Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff has died at the age of 68 after a long and hard battle with lung cancer. The three time world player of the year was considered as a pioneer in the football world both as a player and a manager.

A statement on his official website read:

“On March 24 2016 Johan Cruyff (68) died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard fought battle with cancer. It’s with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”

During his stint as a player, Cruyff won three successive European cups with Ajax and helped his country reach the World Cup final in 1974.

As a manager the Dutch international guided Barcelona to their first ever European trophy in 1992 and four consecutive La Liga titles from 1990 to 1994.

He recently claimed that he’d “end up of the winning” the battle with cancer and that he was “2-0 up in a match” but unfortunately succumbed to his illness.

More to follow as we pay tribute to the legend.