, including Pep Guardiola, widely regarded as Cruyff’s most prominent protégé.
Having played under Cruyff at Barcelona before going on to build one of the most successful managerial careers in the sport resulting in the 2009 Messi dream team and Manchester City’s all-conquering 2023 treble winners, Guardiola reflects on the profound impact Cruyff had on both his career and the evolution of the modern game.
In an exclusive extract shared from the documentary, Guardiola reflects on the last time he saw Cruyff: “We were walking and playing golf together, and in that moment I had the feeling it might be the last time we would say goodbye. I miss him so much.”
Other contributors include Xavi Hernández, Dennis Bergkamp, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman, Pedri and Joan Laporta, alongside close collaborators and contemporaries who witnessed Cruyff’s impact first-hand.
Beyond his achievements on the pitch, the four-part series explores the personal experiences and challenges that shaped Cruyff’s life, revealing the full complexity of a man whose ideas extended far beyond football and continue to shape the global game today.
Director, Sam Blair said: “Cruyff changed the way football is played, but what fascinated us was the way his ideas extended far beyond the game, asking us to see the familiar in radically new ways. Through extraordinary access to his family, their private archives, and the recordings he made in the final months of his life, we were able to uncover the man behind that revolution, and tell a unique story about a visionary who challenged everything around him, and whose ideas continue to shape the world today.”
Son, and former Manchester United midfielder, Jordi Cruyff added: “For many years our family kept much of Johan’s private world out of the spotlight. This series gave us the opportunity to tell the story in a more complete way and to share the man we knew with the world.”
Cruyff (4 x 45”) will air on NPO on 22 March, almost ten years after Johan’s passing. The launch will be marked by a major stadium premiere at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff ArenA, where tens of thousands will gather for a landmark and record breaking public screening celebrating the enduring legacy of one of football’s most influential figures.
Cruff is directed by Sam Blair and executive produced by James Gay-Rees and Jaap Schneider for Box to Box Films and Lusus. Danny Goldman from Goldridge Media is distributing Cruyff, with discussions underway with broadcasters and platforms worldwide.