In the summer of 1974, a bright-orange revolution swept the soccer pitch and the world. The first episode of Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything tells the story of Dutch star Johan Cruyff and the Netherlands’ Total Football movement—the dazzling skill, sex appeal and cultural swagger that defined it—and the heartbreak of a World Cup final that turned genius into myth. More than 50 years on, we explore why this team still captivates the soccer world, whether their idealism was doomed in a colder era, and how their brief reign reshaped the game—and a nation—forever.
In the summer of 1974, a bright-orange revolution swept the soccer pitch and the world. The first episode of Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything tells the story of Dutch football star Johan Cruyff and the Netherlands’ Total Football movement—the dazzling skill, sex appeal and cultural swagger that defined it—and the heartbreak of a World Cup final that turned genius into myth.
More than 50 years on, we explore why this team still captivates the soccer world, whether their idealism was doomed in a colder era, and how their brief reign reshaped the game—and a nation—forever.