JOHAN CRUYFF HAS been diagnosed with lung cancer according to reports in Spain.
Spanish radio station RAC1 and the Mundo Deportivo newspaper both say the Dutch legend was diagnosed last Tuesday.
The 68-year old is currently undergoing tests to discover how widespread the disease is but it is not his first health scare.
In 1991, while still manager of Barcelona, Cruyff had double heart surgery. Before that procedure, he smoked up to 20 cigarettes a day but following the successful operation he fronted an anti-smoking campaign.
In an extraordinary playing career, Cruyff won nine Eredivisie titles — eight with Ajax — as well as three European Cups in a row with the Amsterdam club. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 1971, 1973 and 1974.
As Barcelona manager, he won four La Liga titles in a row between 1990 and 1994, picking up Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, and a European Cup along the way.
