On 15 November 1964, at the Oostenpark in Groningen, the hosts hosted Ajax for a match that should have been normal. Incredibly, the Amsterdam club was almost in the relegation zone, with the risk of relegation from the Dutch first division. On the bench there was Vic Buckingham for the red and whites who has an intuition, perhaps the only one from his experience on that bench.
The November afternoon doesn’t help Ajax, who loses 3-1. It can happen, but on the scoresheet appears the name of a sixteen year old boy who has just signed his first contract. AND Johan Cruyffwho entered the youth sector on his tenth birthday, in the company of his brother Hendrik. In his first year in the youth sector he scored 74 goals as a midfielder, while at fourteen he won his first championship in the Student category.
The goal is a diagonal shot that goes into the corner, with the opposing goalkeeper van Leeuwen unable to do anything except collect the ball from the net. It will be the first, but not the last, because the following week he will score at home, contributing to the 5-0 victory against PSV Eindhoven. Then in January the legend (next to come) Rinus Michels will arrive in place of the sacked Buckingham.