Johnny Rep must have been a nightmare at bus stops. Never the most patient of players, he would have been a fidgety mess, cursing the quiet road and rechecking the timetable every five seconds. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, but try telling that to Rep circa 1973. If you could get near him, that is: when he wasn’t tapping his foot or audibly sighing, he was sprinting off to harangue the future, pointing accusingly at his watch and telling it to hurry up.
So let it be stated here, on behalf of the Dutch go-getter, that good things also come to those who do not wait – and Rep certainly wasn’t hanging around. The final sprocket in the Total Football machine put together by Ajax in the early 1970s, he played the game as if driven by his own private agenda. On the pitch and off it, he saw what needed to happen before practically anyone else – and then he made it happen.
Rep began the 1973 European Cup final as the only Ajax player who had not featured in at least one of their showpiece triumphs over the two previous seasons. He had been a fringe contributor at the start of the campaign. An undeniably brilliant winger, yes, but a 20-year-old talent who had to bide his time. Especially as the man keeping his place warm was ‘Mr Ajax’ himself, Sjaak Swart, a bona fide club monument.
Rep took a long, hard look at the best team in Europe – one of the finest sides ever assembled – and basically shook his head. Pretty good, but could do better. And what tweak did this recipe require? More Rep, less Swart. “It was my turn,” he says now of that period. Frustratingly for him, coach Ștefan Kovács refused to bow to Rep’s vision of the inevitable, so the restless prodigy went right ahead and complained to the board of directors.
It was a risky move, this brash young upstart defying the manager who had recently conquered Europe. But the board was receptive, with Rep having won Ajax the Intercontinental Cup in September, when he was subbed on for Swart during the second leg against Independiente and promptly scored twice. With the backing of the higher-ups, he was fast-tracked into the forward line alongside Johan Cruyff and Piet Keizer, ostensibly as the right prong of a trident but in truth a mobile, dribbling dynamo in a fluid 4-3-3 formation.
Johnny Rep must have been a nightmare at bus stops. Never the most patient of players, he would have been a fidgety mess, cursing the quiet road and rechecking the timetable every five seconds. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, but try telling that to Rep circa 1973. If you could get near him, that is: when he wasn’t tapping his foot or audibly sighing, he was sprinting off to harangue the future, pointing accusingly at his watch and telling it to hurry up.
So let it be stated here, on behalf of the Dutch go-getter, that good things also come to those who do not wait – and Rep certainly wasn’t hanging around. The final sprocket in the Total Football machine put together by Ajax in the early 1970s, he played the game as if driven by his own private agenda. On the pitch and off it, he saw what needed to happen before practically anyone else – and then he made it happen.
Rep began the 1973 European Cup final as the only Ajax player who had not featured in at least one of their showpiece triumphs over the two previous seasons. He had been a fringe contributor at the start of the campaign. An undeniably brilliant winger, yes, but a 20-year-old talent who had to bide his time. Especially as the man keeping his place warm was ‘Mr Ajax’ himself, Sjaak Swart, a bona fide club monument.
Rep took a long, hard look at the best team in Europe – one of the finest sides ever assembled – and basically shook his head. Pretty good, but could do better. And what tweak did this recipe require? More Rep, less Swart. “It was my turn,” he says now of that period. Frustratingly for him, coach Ștefan Kovács refused to bow to Rep’s vision of the inevitable, so the restless prodigy went right ahead and complained to the board of directors.
It was a risky move, this brash young upstart defying the manager who had recently conquered Europe. But the board was receptive, with Rep having won Ajax the Intercontinental Cup in September, when he was subbed on for Swart during the second leg against Independiente and promptly scored twice. With the backing of the higher-ups, he was fast-tracked into the forward line alongside Johan Cruyff and Piet Keizer, ostensibly as the right prong of a trident but in truth a mobile, dribbling dynamo in a fluid 4-3-3 formation.
Having declared his genius, Rep now had to prove it. Which, of course, he did. And in typically brisk fashion, topping the goal charts for Ajax that season as they claimed a third consecutive Eredivisie crown. Rep had made his point, bringing the Dutch game into harmony with his own impatient schedule. Now it was the rest of Europe that needed to get with the programme.
Ajax made serene progress through to that European Cup final 50 years ago. History beckoned, with only Juventus standing in the way of a hat-trick of successive titles. But there was a whiff of late-imperial decadence about the holders as they travelled to Belgrade. They had helped drag football from the rigid Catenaccio era into an age of free-form attacking verve, yet they seemed in danger of losing focus. Having started with such grand ambitions, the artists from Amsterdam had achieved them all. Now what?
Just as well, then, for their No16 with long, wavy hair and rock-star charisma. If there was any apathy beginning to spread through the ranks, Rep remained immune. An unused substitute for the 1972 final, he growled with the hunger of a latecomer to the Total Football party. That said, he kicked off by gradually feeling his way into the game… no, of course he didn’t. The showpiece was less than five minutes old when this man on a mission left his mark, not just pouncing quickly but also moving quicker than anyone else to do it.
But let’s rewind a little. The pace had been lethargic as Ajax crawled upfield, with Juventus refusing to close down and the Dutch masters content to probe. In the midst of this relative stupor, Johan Neeskens fed centre-back Horst Blankenburg, loitering on the left. He strolled, stopped and returned the ball to Neeskens – who strolled, stopped and gave it back. Then Blankenburg, looking around, must have been amazed to spot someone acting as if a European Cup final was actually taking place.
That someone was Rep, darting in from the right. Blankenburg floated a cross into the box, giving it enough height that Rep had time to lead marker Silvio Longobucco in one direction before checking back slightly. The momentum belonged to Rep – and his timing was superior as he leapt above the Italian to plant his head on the ball.
Off it sailed, looping in a gentle arc towards the opposite corner. Just this once, Rep had to be patient as the ball moved deliberate and majestic as a slow-motion replay. Goalkeeper Dino Zoff, by contrast, stumbled frantically on his line. Deep down, he knew he would never reach it. And, after that, first-time finalists Juventus never managed a response. They would have to make do with waiting for good things to happen. But not Rep. This was his time. His final. His turn.
Johnny Rep must have been a nightmare at bus stops. Never the most patient of players, he would have been a fidgety mess, cursing the quiet road and rechecking the timetable every five seconds. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, but try telling that to Rep circa 1973. If you could get near him, that is: when he wasn’t tapping his foot or audibly sighing, he was sprinting off to harangue the future, pointing accusingly at his watch and telling it to hurry up.
So let it be stated here, on behalf of the Dutch go-getter, that good things also come to those who do not wait – and Rep certainly wasn’t hanging around. The final sprocket in the Total Football machine put together by Ajax in the early 1970s, he played the game as if driven by his own private agenda. On the pitch and off it, he saw what needed to happen before practically anyone else – and then he made it happen.
Rep began the 1973 European Cup final as the only Ajax player who had not featured in at least one of their showpiece triumphs over the two previous seasons. He had been a fringe contributor at the start of the campaign. An undeniably brilliant winger, yes, but a 20-year-old talent who had to bide his time. Especially as the man keeping his place warm was ‘Mr Ajax’ himself, Sjaak Swart, a bona fide club monument.
Rep took a long, hard look at the best team in Europe – one of the finest sides ever assembled – and basically shook his head. Pretty good, but could do better. And what tweak did this recipe require? More Rep, less Swart. “It was my turn,” he says now of that period. Frustratingly for him, coach Ștefan Kovács refused to bow to Rep’s vision of the inevitable, so the restless prodigy went right ahead and complained to the board of directors.
It was a risky move, this brash young upstart defying the manager who had recently conquered Europe. But the board was receptive, with Rep having won Ajax the Intercontinental Cup in September, when he was subbed on for Swart during the second leg against Independiente and promptly scored twice. With the backing of the higher-ups, he was fast-tracked into the forward line alongside Johan Cruyff and Piet Keizer, ostensibly as the right prong of a trident but in truth a mobile, dribbling dynamo in a fluid 4-3-3 formation.
Johnny Rep must have been a nightmare at bus stops. Never the most patient of players, he would have been a fidgety mess, cursing the quiet road and rechecking the timetable every five seconds. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, but try telling that to Rep circa 1973. If you could get near him, that is: when he wasn’t tapping his foot or audibly sighing, he was sprinting off to harangue the future, pointing accusingly at his watch and telling it to hurry up.
So let it be stated here, on behalf of the Dutch go-getter, that good things also come to those who do not wait – and Rep certainly wasn’t hanging around. The final sprocket in the Total Football machine put together by Ajax in the early 1970s, he played the game as if driven by his own private agenda. On the pitch and off it, he saw what needed to happen before practically anyone else – and then he made it happen.
Rep began the 1973 European Cup final as the only Ajax player who had not featured in at least one of their showpiece triumphs over the two previous seasons. He had been a fringe contributor at the start of the campaign. An undeniably brilliant winger, yes, but a 20-year-old talent who had to bide his time. Especially as the man keeping his place warm was ‘Mr Ajax’ himself, Sjaak Swart, a bona fide club monument.
Rep took a long, hard look at the best team in Europe – one of the finest sides ever assembled – and basically shook his head. Pretty good, but could do better. And what tweak did this recipe require? More Rep, less Swart. “It was my turn,” he says now of that period. Frustratingly for him, coach Ștefan Kovács refused to bow to Rep’s vision of the inevitable, so the restless prodigy went right ahead and complained to the board of directors.
It was a risky move, this brash young upstart defying the manager who had recently conquered Europe. But the board was receptive, with Rep having won Ajax the Intercontinental Cup in September, when he was subbed on for Swart during the second leg against Independiente and promptly scored twice. With the backing of the higher-ups, he was fast-tracked into the forward line alongside Johan Cruyff and Piet Keizer, ostensibly as the right prong of a trident but in truth a mobile, dribbling dynamo in a fluid 4-3-3 formation.
Johnny Rep must have been a nightmare at bus stops. Never the most patient of players, he would have been a fidgety mess, cursing the quiet road and rechecking the timetable every five seconds. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, but try telling that to Rep circa 1973. If you could get near him, that is: when he wasn’t tapping his foot or audibly sighing, he was sprinting off to harangue the future, pointing accusingly at his watch and telling it to hurry up.
So let it be stated here, on behalf of the Dutch go-getter, that good things also come to those who do not wait – and Rep certainly wasn’t hanging around. The final sprocket in the Total Football machine put together by Ajax in the early 1970s, he played the game as if driven by his own private agenda. On the pitch and off it, he saw what needed to happen before practically anyone else – and then he made it happen.
Rep began the 1973 European Cup final as the only Ajax player who had not featured in at least one of their showpiece triumphs over the two previous seasons. He had been a fringe contributor at the start of the campaign. An undeniably brilliant winger, yes, but a 20-year-old talent who had to bide his time. Especially as the man keeping his place warm was ‘Mr Ajax’ himself, Sjaak Swart, a bona fide club monument.
Rep took a long, hard look at the best team in Europe – one of the finest sides ever assembled – and basically shook his head. Pretty good, but could do better. And what tweak did this recipe require? More Rep, less Swart. “It was my turn,” he says now of that period. Frustratingly for him, coach Ștefan Kovács refused to bow to Rep’s vision of the inevitable, so the restless prodigy went right ahead and complained to the board of directors.
It was a risky move, this brash young upstart defying the manager who had recently conquered Europe. But the board was receptive, with Rep having won Ajax the Intercontinental Cup in September, when he was subbed on for Swart during the second leg against Independiente and promptly scored twice. With the backing of the higher-ups, he was fast-tracked into the forward line alongside Johan Cruyff and Piet Keizer, ostensibly as the right prong of a trident but in truth a mobile, dribbling dynamo in a fluid 4-3-3 formation.
Having declared his genius, Rep now had to prove it. Which, of course, he did. And in typically brisk fashion, topping the goal charts for Ajax that season as they claimed a third consecutive Eredivisie crown. Rep had made his point, bringing the Dutch game into harmony with his own impatient schedule. Now it was the rest of Europe that needed to get with the programme.
Ajax made serene progress through to that European Cup final 50 years ago. History beckoned, with only Juventus standing in the way of a hat-trick of successive titles. But there was a whiff of late-imperial decadence about the holders as they travelled to Belgrade. They had helped drag football from the rigid Catenaccio era into an age of free-form attacking verve, yet they seemed in danger of losing focus. Having started with such grand ambitions, the artists from Amsterdam had achieved them all. Now what?
Just as well, then, for their No16 with long, wavy hair and rock-star charisma. If there was any apathy beginning to spread through the ranks, Rep remained immune. An unused substitute for the 1972 final, he growled with the hunger of a latecomer to the Total Football party. That said, he kicked off by gradually feeling his way into the game… no, of course he didn’t. The showpiece was less than five minutes old when this man on a mission left his mark, not just pouncing quickly but also moving quicker than anyone else to do it.
But let’s rewind a little. The pace had been lethargic as Ajax crawled upfield, with Juventus refusing to close down and the Dutch masters content to probe. In the midst of this relative stupor, Johan Neeskens fed centre-back Horst Blankenburg, loitering on the left. He strolled, stopped and returned the ball to Neeskens – who strolled, stopped and gave it back. Then Blankenburg, looking around, must have been amazed to spot someone acting as if a European Cup final was actually taking place.
That someone was Rep, darting in from the right. Blankenburg floated a cross into the box, giving it enough height that Rep had time to lead marker Silvio Longobucco in one direction before checking back slightly. The momentum belonged to Rep – and his timing was superior as he leapt above the Italian to plant his head on the ball.
Off it sailed, looping in a gentle arc towards the opposite corner. Just this once, Rep had to be patient as the ball moved deliberate and majestic as a slow-motion replay. Goalkeeper Dino Zoff, by contrast, stumbled frantically on his line. Deep down, he knew he would never reach it. And, after that, first-time finalists Juventus never managed a response. They would have to make do with waiting for good things to happen. But not Rep. This was his time. His final. His turn.
Johnny Rep must have been a nightmare at bus stops. Never the most patient of players, he would have been a fidgety mess, cursing the quiet road and rechecking the timetable every five seconds. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, but try telling that to Rep circa 1973. If you could get near him, that is: when he wasn’t tapping his foot or audibly sighing, he was sprinting off to harangue the future, pointing accusingly at his watch and telling it to hurry up.
So let it be stated here, on behalf of the Dutch go-getter, that good things also come to those who do not wait – and Rep certainly wasn’t hanging around. The final sprocket in the Total Football machine put together by Ajax in the early 1970s, he played the game as if driven by his own private agenda. On the pitch and off it, he saw what needed to happen before practically anyone else – and then he made it happen.
Rep began the 1973 European Cup final as the only Ajax player who had not featured in at least one of their showpiece triumphs over the two previous seasons. He had been a fringe contributor at the start of the campaign. An undeniably brilliant winger, yes, but a 20-year-old talent who had to bide his time. Especially as the man keeping his place warm was ‘Mr Ajax’ himself, Sjaak Swart, a bona fide club monument.
Rep took a long, hard look at the best team in Europe – one of the finest sides ever assembled – and basically shook his head. Pretty good, but could do better. And what tweak did this recipe require? More Rep, less Swart. “It was my turn,” he says now of that period. Frustratingly for him, coach Ștefan Kovács refused to bow to Rep’s vision of the inevitable, so the restless prodigy went right ahead and complained to the board of directors.
It was a risky move, this brash young upstart defying the manager who had recently conquered Europe. But the board was receptive, with Rep having won Ajax the Intercontinental Cup in September, when he was subbed on for Swart during the second leg against Independiente and promptly scored twice. With the backing of the higher-ups, he was fast-tracked into the forward line alongside Johan Cruyff and Piet Keizer, ostensibly as the right prong of a trident but in truth a mobile, dribbling dynamo in a fluid 4-3-3 formation.
