Johan Cruyff Claimed Only 1 Footballer 'Surpassed Boundaries of Logic' - Not Messi

 Johan Cruyff stands out as one of the most talented footballers of all time. After all, you don't win the Ballon d'Or on three separate occasions without being pretty special.

At Ajax and Barcelona, the Dutchman dazzled in the 1960s and 1970s, winning league titles and other honours in the Netherlands and Spain. He then went into coaching and became one of the most important managers in football history, enjoying vast success in the dugout for his two former clubs.

In short, Cruyff's legacy on the game cannot be overstated. As a player and then a coach, he changed modern football forever. With that in mind, it's interesting to learn which footballers left a big impression on the legend.

Cruyff Held Pele in the Highest Regard

Dutch legend was spellbound by his talent

While many will rank Cruyff among the best to have ever played the game, he might not quite fall into the very highest bracket. In fact, even the Dutchman seemed to be willing to admit that there was one footballer who deserved his own category.

He was referring to Brazilian legend Pele. Speaking in the most glowing terms, he once said:

"Pele was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic."

He wasn't the only one to feel that way about one of the game's most recognisable names. Iconic Frenchman Michel Platini, for instance, said: "There's Pele the man, and then Pele the player. And to play like Pele is to play like God."

Eric Cantona also gave a wonderful quote on Pele's ability to inspire the very best out of the sport as a spectacle, saying: "An artist in my eyes is someone who can lighten up a dark room. I have never and will never find difference between the pass from Pele to Carlos Alberto in the final of the World Cup in 1970 and the poetry of the young Rimbaud. There is in each of these human manifestations an expression of beauty which touches us and gives us a feeling of eternity."

Pele Will Always Be Considered Among the Very Best

Even if there is limited footage of his achievements

It is a shame for younger fans that they never truly got to see Pele in his pomp and video footage from that era was patchy at best. However, his 'greatest ever goal' – scored for Santos against Atletico Juventus when he was just 18 years old – was digitally recreated, giving fans a glimpse of his true talent.

Because he played so long ago, there are some doubts over the validity of claims that he scored over 1000 goals in his career – even though the Guinness Book of World Records states that Pele scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games. He may well have reached that number, but not all of those strikes came in what would be regarded as competitive matches. As such, the official figure is thought to be 757.