The first stop of the tour, 'Jopie' Cruijff spent the first 12 years of his life here, a ground-floor apartment on the corner of Akkerstraat and Tuinbouwstraat, where the windows are now covered with stickers that tell the story of young Johan. Tobias says the neighbourhood served as inspiration for his role in the play. "In preparation for the role, I spent a lot of time in Betondorp, and I have really fallen in love with the area. It also feels special to walk around here, past where his father's greengrocer's shop once was."
These now legendary neighbourhood football fields are the centrepiece of the Cruyff Foundation. Nierop: "There are already 250 Cruyff Courts worldwide, he really pulled it off." In Amsterdam, there are three other Cruyff Courts, but this one is the most special. It was opened in 2014 by Johan himself, together with Mayor Van der Laan.
Go to the site where the legendary Ajax stadium De Meer stood until 1996. "My father still remembers how he was sneaked in there as a child under his father's coat to watch the match for free." It is now a rather unimaginative residential area, but Cruijff's legacy has not disappeared: one of the wooden access bridges is named after him.
At the corner of the apartment block on Anfieldroad (named after Liverpool F.C.'s stadium) in Watergraafsmeer, there is a stunning mural of Cruyff, created by the Brazilian street artist Paulo Consentino, who makes football-themed murals worldwide. For this piece, Consentino received help from local youths. "I think he's really cool. But no, I haven't taken a selfie with it yet."
Johan was also often found in the South. He lived in Barcelona, but in Amsterdam he liked to go to his favourite restaurant, Ron Gastrobar. Ron Blaauw himself once said about it: "Cruijff regularly indicated that he had to leave at quarter to 9: 'watching football'. But he would still be here at half past 9, happily chatting at other tables. He felt comfortable here." That one on Sophialaan was his spot.
Cruijff had a special bond with the Stadionplein: he liked to have a sandwich there. In the Olympic Stadium, he also established his Cruyff Foundation, aimed at getting young people active. The foundation has realised the Cruyff Courts and organises sports events worldwide, including for children with disabilities. For the Stadion, you'll find a statue of Ek van Zanten which commemorates the lost European Championship final of '74 – many people see Johan Cruyff in it.
It took some time, but in 2018 the name change was a fact. The Amsterdam ArenA is now truly called the Johan Cruijff Arena. A tribute to perhaps the most famous Dutch person ever. With 55,500 seats, it is the largest football stadium in the Netherlands. Inside, by the skyboxes, you'll find the (private) café Johan, where Ajax's business contacts can eat and drink for the benefit of a good cause; the proceeds go to the Cruyff Foundation.
The Amsterdam actor Tobias Nierop (33) started at the Amsterdam Youth Theatre School and then completed drama training in Arnhem. You may know him from the series Moordvrouw, Project Orpheus, and Thuisfront. He also played Prof. dr. Testkees for school television. In recent years, he has appeared in productions by Orkater, Bellevue, and De Toneelmakerij.
