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 has died. He was 73. He was one of the midfield stars in the Netherlands’ “Clockwork Orange” teams of the 1970s alongside Johan Cruyff.

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