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This morning, in the hospital of Aalst in Belgium, the legendary Dutch footballer and coach, the founder of "total" football, Rinus Michels, passed away at the age of 77. The legendary player underwent heart surgery back in 1986, and since then, due to heart valve malfunctions, he was intensively monitored by medical professionals.
Representing Amsterdam, Michels played a total of 269 matches, scoring 120 goals, becoming a living legend of Dutch football. After ending his career as a player, he managed the same "Ajax" team, with which he won the UEFA Champions League in 1971. Afterwards, Michels coached the Spanish team and helped them win the 1973/74 Spanish La Liga championship.
In the same year of 1974, Michels led the Dutch national team to the World Cup final, and in 1988 they won the European Championship. The Dutch national team at that time included famous players like the current "Barcelona" coach Frank Rijkaard, Dutch football legends Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit.
Micels ended his career as a coach in 1984. The last club he managed was the German team Leverkusen.
Known as the "General" among football specialists, Michels, who was crowned FIFA's Coach of the Century in 1999, was greatly admired by experts and fans of the sport because he promoted visually pleasing and attacking football.
Michels was the first to introduce "total" football - a style in which every player could feel comfortable in any position on the field, creating a captivating football spectacle.
