Akzo Nobel : Unveiling of great tribute to Johan Cruyff at historical location in Amsterdam

The mural was designed by Brazilian artist Paulo Consentino. The mural, which is 13 by 8 meters, took 11 days to paint and Consentino received help from young people from the neighborhood and AkzoNobel employees in the process.

The legacy of Johan Cruyff

On behalf of the Cruyff family, Carole Thate describes how impressive this mural is to everyone. 'Johan's vision on football and life are bundled together into what we now call the Cruyff Legacy. With this mural and even more at this special location, this is a great homage and it's now up to all of us to keep up what he has brought together and continue that legacy.'

'If you have the opportunity to do something for someone you should do it'

Founded by Johan Cruyff, the Cruyff Foundation gives thousands of children all over the world access to safe sporting facilities. More than 230 'Cruyff Courts ' have been established to date. AkzoNobel is a preferred supplier to the Cruyff Foundation and has supplied paint for projects in various countries, including the Netherlands, Spain, Argentina and India.

'The importance of the Foundation's work for society is now bigger than ever,' said Niels Meijer, Director of the Cruyff Foundation. 'Also after Johan's passing, we continue to work hard to offer children a healthy and happy future through sports. For that, the help of partners like AkzoNobel is very important. Over the past years we have worked closely together in creating and maintaining new and existing Cruyff Courts worldwide ad we are proud of the impact we have had together.'

'We strongly believe that color can have a very positive impact on people's lives and that paint has the power to energize cities and communities around the world,' said Ruud Joosten - AkzoNobel Executive Committee member responsible for Decorative Paints. 'We are proud that our partnership with the Cruyff Foundation helps make children's lives more liveable and inspiring by giving them more access to sports. Today's unveiling of the mural is a colorful way to celebrate the legacy of Johan Cruyff and what he still means for so many children today.'

The power of color

The design and painting is done by famous Brazilian artist Paulo Consentino, who has been developing 'football art' projects around South America and Europe, bringing together football fans and art lovers. In 2015, footballer Luis Suarez was the subject of a special mural created by Consentino, using AkzoNobel's Inca brand to immortalize the Barcelona player on the walls of his old school in Montevideo, Uruguay as part of the company's Let's Colour Initiative.