Johan Cruyff, Barcelona and Ajax Legend, Diagnosed with Lung Cancer

Netherlands and Barcelona great Johan Cruyff has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Barcelona relayed confirmation of the news on Thursday:

The 68-year-old was a smoker and previously admitted to smoking 20 cigarettes a day before he quit following heart surgery in 1991, per Jack de Menezes in the Independent.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Cruyff is the most famous exponent of the legendary Total Football. As can be seen in the clips below, he was a remarkably gifted player:

Cruyff won six Eredivisie titles and three European Cups with Ajax between 1965 and 1973 before moving to Spanish club Barcelona.

While he won just one league title with Barca as a player, in 1973-74, he remained one of the world's best before departing Camp Nou for the NASL's Los Angeles Aztecs in 1979.

In 1974, he led the Netherlands national team's serene progression to the World Cup final, in which they were beaten 2-1 by hosts West Germany.

Cruyff took over as manager of Ajax in 1985, but his major successes in the dugout came during his tenure at Barcelona between 1988 and 1996.

The Catalans won four league titles in a row and the club's first European Cup during his reign, and his legacy has played a huge role in Barca's rise to the top of the world game in the 21st century.

Former Norway international Jan Aage Fjortoft expressed the views of many in his reaction to the news of Cruyff's diagnosis:

The severity of Cruyff's condition is, as yet, unclear.