Cruijffiaans

Cruijff's Dutch was not the generally accepted variation (Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands or ABN), according to linguist Jan Stroop.

Semantically, Cruijffiaans contains many tautologies and paradoxes that, while appearing mundane or self-evident, suggest a deeper level of meaning, a mysterious layer not normally attainable for the average speaker or listener.

His pronouncements oscillate between pithy aphorism and "endless monologue"; Kees Fens said Cruijffiaans was an essayistic style that compares to stream of consciousness prose.

[7] A poll in 2007 by Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool asking readers about their favorite Cruijff saying found that it was Elk nadeel hep zijn voordeel ("Every disadvantage has its advantage"--hep being the Amsterdam pronunciation of heeft; linguist Jan Stroop noted that Renate Rubinstein had used that expression before Cruijff did, but thinks it unlikely Cruijff had gotten it from her[1]), followed closely by Als ik zou willen dat je het begreep, legde ik het wel beter uit ("If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better").

[1] While Stroop said Cruijffiaans frequently was more murky than enlightening and that Cruijff's language was accepted because it was his, journalist and television presenter Hanneke Groenteman said it was hypnotic.