Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff passes away at 68

Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff, died on Thursday in Barcelona at the age of 68 surrounded by his family after a hard fought battle with lung cancer.

This file photo taken on June 26, 1974 shows Dutch midfielder Johann Cruyff dribbling past Argentinian goalkeeper Daniel Carnevali on his way to scoring a goal during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between the Netherlands and Argentina on June, 26, 1974 in Gelsenkirchen. Pic/AFP

His death was announced on his official Twitter account.

On March 24 2016 Johan Cruyff (68) died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard fought battle with cancer. It's with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family's privacy during their time of grief," read a statement on the World of Johan Cruyff website.

One of the greatest footballers in history, he has won three European Cups as a player with Ajax as well as three Ballon d'Or titles (1971, 1973, 1974).

He was the founder of the football philosophy known as Total Football.

As a manager, Cruyff led Barcelona to four successive La Liga titles (1991-94) while also winning the 1992 European Cup at Wembley.

Cryuff was chosen on the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, and in 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.