The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
Johannes Jacobus Neeskens was a Dutch football manager and player. A midfielder, he was an important member of the Netherlands national team that finished as runners-up in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups and is considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time. In 2004, he was named one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony, while in 2017 he was included in the FourFourTwo list of the 100 all-time greatest players, at the 64th position.
Johan Vonlanthen Benavídez is a former professional footballer who played as a winger. Born in Colombia, he opted to play for Switzerland, for whom he became eligible through his Swiss-born stepfather.
Marinus Jacobus Hendricus "Rinus" Michels was a Dutch football player and coach. He played his entire career for Ajax, which he later managed, and played for and later managed the Netherlands national team for four spells. Throughout his career, he played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.
The Johan Cruyff Arena is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost equivalent to €140 million, it is the largest stadium in the country. The stadium was previously known as the Amsterdam Arena until the 2018–19 football season, when it was officially renamed in honour of Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff who died in 2016.
Association Sportive de Cannes Football is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed 1902 as a sports club and currently plays in the Championnat National 2, the fourth division of French football. Cannes plays its home matches at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, located within the city. The team is managed by Jean-Noël Cabezas.
Johan Cédric Micoud is a French former professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder.
Johan Erik Calvin Elmander is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Beginning his career with Holmalunds IF in the late 1990s, he went on to play professionally in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, France, England, and Turkey before retiring at Örgryte IS in 2017. A full international between 2002 and 2015, he scored 20 goals in 85 games for the Sweden national team, and represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2012.
Johan Etienne Anthony Cavalli is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
The Netherlands national football team has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion, and De Grolsch Veste.
Jean-Michel Cavalli is a French and Corsican football manager and former player who is the manager of Kosovo Superleague club Prishtina.
Johan Audel is a footballer who played as a winger. Born in metropolitan France, he played for the Martinique national team. He is the brother of French player Thierry Audel.
Johan Gastien is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 2 club Clermont.
Johan Martial is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. He was a France youth international for the under-19 and under-20 teams.
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff, commonly known as Johan Cruyff, was a Dutch professional football player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest players in history and as the greatest Dutch footballer ever, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973, and 1974. Cruyff was a proponent of the football philosophy known as Total Football developed by Rinus Michels, which Cruyff also employed as a manager. Because of the far-reaching impact of his playing style and his coaching ideas, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern football, and he is also regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.
Björn Kuipers is a former Dutch football referee. He has been a FIFA listed referee from 2006 to 2021 and an UEFA Elite group referee from 2009 to 2021. He was assisted during international matches by Sander van Roekel and Erwin Zeinstra. A supermarket owner by occupation, Kuipers has officiated at two World Cups and three European Championship tournaments. It was announced on 29 July 2021 that Kuipers would be retiring from refereeing, officiating his final match between Ajax and PSV on 7 August in the 2021 Johan Cruyff Shield.
The 1973 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries on 25 December 1973. It was awarded to Dutch midfielder Johan Cruyff, for the second time.
The 1974 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the Dutch striker Johan Cruyff on 31 December 1974. There were 26 voters, from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, England, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, West Germany and Yugoslavia. Cruyff became the first footballer to earn the award three times, following up from his wins in 1971 and 1973. French playmaker Michel Platini and Dutch compatriot Marco van Basten also won the Ballon d'Or three times after him.
Olivier Maxime Boscagli is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for PSV Eindhoven. Born in Monaco, he has represented France at youth level.
Jean-Claude Letzelter is a French chess FIDE Master (FM) and three times French Chess Championship winner.
