Brilliant Oranje: 50 years on, the game is still in thrall

The influence of the Netherlands at the 1974 World Cup – Cruyff and the high-press revolution – will still resonate at the Euros in Germany

Sérgio Markarián was the 30-year-old general manager of a fuel distribution company in Montevideo when he became aware of his mission. He had given up on his dreams of becoming a footballer 12 years earlier but, watching the 1974 World Cup, he realised his time in the game was not over.

As he watched the Netherlands outplay Uruguay, he knew that he had to become a coach so he could ensure his country would never suffer in the same way again. And it wasn’t just Uruguay. The Dutch went on to beat Argentina and Brazil as well, by an aggregate score of 8-1. Markarián had to teach the whole of South America how to deal with Total Football.